JP2003099128A - Positioning device for traveling object - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve positioning accuracy by reducing the variation of a position detection processing timing due to a movement control part (CPU). SOLUTION: Position detection processing is carried out twice while low speed control is realized for the first detection processing, and stop control is realized for the last detection processing. The positioning control accuracy is largely affected by the final position detection processing, and when the detection signal of a position detecting means 2 is changed, the position detection is immediately carried out, and the stop control is carried out. Thus, it is possible for a control CPU to shorten the repeating interval of the loop of the position detection processing as much as possible. The interval of the first position detection processing is lengthened, and the other processing is inserted into this so that the performance of the CPU can be prevented from being deteriorated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a moving object positioning apparatus, and a movement control for controlling movement / stop of a moving object to a target position according to a change in a detection signal of a moving object detection sensor provided at a positioning target position. A device for positioning by means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Positioning devices having a movement / stop control means for stopping the moving object at an appropriate position by detecting the position of the moving object and performing stop control by a detection signal have been conventionally used in many fields. Has been used since. The positioning method used there is a method of detecting the position of a moving object when the moving object is detected to be at the target (detection) position by a detection signal from a position detection means such as a sensor that detects the position of the moving object. A method of performing stop control is common.
However, this method does not consider the motion state of the moving object immediately before stopping or the state of transmission of power to the moving object. Therefore, if these states are different, inertia of the moving object, play of the drive system, etc. Varies from stop to stop, and variations occur. This causes problems such as poor positioning accuracy and backlash of drive system gears. For example, if the backlash is large, there is a problem that there is a time lag before the moving object starts moving even if the power source starts, or if the stepping motor or the like is the power source, it will be removed when the backlash is resolved during acceleration. It appears as a problem of causing a tone. In order to overcome such a problem, a moving object requires a higher speed or a stronger power source, which increases the cost of a device, system or product using the moving object.

Therefore, another position detection sensor is provided upstream (on the movement path) of the position detection sensor for performing stop control, and the speed of the moving object is detected when the upstream sensor detects the moving object. It is known that deceleration is started and stop control is performed when a downstream stop control sensor detects a moving object (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-301215.
In this conventional example, a moving object is a document, and the position detection sensors are upstream separation sensors 30 that detect the rear end of the document, respectively.
The paper feed sensor 35 on the downstream side) is used to overcome the above problem. This problem of the related art can be solved for the time being. However, according to this conventional device, since two sensors are required on the upstream side and the downstream side, it cannot be denied that the cost will increase accordingly. In addition, the cause of variation in the positioning accuracy is not only due to the difference in the motion state of the moving object or the transmission state of power to the moving object just before the stop as described above, but also the difference in the timing of position detection processing. There is due to. This means that the position control process is performed by the positioning control unit for recognizing a change in the detection signal of the object. Therefore, even if the detection signal output from the sensor changes, if the timing of the position detection process is different, This is because the timing of the stop control performed using the result is affected and the positioning accuracy varies.

[0004]

