JPH0218486B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a moving body position detection and transition control device, and more particularly to a moving body position detection and transition control device using a light beam.

In recent years, various means have been proposed and implemented to detect the position of moving objects such as automatic guided vehicles, cranes, and aircraft in factories, and furthermore to control their movement.

The present invention provides a new means for detecting the position of a moving body and controlling the transition thereof, and its main purpose is to provide a light beam that can accurately detect the position of a moving body with a relatively simple configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide a position detecting device for a moving body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for detecting the position of a moving object and controlling the movement thereof using a light beam that can accurately detect the position of the moving object and control the movement of the moving object with a relatively simple configuration. It is said that

To this end, the moving object position detection device using a light beam according to the present invention irradiates a light beam following the moving object, and detects the position of the moving object based on detecting the irradiation angle of the light beam. The main feature is that the device for detecting the position of a moving object and controlling the transition using a light beam according to the present invention has the characteristics of the position detecting device, and also uses the emitted light beam to send signals related to the transition control. It is also characterized in that it also performs migration control of a moving object based on irradiation with a modulated light beam.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a moving body position detection and transition control device using a light beam according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which a position detection device according to the present invention is used for an overhead crane. In FIG. 1, 1 is a girder that runs along a rail 2 provided in a building, and a motor 3 for running is attached to the girder 1. Reference numeral 4 denotes a club that runs sideways along the rail 5 and moves on the girder 1. The club 4 includes a motor 6 for traversing, a winding device 8 for raising and lowering the hook 7, and a corner cube 1 as a light beam reflecting means for reflecting a laser beam irradiated from a laser beam generator 20A, which will be described later, in the same direction as the direction of incidence of the laser beam.
0 is set.

On the other hand, two laser beam generators 20A are fixed at appropriate positions in the building so as to face the club 4 and to be separated by a predetermined distance.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 21 is a laser beam generator that generates a directional laser beam, and 22 is a tracking mirror rotated by a step motor 23. The laser beam is scanned and reflected toward the club 4. Therefore, the laser beam generator 21, the tracking mirror 22,
The step motor 23 scans the light beam while
It is included in a light beam irradiation means for irradiating this in a predetermined direction. However, such a light beam irradiation means can also be constituted by a semiconductor laser beam generator.

On the other hand, numeral 24 is an angle detector serving as an angle detection means for detecting the irradiation angle of the laser beam, and this angle detector 24 is provided in association with the tracking mirror 24. 25 allows the laser beam irradiated from the laser beam generator 21 to pass through, but does not allow the laser beam reflected by the corner cube 10 installed in the club 4 to pass through. It is a half mirror that reflects the light toward 26b. The distance between the optical sensors 26a and 26b is determined depending on the scanning range of the laser beam.

Therefore, the laser beam generator 20A in this embodiment includes a laser beam generator 21, a tracking mirror 22, a step motor 23, an angle detector 24,
It includes a half mirror 25, optical sensors 26a and 26b, and a motor controller not shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration will be explained as follows.
This will be explained based on FIGS. 3 to 3. FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the device according to the invention.

In FIG. 3, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and 27 is a motor controller. The motor controller 27 includes an amplifier circuit 271 that amplifies the outputs of the optical sensors 26a and 26b, a forward/reverse control circuit 272 that outputs positive and negative inverted signals according to the output of the amplifier circuit 271, and a pulse oscillation circuit 27 that uses the inverted signals.
The stepper motor 23 includes a motor drive circuit 273 that drives the step motor 23 based on the oscillation output of the step motor 23.

The laser beam emitted from the laser beam generator 21 is reflected by the tracking mirror 22 and then enters the corner cube 10 via the half mirror 25. Now, the tracking mirror 22 is rotating in the normal direction, and the laser beam scanned by it is directed to the corner cube 1.
Assume that the distance from the center of 0 to an arbitrary point on the periphery is reached. If the laser beam at this time is LB1,
The laser beam LB1 is reflected by the corner cube 10 and exits from the opposite side of the center of the corner cube 10 from where it is incident. This emitted laser beam LB1' is reflected by the half mirror 25 and then enters the optical sensor 26a.

The output of the optical sensor 26a is amplified by an amplifier circuit 271 and then applied to a forward/reverse control circuit 272, which inverts the output of the forward/reverse control circuit. As a result, the motor drive circuit 273 reverses the step motor 23 by changing the application order of the output pulses of the pulse oscillation circuit 274 applied to the step motor 23. Therefore, the tracking mirror 22 is reversed and the laser beam is scanned in the opposite direction. The laser beam LB2 that has entered the peripheral portion of the corner cube 10 on the opposite side from the above-mentioned location is reflected in the same manner as described above and enters the optical sensor 26b. Based on this, the step motor 23 will rotate normally again.

