Many radar sensors for collision avoidance are limited to detecting the distance, and thus only output one dimension, as a measured value. Turck Banner’s new MR15-Q80 radar scanner delivers genuine 3D data, and thus significantly improves the mapping of objects and spaces, giving developers and system engineers a greater degree of freedom.
We usually associate radar technology either with speed checks in road traffic or with devices for flight monitoring. But since the 2000s, the technology has also been increasingly used in cars themselves. Active adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems use radar to determine the distance to cars in front and their speed. Radar has also become increasingly popular in industrial automation in recent years. Especially in level and conventional distance measurement, the advantages over ultrasonic, optical sensor or media-contacting technologies pay off in many applications.
Unlike the cylindrical devices for distances and levels, Turck Banner’s MR15-Q80 has a flat, cuboid design. The underlying technology is also different: A 60 GHz antenna operates inside the robust IP69K housing. Compared to the 120 GHz frequency band, the lower frequency provides a lower resolution, but the beam angle is significantly wider. The MR15-Q80 detects objects with an opening angle of 120° horizontally and 100° vertically. The sensor achieves a range of up to a remarkable 15 metres. However, users do not have to worry about a lack of range, as the target applications are primarily object detection and collision avoidance.
Collision control and object detection for mobile equipment
Turck Banner’s new radar scanner offers maximum IP69K protection against water and dust ingress, and meets all requirements in terms of robust component design for the mobile equipment sector. The M15-Q80 can withstand shocks and impacts of up to 100 g. This is where radar technology differs significantly from laser-based lidar technology. Lidar systems require movable mirrors to direct the laser beams into every corner of the area to be scanned. These moving mirrors are naturally susceptible to mechanical damage caused by impact and vibration.
Radar systems are therefore not only less sensitive to interference factors such as dust, fog or light reflections, but are also much more robust mechanically. Besides its resistance to severe shocks, the MR15-Q80 can also withstand supply voltages of 12 or 24 volts, which are used in the vehicle electrical systems of mobile equipment. The sensor can also withstand possible voltage peaks without damage. Turck Banner is positioning the MR15-Q80 as a sensor for collision avoidance and object detection for all non-safety related tasks. It detects objects in its surroundings, and unlike comparable devices, it outputs measured values for all three dimensions. For mobile equipment, the new radar scanner is currently the only device on the market that can output a three-dimensional measurement via the SAE J1993 communication protocol for the CAN bus.
Realistic space mapping thanks to 3D data
The MR15-Q80 provides distance and speed values for objects on all three spatial axes. This means that the surroundings and all the objects in them can be depicted much more precisely. Machines with arms or booms at different heights receive valuable additional information about their surroundings. Thanks to the 3D information, the control system not only knows where an obstacle begins, but also where it ends and where the machine can operate with its arms. There are many other application areas where precise knowledge of the space in front of machines can be helpful, for example when recording topography and rocky outcrops in mining.
Identifying animals and objects in the field
Another application in the mobile equipment sector is the detection of animals and objects in fields. Turck Banner’s radar scanner can be mounted on the combine harvester directly on the threshing unit to monitor the field in front of it. Due to the different reflective properties of animals, objects or grain stalks, the sensor can detect foreign objects in the field that would either get damaged themselves or could damage the threshing unit. Thanks to the large opening angles of 120° horizontally and 100° vertically and a range of up to 15 metres, the radar scanner can reliably detect whether the field in front of the combine harvester can be harvested without any problems.
Six adjustable warning radii and three signal spaces
For these and other applications, users can define warning radii that trigger a switching signal as soon as an object is located within them. Switching signals can also be reliably triggered by certain intensity thresholds, which are important for distinguishing objects. However, the controller can also fully evaluate the IO-Link signal to utilise the entire information density. Up to six freely definable warning fields and three three-dimensional signal spaces can be taught and linked to one of the two switching outputs. If one of these warning fields is in the radar shadow because there is an object between the sensor and the field, the sensor also recognises this and outputs an appropriate message.
Another possible application on mobile equipment is blind spot warning − the monitoring of areas on the machine that are difficult to see. The vehicle may be damaged if there are any objects located there. The warning radii and signal spaces are also helpful for these tasks to output warning signals in good time.
Collision avoidance in intralogistics and height control
Industrial trucks and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) require sensor technology to navigate and avoid collisions. Lidar scanners are normally used for safety-oriented environment monitoring. However, they are only suitable for the vertical monitoring of lift paths on autonomous forklift trucks to a limited extent, as they usually detect a small vertical opening angle. Turck Banner’s 3D radar scanner provides the necessary information to facilitate the precise and safe control of lifting movements. The scanned data can also be used to ensure clearance heights and prevent damage to vehicles, goods and plant elements. Camera systems are often used for these tasks, but they are more expensive and usually much more complex to set up.
Simplified commissioning and real-time visualisation
The parameterisation of such complex sensors, which output more than just an analogue signal or one or two switching signals, is often a challenge. The Turck Automation Suite (TAS) configuration and IIoT software toolkit makes commissioning and optimum setting of signal and intensity filters, detection angles or warning radii much easier. The software visualises all raw data from the sensor in virtual real-time in the web browser. Objects are displayed as points and point clouds on two graphs, one for the vertical data and one for the horizontal detection angles.
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