In the prior art, measures against such a variation in the timing of performing the position detection processing are not sufficient, and particularly when the detection signal processing needs to be performed twice as in the above example. However, there is a concern that the processing load on the control means will increase and the timing detection processing will have a large variation in relation to the overall processing. Therefore, by performing the stop control at low speed by using the two detection signals, Any attempt to improve position accuracy will result in diminishing its effectiveness. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the conventional technology, and an object thereof is to use a detection signal of two times by a position detection unit for a moving object provided in association with a positioning target position to detect the target position. In a moving object positioning device equipped with a movement control means for performing stop control to a predetermined speed (low speed), it is possible to reduce variations in position detection processing timing by the movement control means and improve positioning accuracy. It is to provide the moving object positioning device. Further, the moving object position detecting means provided in association with the positioning target position is provided as one unit to simplify the configuration, and further, the stop control to the target position is performed at a predetermined speed by using two detection signals from the position detecting means. In a moving object positioning device equipped with a movement control means for low speed),
It is an object of the present invention to provide the above-mentioned moving object positioning apparatus capable of reducing the variation in the position detection processing timing by the movement control means and improving the positioning accuracy.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a moving object position detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a moving object at a predetermined position, and a moving signal when the detection signal of the moving object position detecting means changes. A moving object positioning device having a movement control means for controlling the movement / stop of an object to perform positioning at a target position, wherein the movement control means detects the position of the moving object a plurality of times and detects the final position. Set the processing interval for performing the position detection processing interval shorter than that,
The moving object positioning device is characterized in that the moving object is positioned at a target position by controlling the movement / stop by the final position detection.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a moving object position detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a moving object at a predetermined position,
When the detection signal of the moving object position detecting means changes, the moving object positioning device having a moving control means for controlling the movement / stop of the moving object and performing positioning to a target position, wherein the moving control means comprises: C for executing control action
With a PU, the position detection of a moving object is performed multiple times by interrupt processing to the CPU, and the priority of the interrupt processing for the final position detection is set higher than the interrupt processing for the previous position detection. Then, the moving object positioning apparatus is characterized in that the moving / stopping is controlled by the final position detection to perform positioning at the target position.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the moving object positioning apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the position detection of the moving object performed a plurality of times is performed by one moving object position detecting means by the movement of the moving object. It is characterized in that it is performed by changing the detection signal from the existence of an object to the existence and the existence of the object.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the moving object positioning apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the position detection of the moving object is performed a plurality of times, and the movement of the moving object is caused by one moving object position detecting means. It is characterized in that the detection is performed by changing the detection signal of the presence / absence of the object or the presence / absence of the object.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the moving object positioning device according to the first or second aspect, the position of the moving object is detected a plurality of times, and the moving object position is provided at a plurality of different positions by moving the moving object. It is characterized in that it is performed by changing the detection signal of the detection means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the moving object positioning apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the position detection of the moving object is performed a plurality of times by overrunning the target position and moving in the opposite direction from the overrun state. According to the stop control operation of moving to (1), the change is performed by the detection signal generated in one moving object position detecting means.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the moving object positioning apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the movement control means is
The feature is that the operation of overrunning the target position is repeated.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Before describing the embodiments of the present invention, first, stop control to a target position is performed by using a plurality of detection signals of a moving object position detecting means provided in association with a positioning target position. The principle and embodiment of the detection / control operation for performing the above will be described. "Detection / Control Operation Principle (1)" FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the detection / control operation principle (1). FIG. 1 shows the same figure (a).
In the order of → (b) → (c), the movement of the moving object 1 is controlled by the operation of the movement control unit (not shown), and the moving object 1 changes its position with respect to the position detecting means 2. In FIG. 1A, the moving object 1 is at the target position (detection position shown).
At this time, the position detection means 2 has not yet output the detection signal issued when the moving object 1 passes the first detection position. When the moving object 1 approaches the first detection position, movement control is performed according to the detection signal output due to the change at that time. Here, the detection signal is used to switch to a low speed. The moving object 1 is then
When the vehicle continues to move at a low speed and approaches the second detection position, which is the target position, the position detection means 2 outputs a detection signal according to the change at that time, so the drive source stop control is immediately performed by the detection signal changing at that time, The moving object 1 is stopped and positioning is performed at the target position shown in FIG.

According to such a moving object stop control method, the positioning operation is performed by the stop control from a low speed operation at a fixed distance to the target position in any positioning, so that the moving object immediately before the positioning is performed. You can make the exercise of the constant. In other words, the state of the drive system during stop control becomes constant,
Variations in play and gear backlash can be absorbed. Furthermore, since the speed immediately before stopping is low,
The moving distance can be shortened after the detection signal is detected until the drive source stops. This means that even if the time from the detection of the detection signal that changes at the target position to the stop of the drive source varies, the positioning accuracy of the stop position is improved.

Here, according to the detection / control operation principle (1),
An embodiment of the positioning control using the photo interrupter as the position detecting means of the moving object will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example thereof. Fig. 2 shows the same figure (a) →
The movement of the moving object 1 is controlled in the order of (b) → (c),
1 shows how the moving object 1 changes its position with respect to the photo interrupter 2. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the moving object 1 is carrying the light blocking plate 3 of the photo interrupter 2 and moving toward the photo interrupter 2 (direction of the target position) which is the position detecting means. The moving object continues to move, the tip of the light blocking plate 3 starts to block the optical path of the photo interrupter 2, and when the light blocking state of FIG. 2B is reached, the photo interrupter 2 outputs the first detection position. The movement control unit operates according to the position detection signal to switch to a speed lower than the speed in the state shown in FIG. The moving object continues to move at a predetermined low speed, and when the rear end of the light blocking plate does not block the optical path, the photo interrupter 2 moves to the second detection position (target position) when it moves to the state of FIG. Output is performed, and stop control is immediately performed by this signal.

Another embodiment according to the detection / control operation principle (1) will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the embodiment. In this example, at both the first detection position and the second detection position, the photointerrupter 2 outputs a detection signal according to the change of the light receiving state → the light shielding state, which simplifies the position detection / control processing in the movement control unit. To be able to Therefore, the moving object 1 carries two light shielding plates 3a and 3b. FIG. 3 shows the order of (a) → (b) → (c) in FIG.
It shows how the movement of the moving object 1 is controlled and the position of the moving object 1 with respect to the photo interrupter 2 is changed. 2 is basically the same as that of FIG. 2 except that all position detecting operations are performed by changing the photo interrupter 2 from the light receiving state to the light blocking state. Therefore, the description of FIG. Omit it.

