Sensor solutions for electrical monorail systems

Electrical monorail systems are rail-guided transport systems to transport goods from A to B. They must be flexible to use, precisely position the goods, and ensure an efficient production process.

Our intelligent sensors position with millimeter precision, provide reliable all-round protection and increase the productivity of your system. The bar code positioning system BPS ensures reliable positioning in curves, gradients and track switches. Optical distance sensors guarantee reliable collision protection. Safety laser scanners safeguard danger zones at transfer points. And our powerful identification technologies (bar code/2D-code/RFID) also increase the productivity of your system.

[01] Positioning of the transport unit

Requirement:
For control of the electric monorail system, the position of the transport unit on the carrier must be known with millimeter precision at all times.

Solution:
The compact BPS 8 and BPS 300i bar code positioning systems enable exact positioning over a length of up to 10,000 m. Thanks to a wide range of interfaces, the devices can be easily integrated into the control. The self-adhesive bar code tapes are optimized for industrial application and are extremely resilient.

 

[02] Collision protection

Requirement:
When transporting goods by means of an electrical monorail system (EMS), collisions between the individual suspension gears should be avoided. For this purpose, the distance between the suspension gears must be determined.

Solution:
The ODS 10 / HT 10 optical distance sensors measure the distance between the suspension gears. The devices measure onto an any object or onto a cooperative reflector. Configuration is performed via the display or IO-Link.

[03] Safeguarding the load pick-up and drop-off areas

Requirement:
The area where the goods are loaded or unloaded should be secured against access and presence of persons.

Solution:
The RSL 400 safety laser scanners secure even large areas with just one device thanks to their 270° scanning angle and up to 8.25 m operating range. Models with PROFIsafe / PROFINET interface enable easy integration into industrial networks and allow parallel monitoring of up to 4 protective fields.

[04] Code reading on pallets

Requirement:
For control of the flow of goods, the goods code on the pallet must be read and transferred to the higher-level system.

Solution:
The BCL 500i / 600i series bar code readers read the codes on the pallets. Via the integrated switch, the devices can be connected both to each other and directly to the control via a line structure. Different optics models also allow the devices to be optimally adapted to the reading task.