In this way, the laser beams LB1' and LB2' reflected from the corner cube 10 are transmitted to the optical sensor 26a.
and 26b detect and control the rotation of the tracking mirror 22, so the two laser beam generators 20
The laser beams emitted from A do not deviate from the corner cube 10, and each club 4
Follow the movement of.

On the other hand, the irradiation angles α and β of each laser beam as shown in FIG. Therefore, the position of the corner cube 10, that is, the position of the club 4, can be detected by providing the irradiation angles α, β and the separation distance between the two laser beam generators 20A to a calculator (not shown).

Next, by means different from those mentioned above,
A moving body position detection device according to the present invention that detects the position of a moving body will be described.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a position detecting device according to the present invention using means different from the position detecting device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. In FIG. 4, the same parts as in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and 20B is a laser beam generator including the components shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the same parts as in FIG. 2 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and 26c is an optical sensor, and this optical sensor 26c receives the laser beam reflected by the half mirror 25.

That is, the device of the present invention measures the irradiation angle α of the laser beam irradiated onto the club 4 from the laser beam generator 20B and the distance from the laser beam generator 20B to the club 4, and measures the distance from the laser beam generator 20B to the club 4, and adjusts the angle of the club 4 based on these. Detects the position of

The irradiation angle α of the laser beam is determined in the same manner as in the position detection device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a principle diagram of the distance measuring means in the embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, when a laser beam whose illuminance changes periodically is irradiated from the laser beam generator 21,
The illuminance on the optical path has a phase that differs depending on the distance from the laser beam generator 21, as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The distance can be calculated.

Therefore, the position of the club 4 can be detected from the irradiation angle of the laser beam and the distance to the corner cube 10.

Next, a moving body position detection and movement control device using a laser beam according to the present invention will be explained.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of a moving body position detection and transition control device using a laser beam. In FIG. 7, the same parts as in FIGS. 2 and 5 are indicated by the same symbols, and 29
is, for example, an acousto-optic modulator as a laser beam modulating means. The acousto-optic modulator 29 has a piezoelectric vibrator 292 attached to one end of a transparent medium 291 and a sound absorbing material 293 attached to the other end, and by applying a modulation signal to the piezoelectric vibrator 292, the inside of the medium 291 can be adjusted. A laser beam passing through can be diffracted.

On the other hand, 11 is a beam splitter provided in association with the corner cube 10 , and this beam splitter 11 splits the incident laser beam and supplies one to the optical sensor 12 .

Therefore, in the device of the present invention, the laser beam generator includes the laser beam generator 21 and the tracking mirror 2.
2, a step motor 23, an angle detector 24, a half mirror 25, optical sensors 26a, 26b, an acousto-optic modulator 29, and a motor controller 27 (not shown).

In the present invention, two laser beam generators are used, and these two laser beam generators are placed at appropriate positions in the building and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance so as to face the club 4, as shown in FIG. Fixed.

Position detection in the device of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 to 3.
This is done in the same way as the position sensing device shown in the figure, so
The explanation of its operation will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a principle diagram for explaining the transition control of the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 7. That is, the first
For example, the coordinates X _A and Y _A of the current position of the club 4 obtained in the same manner as shown in FIGS.
It is given as one input of 1. This transition distance calculator 31 uses the input as well as the coordinates X _B , Y _B of the point where the club 4 should transition given as the other input.
Based on these, the distances X _B -X _A and Y _B -Y _A that the club 4 should move in the X direction and the Y direction are determined and provided to the modulation signal generation circuit 32 . The modulation signal generation circuit 32 generates a modulation signal according to the input signal,
This is applied to the acousto-optic modulator 29. the result,
The laser beam emitted from the laser beam generator 21 is diffracted by the acousto-optic modulator 29 in accordance with the modulation signal, so that the modulated laser beam is incident on the optical sensor 12 of the club 4. The optical sensor 12 provides its output to the demodulation circuit 33. The demodulation circuit 33 operates a motor drive circuit 34a related to the running and traversing of the club 4 based on the modulated signal obtained by demodulation.
and 34b, a control signal corresponding to the distance to be moved is given. As a result, the motor drive circuits 34a and 34b are connected to the traveling motor 3 and the traversing motor 6.
, the club 4 moves to the point X _B ,
Move towards Y _B. Such operations are continued until the outputs X _B -X _A and Y _B -Y _A of the migration distance calculator 31 both become zero.

As described above, the position detection and transition control of a moving object are performed by the device of the present invention.

Furthermore, a speed command controller is provided in conjunction with the transition distance calculator 31 to generate a modulation signal including a signal that changes the transition speed depending on the distance to which the club 4 should travel. The laser beam may also be modulated.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned position detection and movement control of a moving body using a light beam can also be achieved by using the means described below.