Still another embodiment according to the detection / control operation principle (1) will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the embodiment. In this example, the photo interrupters 2a and 2b are provided at the first detection position and the second detection position, respectively, so that the moving object 1 only needs to carry one light shielding plate 3, and the moving object 1 can carry one sheet of light. A detection signal is output by detecting the light-shielding plate 3 under the same condition (in the example shown, change from light-receiving state to light-shielding state). FIG. 4 shows (a) of the same figure.
The movement of the moving object 1 is controlled in the order of (b) → (c),
It shows how the moving object 1 changes its position with respect to the photo interrupters 2a and 2b. Here, description of the same or similar parts as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be omitted.

"Detection / Control Operation Principle (2)" The second principle of the detection / control operation of performing stop control to the target position by using the detection signals of the moving object position detection means twice will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the detection / control operation principle (2). In FIG. 5, the moving object 1 is moved by the operation of the movement control unit (not shown) in the order of (a) → (b) → (c).
The movement of the object is controlled and the moving object 1 changes its position with respect to the position detecting means 2. In the state in which the moving object 1 is moving in the forward direction toward the target position (detection position) shown in FIG. 5A, the position detecting unit 2 outputs a detection signal when the moving object 1 is still at the target position. Is not output.
When the moving object 1 approaches the first detection position, the movement is controlled according to the detection signal output due to the change at that time. Here, a predetermined (constant) distance is overrun by this detection signal, and control is performed so that the overrun state moves to the target position in the opposite direction shown by the arrow. When the moving object 1 moves in the opposite direction and approaches the target position, the position detection means 2 outputs a detection signal that changes at the target position. Therefore, the output of the detection signal immediately controls the stop of the driving source and the moving object 1 To stop
Positioning to the target position shown in FIG. 5C is performed. According to such a stop control method for moving objects, the positioning operation is performed by stop control from an overrun position of a certain distance from the target position in any positioning. Can be constant. That is, the state of the drive system during the stop control is made constant, and variations in play and gear backlash can be absorbed. Furthermore, since the speed immediately before the stop can be reduced, the moving distance can be shortened from the detection of the detection signal to the stop of the drive source. This means that even if the time from the detection of the detection signal that changes at the target position to the stop of the drive source varies, the positioning accuracy of the stop position is improved. Thus, the principle (2) is particularly useful for positioning a moving object in which the moving object reciprocates or repetitively moves.

"Principle of Detection / Control Operation (3)" A third principle of the detection / control operation of performing stop control to a target position by using a plurality of detection signals from the position detection means of a moving object will be described. In addition to the principle (2) shown with reference to FIG. 5, this further improves the positioning accuracy and the deterioration of the positioning accuracy due to the play of the drive system in consideration of the directionality of the movement. . FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the detection / control operation principle (3). FIG. 6 shows (a) → (b) in FIG.
In the order of → (d) → (e), the movement of the moving object 1 is controlled by the operation of the movement control unit (not shown), and the moving object 1 changes its position with respect to the position detecting means 2. The movement control operation of the moving object 1 shown in FIGS.
This is performed in the same manner as in FIGS. 5A and 5B in the principle (2) shown above. Therefore, the above description refers to the above description. After that, the moving object 1 is controlled so as to move from the overrun position of FIG. 6B to the target position in the opposite direction shown by the arrow in the figure, and when it approaches the target position, it changes at the target position. However, in this case, the stop control is not performed immediately by the detection signal as in the principle (2), but the stop control is performed by overrunning in the direction opposite to the predetermined (constant) distance before by the detection signal. After that, the moving object 1 is controlled to move from the overrun position to the target position in the forward direction shown in FIG. 6D, and when approaching the target position, the position detection means 2 outputs a detection signal that changes at the target position. Since the output is output, the drive source stop control is immediately performed by the output of the detection signal to stop the moving object 1,
Positioning to the target position shown in (e) is performed. According to such a stop control method of a moving object, after repeating the control operation to the overrun position of a fixed distance from the target position, the positioning is performed by the low speed control operation from the overrun position of the fixed distance. By repeating the operations that bring about the same effect as (2), it is possible to further improve the positioning accuracy, absorb the play of the drive system and the backlash of the gear, and further improve the function to stabilize the operating state of the drive system. it can. In this way, the principle (3) is that, in particular, positioning is temporarily stopped while the moving object is moving in a certain direction (forward direction),
This is useful for positioning a moving object that moves again.

