Daimler-benz Ag

Hubert Gramling

Wolfgang Lauer

Ronald Heuthe

Horst Hahn

Wolfgang Darenberg

Klaus Diesner

An inductive guidance arrangement for non-track-bound vehicles on a vehicle supporting surface. Guidance conductors laid alongside the supporting surface carry an alternating current which generates an alternating magnetic field. The actual transverse position of the vehicle relative to the alternating magnetic field is continuously detected by aerial crossed coils arranged on the vehicle at a defined distance above the supporting surface. A controller and steering apparatus arranged on the vehicle detect the actual transverse position of the vehicle relative to a desired position, and generate a steering instruction, which eliminates transversal positional deviation. The guidance conductors are arranged parallel to one another at the same vertical position, with a mutual transverse spacing of approximately 50% of the vertical height of the aerial crossed coils above the supporting surface. The transverse spacing of the guidance conductors corresponds to an integral multiple of (preferably twice) the transverse spacing of the metal reinforcement elements contained in the supporting surface.

Arrangement for inductive guidance of non-track-bond vehicles

A method for determining the visual range improves the visual range measurement adopted as a basis, to the end that the measurement of the visual range can take place using one emitter and using one receiver, which are disposed to be stationary. The method permits the determination of the visual range, even though an obstacle is situated within the field of view. A comparison of a measured backscatter signal with a specimen curve permits the determination of the visual range from the intensity curve obtained, without any need, for this purpose, of further information such as, for example, the direction from which the backscatter signal comes.

Method for determining a visual range

An integrated-optics extension interferometer, in which the measuring and reference arm, the beam splitter and the beam coupler as well as entrances and exits for primary light and interference light are integrated in the baseplate, can be applied in the manner of a wire strain gauge to components to be investigated. The portions of the waveguide which form the measuring and reference arm are integrated over their entire length in the baseplate, and are disposed in a plurality of loops with mutually parallel oriented straight active partial sections and intermediate deflecting sections, in which a coupling free mutual minimum spacing of all straight active partial sections and deflecting sections of the integrated waveguides forming the measuring and reference arm respectively is observed at all locations. As a result of this, the fundamental interferometer can be applied to the surface of stressed workpieces in a manner which is as simple and space-saving as a conventional electrical-resistance wire strain gauge for extension measurements. In order to achieve an automatic compensation of the extension due to temperature, the reference arm is also expediently wound in the manner of loops and is designed to be of the same length as the measuring arm, but is disposed in an extension-metrologically neutral manner. An integrated-optics extension interferometers of double-beam construction according to Michelson or according to Mach-Zehnder and those of so-called multibeam construction according to Fabry-Perot are possible.

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Ebersbach, Germany

Hubert Gramling