FIG. 9 schematically shows the construction of an embodiment of the position detection and transition control device which is constructed with means different from those shown in FIG. In this figure, the same parts as in FIGS. 5 and 7 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the laser beam generator includes a laser beam generator 21, a tracking mirror 22, a step motor 23, an angle detector 24, a half mirror 25, optical sensors 26a to 26c, an acousto-optic modulator 29, and a motor controller (not shown). Contains 27.

One such laser beam generator is installed at an appropriate location in the building as shown in FIG. The position detection of the device of the present invention is performed based on detecting the irradiation angle of the laser beam and the distance to the moving body, similarly to the position detection device shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the same way as the position detection and transition control device shown in FIG. This is done based on light received by the body's optical sensor.

As is clear from the description of the embodiments above, the position detection device for a moving object using a light beam according to the present invention only requires providing the moving object with a light beam reflecting means such as a corner cube. It is convenient because the weight load is very small.

Further, the position detection of the device of the present invention continuously detects the position of a moving body while making the light beam follow the moving body, so that the position of a moving body that is constantly moving can be accurately detected.

On the other hand, the device for detecting the position of a moving object and controlling movement using a light beam according to the present invention provides a signal related to movement control to the moving object by modulating the light beam, so its configuration is different from that of It is easy to use, and when controlling the transition of automatic guided vehicles etc. in a factory, it is not easily affected by external noise unlike radio waves, so it is possible to perform extremely reliable transition control. There is also.

In addition, although the above-mentioned embodiment and explanation do not mention the height detection of the hook 7 included in the overhead crane, this can be easily done by detecting the rotation speed of the drum of the hoisting device 8. It is.
Furthermore, since the control signal related to the control of the lifting and lowering of the hook 7 can be applied to the club 4 by modulating the laser beam as described above, the lifting and lowering of the hook 7 can also be easily controlled.

On the other hand, if the tracking mirror explained in the example is supported by a so-called gimbal and a step motor is added, the laser beam can be scanned not only in a straight line but also in a plane. By detecting in the same manner as in the example, it is possible to detect the position of a moving object such as an aircraft that moves in three dimensions and to control the transition.

Further, although a laser beam is used as the light beam in the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and an infrared beam or a visible light beam may be used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which the position detection device according to the present invention is used for an overhead crane, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of the device of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a main view of the present invention. A block diagram of an embodiment of the invention device, FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the position detection device according to the present invention using means different from the position detection device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a principle diagram of the distance measuring means in the embodiment of the device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and FIG. An explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of a moving body position detection and transition control device using a laser beam,
FIG. 8 is a principle diagram for explaining the transition control of the device of the present invention shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the position detection and transition control device using means different from the device shown in FIG. This is an explanation that briefly shows the configuration. 10... Corner cube, 11... Beam splitter, 12... Optical sensor, 20A, 20B...
Laser beam generator, 21... Laser beam generator, 22... Tracking mirror, 23... Step motor, 24... Angle detector, 25... Half mirror, 26a to 26c... Optical sensor, 27... Motor Controller, 28... Phase meter, 29... Acousto-optic modulator, 31... Transition distance calculator, 32... Modulation signal generation circuit, 33... Demodulation circuit, 34a, 34b
...Motor drive circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. On the fixed side, there are two light beam generators installed at regular intervals, the current position coordinates X _A , Y _A of the ground moving object, and the position coordinates X _B , There is a migration distance calculator that calculates migration distances (X _B - X _A ) and (Y _B - Y _A ) from Y _B , and a modulation signal generation circuit that outputs a modulation signal based on the output of the migration distance calculator. The ground moving body includes a corner cube that reflects an incident light beam as a reflected light beam in a direction parallel to the incident direction, a beam splitter, and an optical sensor 12 that receives the light beam from the beam splitter.
a demodulator that demodulates the modulated signal detected by the optical sensor 12; and a motor drive circuit that drives a ground mobile object using the output of the demodulator; and the light beam generator includes a light beam generator;
a tracking mirror that reflects the light beam irradiated from the light beam generator and scans the space by its rotation; a step motor that rotates the tracking mirror;
An angle detector is provided between the tracking mirror and one of the light beam generators to detect the irradiation angles α and β, which are the angles formed by the two light beam generators and the ground moving object, and the transition distance (X _B −X _A ), (Y _B −
An acousto-optic modulator that modulates the light beam by _YA ) is installed in front of the tracking mirror and allows the light beam to pass through, while directing the reflected light beam to two optical sensors 26a and 26b that are provided at a certain distance apart. A half mirror for reflection and optical sensors 26a, 2
A light beam characterized in that it has a motor controller consisting of a positive/reverse inversion control circuit that outputs a positive/negative inversion signal based on the output of 6b, and a motor drive circuit that rotates a step motor based on the inversion signal. A position detection and transition control device for ground moving objects using