Here, an embodiment of the positioning control using the photo interrupter as the position detecting means of the moving object will be described according to the detection / control operation principles (2) and (3). Figure 7
[Fig. 3] is a schematic diagram showing an example thereof. In the operation according to the principle (2), as shown in FIG. 7A, the moving object 1 carries the light blocking plate of the photo interrupter 2 toward the photo interrupter 2 (direction of the target position) which is the position detecting means. In the moving state, the optical path of the photo interrupter 2 is not shielded by the light shield plate 3 yet, so the position of the moving object 1 is not detected. The moving object 1 moves,
The light-shielding plate 3 emits a detection signal in a state of blocking the light beam of the photo interrupter 2. A predetermined overrun operation is performed by using the detection signal as a control timing signal, and FIG.
Stop at the position (b). Next, from the stop position, see FIG.
When the movement starts in the opposite direction shown by (b) and reaches the position shown in FIG. 7 (c), the light-blocking state changes to the light-receiving state, at which time a detection signal is generated from the photo interrupter 2,
The stop signal of the stepping motor 7 is immediately controlled by the control signal based on this signal. In the operation according to the principle (3), the detection signal generated from the photo interrupter 2 when the position shown in FIG. 7C is reached through the operations of FIGS. 7A and 7B is the control timing signal. As a predetermined overrun operation, it is stopped at the position shown in FIG. Next, when the movement from the stop position to the forward direction is started and the position shown in FIG. 7E is reached, the light receiving state is changed to the light blocking state, and at that time, the photo interrupter 2 generates a detection signal. The stop signal of the stepping motor 7 is immediately controlled by the control signal based on this detection signal.

Next, the above-mentioned detection / control operation principle (1)-
In the moving object positioning device according to (3), the variation of the position detection processing timing by the movement control means is reduced,
An embodiment of the present invention that enables improvement of positioning accuracy will be described below. First, a device configuration of a moving object positioning device according to the present embodiment will be illustrated and described.
FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a moving object positioning apparatus according to the present invention. The positioning device shown in FIG. 8 includes a stepping motor 7 and a motor driver 6 that constitute a drive device for the moving object 1, a movement control unit 5 that controls the drive device to move / stop the moving object 1, and performs positioning control. A position detection unit 2 that outputs a position detection signal of the moving object 1 to the movement control unit for positioning control is provided. Various forms are conceivable as the position detecting means 2 of the moving object used when implementing the present invention. For example, a device that includes a micro switch and uses ON / OFF of the micro switch. Alternatively, the position is similarly detected by a reflection type sensor or a photo interrupter. Alternatively, various types of position detecting means such as a laser, a magnet switch, and an ultrasonic wave are conceivable. Here, an example using a photo interrupter will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the photo interrupter 2 is provided with a detection means including a light beam emitting portion and a light receiving portion on the fixed portion so as to be shielded by the light shielding plate 3 provided on a part of the moving object 1. The detection signal is issued when the light beam is changed from the light receiving state to the light shielding state or from the light shielding state to the light receiving state. In the detection / control operation examples shown as being able to be performed according to the detection / control operation principles (1) to (3), an example in which two light shielding plates are provided or two photo interrupters are provided. Although an example is shown, each of the components of the schematic configuration diagram of FIG. 8 includes such one.

The basic operation of the positioning apparatus shown in FIG. 8 during positioning will be described. The movement control section 5 receives a detection signal from the photo interrupter 2 and a sensor group or a data input section equipped in the apparatus. Various control signals and data that come in are used as input data, and various data such as commands to control elements under control are used as output data for input / output processing, and control conditions set in the processing control unit by the control data In accordance with this, the motor driver 6 is controlled to drive the stepping motor 7. Therefore, the control unit 5 executes the control operation by the CPU, the input / output means,
Usually, the equipment necessary for constructing this type of controller, such as storage means, is prepared. The moving object 1 is moved by driving the stepping motor 7, and the light blocking plate 3 of the moving moving object 1 blocks / non-shields the light beam of the photo interrupter 2 set based on the positioning target position,
The photo interrupter 2 generates a detection signal according to the change of light reception → light shielding or light reception → light shielding. The movement controller 5 that receives the detection signal from the photo interrupter 2 recognizes the position of the moving object 1, and based on the result, recognizes the position of the moving object 1.
In order to stop at this position, the motor driver 6 is controlled, the moving object is stopped by this control operation, and positioning at the target position is performed.

Next, a control method for improving the control accuracy is applied to the above-mentioned positioning control in which the stop control to the target position is performed by using the detection signal of the moving object position detection means twice (a plurality of times). The related embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the position detection means (photointerrupter 2) performed by the movement control means (movement control section 5) has conventionally affected the timing of stop control and caused variations in positioning accuracy. It is intended to improve the position detection processing for recognizing a change in the detection signal. In a normal routine in the positioning control executed by the movement control means, in order to enable the position detection processing to be performed immediately when the detection signal from the position detection means changes, the position detection processing is repeated in a loop processing interval. It can be realized by making as short as possible. However, shortening the interval at which the position detection process is repeated leads to a decrease in the performance of the CPU, so optimization is necessary. In the embodiment described below, the position detection processing performed in the final round greatly affects the positioning control accuracy. Therefore, by shortening the interval in the processing as much as possible, it is possible to improve the position detection processing without degrading the performance of the CPU. Is intended.

An embodiment of a normal routine for positioning control is shown in the following positioning controls (1) and (2). "Positioning control (1)" In this example, the position of the moving object is detected twice (multiple times), and when the position detection process is repeated by loop processing, the second (final) interval is the first (final) It is shorter than the interval of up to) and the movement / stop is controlled by the second (final) position detection to perform positioning to the target position. FIG. 9 shows an operation flow of the positioning control of this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, first, at the beginning of the positioning control flow, a movement start process of the moving object 1 is executed (S1). By performing this processing, the movement to the positioning target position is started (corresponding to FIG. 1A). At this time, the position detection means 2 has not yet performed the first position detection. While this moving state continues, a step of performing speed-up processing of the moving object 1, speed control processing such as constant speed, confirmation processing of various input data necessary for control processing, processing of various output data, and other processing (S2) ) And the first
The position detection process (S3) is repeated by a loop process. In step S3, as the first position detection processing, it is determined whether or not the moving object 1 has reached the first detection position and the detection signal has changed or has occurred (corresponding to FIG. 1B). ing. If not detected in step S3 (S3-NO), processing other than the position detection processing is performed again in the loop processing (S3).
2) The processing is advanced to improve the processing efficiency. On the other hand, when the first position detection signal is recognized (S3-Y
ES), control to switch the moving speed to low speed (S4),
Continue moving at low speed. It is assumed that the control for switching to the low speed in step S4 is unnecessary, and in this case, this step may be omitted.

After that, as a process of detecting the second position corresponding to the positioning target position, the moving object 1 reaches the second detection position and the detection signal changes or the detection signal is generated (FIG. 1).
(Corresponding to (c)) or not (S5). In this position detection processing, the processing is repeated until the second position detection signal is recognized in the loop processing. The moving object continues to move to the target position until the second position is detected, and when the second position is detected (S5-YES), the moving object stop process is immediately executed (S6). After stopping the moving object at the target position,
Various input data confirmation processing necessary for the next operation, various output data processing, and other processing are performed (S7). According to the above-described positioning control flow, the second position detection signal is output from the position detection means 2 (the detection signal has changed).
Sometimes it can be recognized immediately, and then the moving object stop process can be executed immediately. That is, the various processes such as step S2 are not included in the loop process when the second position detection process is performed. If the processing of step S2 is included, even if the moving object actually moves to a position where the position can be detected and the detection signal is output from the position detection means 2, in the worst case, after the processing is executed, Since the position detection process is performed, the running distance of the moving object is generated for the processing time, and the positioning accuracy of the moving object varies depending on the amount of movement of the moving object during the processing time of S2. However,
In step S5, such other processing is not performed, and the moving object stop processing can be executed immediately. Therefore, the moving distance from the detection of the target position to the stop of the drive source can be shortened. Therefore, the variation in the stop position can be suppressed to the minimum, and the positioning accuracy can be improved. Although the above description of the operation has been given with reference to FIG. 1, it can be similarly applied to the positioning shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. However, in the above description, the “first position detection process” is referred to as “position detection process from the first time to before the final time”, and the “second position detection process” is referred to as “final position detection process”. Replace.

"Positioning control (2)" In this example, the position of the moving object is detected twice (a plurality of times), and when the position detection processing is repeated by loop processing, the second (final) interval is the first time. Another example of the control for performing the positioning to the target position by making the interval shorter (up to the final time) and controlling the movement / stop by the second (final time) position detection will be described. FIG. 10 shows an operation flow of the positioning control of this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 10, when the positioning control is activated, first, of the processes that are not related to the positioning control such as the movement control, a process with a low priority (other process: priority “small”) is performed in S11. Run. Then, similarly, S1
In step 2, a process with a high priority (other process: priority “high”) is executed. The processing that is not related to the positioning control such as the movement control here is the processing of confirming various input data, the processing of various output data, the processing of various display and various confirmation, and the processing necessary for the control of the entire system. . Then, these processes can be divided by the priority levels of “large” and “small”, and the respective processes are executed according to the priority. That is,
The priority "small" is a process that does not always need to be executed regularly, and may include a process that takes some time. The priority "high" is a process that needs to be constantly executed with the minimum required process, and it is preferable that the process time is as short as possible. Next, it is checked whether or not the positioning process has started (S13), and if it has not started, two types of other processes (S11, 12) of priority "large" and "small" are looped.

On the other hand, when the positioning processing is started, processing relating to positioning control (speed-up processing of moving object 1 such as through-up, constant speed, etc., confirmation processing of various input data necessary for control processing, various outputs) Data processing etc.) is executed (S14). Here, the moving object 1 starts to move to the positioning target position (corresponding to FIG. 1A). As the first position detection processing, the moving object 1 reaches the first detection position,
The detection signal has changed or has occurred (Fig. 1 (b))
Until it is detected (before S18-YES), another process (S11, 12) of two types of priority "large" and "small" and a process (S14) related to positioning control are looped.
After the moving object 1 has reached the first detection position and the detection signal has been changed or the detection signal has been generated (corresponding to FIG. 1B) (S18-YES), the priority level is “large”. Other processing (S12) and processing relating to positioning control (S14) are looped. When the first position detection signal is recognized in step S18, the control for switching the moving speed to the low speed may be performed in S14 to continue the moving at the low speed. If it is assumed that the control for switching to the low speed is unnecessary, it may be omitted. In addition, here, in step S
Whether or not the moving object 1 has reached the second detection position and the detection signal has changed or the detection signal has occurred (corresponding to FIG. 1C) after executing other processing in the loop processing branched by 18 respectively, Is determined (S15).

After the first position detection (S18-YES),
The moving object continues to move to the target position until the second position detection is performed, and during that time (during S15-NO), the loop processing branched at step S18 is used for other processing of priority "high" (S1).
2) and the processing relating to the positioning control (S14) are looped. A flow in which other processing (S12) of priority "high" is not executed in this loop processing (shown by a broken line in the figure)
It may be possible to select to change to. When the second position detection is performed (S15-YES), the moving object stop process is immediately executed (S16). After the moving object is stopped at the target position and the end of the positioning is recognized (S17), the initial state is restored and the positioning start waiting state is set. According to the flow of the positioning control (2), in addition to the same advantages as those of the flow of the positioning control (1), the priority “large” and the priority “small” until the first position detection is performed. , The other loop processing (S11, S12) and the processing (S14) related to the positioning control are repeatedly performed, but until the second position detection is performed after the first position detection is performed. During standby, other processing (S12) of priority "high" (so to speak, minimum required) and processing relating to positioning control (S1)
It is possible to further improve the processing efficiency by performing only the repeated loop processing of 4). Although the above description of the operation has been given with reference to FIG. 1, it can be similarly applied to the positioning shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Another embodiment of the positioning control according to the present invention for improving the position detection processing is shown in the following positioning control (3). "Positioning control (3)" In this example, the position detection processing and the moving object stop processing are executed by interrupt processing to the CPU. When the position of a moving object is detected twice (multiple times) and the processing is performed by interruption, the priority of the second time (final time) is set higher than the priority of the first time (up to the last time), and the second time. Positioning at the target position is performed by controlling the movement / stop by (final) position detection. FIG. 11 shows an operation flow of the main routine of the positioning control of this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, when the positioning control is activated, first, a process of setting the priority required for the interrupt process is executed (S21). Here, the interrupt priority of the first position detection process is set low. After that, a movement start process of the moving object 1 is executed (S22), and by performing this process, the movement to the positioning target position is started (corresponding to FIG. 1A). While this moving state continues, processing relating to positioning control such as speed control processing of the moving object (through-up of the moving object 1, speed control processing such as constant speed, confirmation processing of various input data necessary for control processing, In addition to processing various output data, etc., it is not directly related to positioning control.
Various input data confirmation processing, various output data processing, various display, various confirmation, and other processing necessary for control of the entire system are repeatedly executed in a loop (S23). At this time, when the position detecting means 2 enters the state of performing the first position detection (corresponding to FIG. 1B), the first position detection interrupt is generated and the control is performed by the “first position detection” shown in FIG. Position detection interrupt ”processing. In this interrupt process, the interrupt priority of the second (final) position detection process is set high (S
31), the interrupt process is terminated, and step S23 in the positioning control (3) which is the main routine (FIG. 11) is performed.
Loop back to. After that, when the position detecting means 2 enters the state of performing the second position detection (corresponding to FIG. 1C), the final position detection interrupt is generated, and FIG.
The process moves to the "final position detection interrupt" process shown in. In this interrupt process, a process of stopping the moving object 1 is executed (S4
1) Also, the interrupt priority of the final position detection process is set low (S42), the interrupt process is terminated, and the loop of step S23 in the positioning control (3) which is the main routine (FIG. 11) is repeated. Return. Although the above description of the operation has been given with reference to FIG. 1, it can be similarly applied to the positioning shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The first position detection interrupt of FIG. 12 (a) and the final position detection interrupt of FIG. 12 (b) are detected by the position detecting means 2 while the first position detection interrupt is
The final position detection interrupt is set to change the state of light reception to light shielding, and the final position detection interrupt is used in a method that can select interrupt processing according to the detection state by setting the state of light shielding to light reception. . Therefore, the change in the detection state is the same, for example, a method using two light shielding plates 3 (see FIG. 3,
(See) can not be adopted. The flow shown below relates to an interrupt processing flow that can be adopted in a system in which the changes in the detection state are the same. FIG. 7C shows the flow of the "position detection interrupt" applied to this method. Referring to FIG. 11, the main routine (FIG. 11) “positioning control” is performed.
From (3) ”to the execution of the“ position detection interrupt ”, first, the priority of the position detection interrupt is determined (S51).
Here, when the priority is low (in the state of FIG. 3B, which is the case of the first position detection process, the priority is already “low”).
Is set), the process of setting the priority of the second (final) position detection interrupt to high is performed (S52). Conversely, when the priority of the position detection interrupt is high (Fig. 3 (c))
In this case, since the second position detection process is performed, the priority “high” has already been set), the moving object stop process is performed (S53), and the final position detection process is performed after the stop process. The interrupt priority is set low (S54), the interrupt processing is terminated, and step S in the main routine is executed.
Return to the iteration loop of 3. By adopting a method of using the two light-shielding plates 3 as the position detecting means 2, both the first and second position detections are detected as the transmission state of the optical path of the photo interrupter → the light-shielding state by a simple change of the light shielding plate. Therefore, when the sensor output is determined by the interrupt process, the interrupt can be set to one type.

As an embodiment using the photo interrupter 2 as the position detecting means, in view of the relative relationship between the moving object and the position detecting means, a sensor such as a photo interrupter is mounted on the moving object and the detection plate is placed at a predetermined position. Modifications of the present invention, such as fixing, can be easily made by those skilled in the art.
Further, it goes without saying that the moving object to be positioned by the positioning device of the present invention is not limited to the one that moves linearly, and can be applied to, for example, one that moves circularly or rotationally.

The embodiments described above can be applied to an image forming apparatus (copying machine, printer, facsimile machine, image scanner, etc.). For example, it can be applied to various parts such as home position positioning of a scanner of an image forming apparatus, home position positioning of a revolver developing of a color image forming apparatus, or home position positioning relating to movement of a lens for changing the image forming apparatus. As a result, the accuracy of the stop position of the moving object can be improved, and problems such as step-out of the stepping motor of the drive source can be solved, so that image performance can be improved by accurate positioning.

[0032]

(1) Effect corresponding to the invention of claim 1 The position of the moving object is detected a plurality of times, and the processing interval for performing the final position detection is set shorter than the position detection processing interval up to that point. Since the movement / stop is controlled by the final position detection to perform the positioning to the target position, the variation in the stop position can be minimized and the positioning accuracy can be improved. It is possible to prevent a decrease in processing efficiency of the CPU. (2) The effect corresponding to the invention of claim 2 The position of the moving object is detected a plurality of times by interrupt processing to the CPU (control means), and the priority of the interrupt processing for performing the final position detection is the same as before. Since it is set higher than the interrupt process for position detection and the movement / stop is controlled by the final position detection to perform positioning to the target position, variation in stop position can be minimized, The positioning accuracy can be improved, and the processing efficiency of the control unit (CPU) can be prevented from lowering.

(3) Effect Corresponding to the Invention of Claim 3 In addition to the effects of (1) and (2) above, when the moving object is positioned at the target position, the first detection by one position detecting means is performed. Since a fixed distance is maintained from the target position, final detection is performed from that position at low speed, and stop control is performed by the detection signal to perform positioning, so the structure is simpler and less expensive than conventional position detection devices. It is possible to solve the problem of inertia at the time of stopping, the problem caused by the play of the drive system, and the like, and improve the positioning accuracy of the moving object at the time of stopping. (4) Effects Corresponding to the Invention of Claim 4 In addition to the effects of (1) and (2) above, when positioning a moving object at a target position, the target position is detected by the first detection by one position detection means. On the other hand, a certain distance is maintained, the final detection is performed at low speed from that position, and the stop signal is used to perform positioning to perform positioning, so the structure is simpler and less expensive than the conventional position detection device, and at the time of stopping. It is possible to solve the problems of inertia and problems caused by the play of the drive system, and improve the positioning accuracy when the moving object is stopped. Further, when the output of the position detecting means is determined by the interrupt process, the interrupt can be set to one type. (5) Effect corresponding to the invention of claim 5 In addition to the effects of (1) and (2) above, in positioning the moving object at the target position, the target position is detected by the first detection by the two position detecting means. However, since a certain distance is maintained, the final detection is performed at low speed from that position, and the detection signal is used to perform stop control for positioning, resulting in inertia problems during stoppage and play in the drive system. It is possible to solve problems and the like and improve the positioning accuracy when the moving object is stopped. Further, when the output of the position detecting means is determined by the interrupt processing, it is possible to set one type of interrupt.

(6) Effects Corresponding to the Inventions of Claims 6 and 7 In addition to the effects of (1) and (2) above, one position detecting means detects that the target position of the moving object has been reached. The structure is simpler and less costly than the conventional position detection device because the first operation is overrun for a certain distance, and the position is controlled by stop control by the detection signal of the position detection means in the low speed return operation from that position. Thus, it is possible to solve the problem of inertia at the time of stopping and the problem caused by the play of the drive system, and improve the positioning accuracy of the moving object at the time of stopping. Further, by repeating the low speed control operation from the overrun position of a certain distance, the above-mentioned effect can be further enhanced, and the optimum state for the operation after the stop can be set.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a detection / control operation principle (1) of a positioning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an embodiment according to the detection / control operation principle (1).

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing another embodiment according to the detection / control operation principle (1).

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another embodiment according to the detection / control operation principle (1).

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a detection / control operation principle (2) of the positioning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a detection / control operation principle (3) of the positioning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment according to detection / control operation principles (2) and (3).

FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a moving object positioning apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of the positioning control (1) of the moving object positioning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of positioning control (2) of the moving object positioning apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of positioning control (3) of the moving object positioning device according to the present invention.

12 is a flow chart of position detection interrupt processing to the main routine shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Moving object, 2, 2a, 2b ... Position detecting means (photo interrupter), 3, 3a, 3b ... Light shielding plate,
4 ... Optical axis, 5 ... Movement control unit,
6 ... Motor driver, 7 ... Stepping motor.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A moving object position detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a moving object at a predetermined position, and when the detection signal of the moving object position detecting means changes, the moving / stopping of the moving object is controlled to obtain a target position. A moving object positioning device having a movement control means for positioning the moving object, wherein the movement control means detects the position of the moving object a plurality of times, and the processing interval for performing the final position detection is the position up to that position. A moving object positioning device which is shorter than the detection processing interval and which controls the movement / stop by the final position detection to perform positioning at a target position. 2. A moving object position detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of a moving object at a predetermined position, and when the detection signal of the moving object position detecting means changes, the moving / stopping of the moving object is controlled to obtain a target position. A moving object positioning apparatus having a movement control means for performing positioning to a moving object, wherein the movement control means includes a CPU for executing a control operation, and detects the position of the moving object a plurality of times by interrupt processing to the CPU. , The priority of the interrupt process for the final position detection is set higher than that of the interrupt process for the previous position detection, and the movement / stop is controlled by the final position detection to reach the target position. A moving object positioning device characterized by performing positioning. 3. The moving object positioning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position detection of the moving object is performed a plurality of times, and the presence of the moving object is generated in one moving object position detecting means by the movement of the moving object. The moving object positioning device is characterized by performing a change in the detection signal from "no" to "no" and "no". 4. The moving object positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the moving object is detected a plurality of times, and the presence of the moving object is generated in one moving object position detecting means by the movement of the moving object. A moving object positioning device, characterized in that it is performed by a change in any one of the detection signals of "no" or "no". 5. The moving object positioning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position of the moving object is detected a plurality of times by a moving object position detecting means provided at a plurality of different positions according to the movement of the moving object. A moving object positioning device characterized in that it is performed by changing 6. The moving object positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position detection of the moving object is performed a plurality of times, and the stop control is performed by overrunning the target position and moving the overrunning state in the opposite direction. A moving object positioning device characterized by performing a change in a detection signal generated in one moving object position detecting means in accordance with an operation. 7. The moving object positioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the movement control means repeatedly performs an operation of overrunning the target position.