Collision testing on the basis of high-quality geometry

A computer program product for a monitoring facility monitoring an operation of a machine having a plurality of axes configured to move elements of the machine relative to one another in a position-controlled fashion, the computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprising machine code which, when loaded into a memory of a processor of the monitoring facility and executed by the processor, causes the monitoring facility to:

• receive a plurality of groups of position values of the axes, wherein the groups of position values specify a position of the elements relative to one another,
• based on modelling of the elements and modelling of a kinematics of the elements for the groups of the position values, determine a surface and/or a volume taken up in a working space of the machine by a respective element,
• model at least part of the surface of at least one of the elements with two-dimensional splines defined by nodes and checkpoints,
• determine, based on the checkpoints of a respective spline for a respective section, a respective envelope which envelops at least one element in the respective section, wherein straight connecting lines connecting the checkpoints of the respective spline are boundary lines of surfaces of the respective envelope,
• use the respective envelope as the surface that is taken up by the at least one element in the respective section,
• check based on the determined surfaces and/or volumes whether there is a risk for a collision between the elements, and
• receive control commands to control the operation of the plurality of axes of the machine, and move the elements of the machine in the position-controlled fashion.

A machine, comprising

• a plurality of axes configured to move elements of the machine relative to one another in a position-controlled fashion,
• a monitoring facility configured to
• receive a plurality of groups of position values of the axes, wherein the groups of position values specify a position of the elements relative to one another,
• based on modelling of the elements and modelling of a kinematics of the elements for the groups of the position values, determining a surface and/or a volume taken up in a working space of the machine by a respective element,
• modelling at least part of the surface of at least one of the elements with two-dimensional splines defined by nodes and checkpoints,
• determining, based on the checkpoints of a respective spline for a respective section, a respective envelope which envelops at least one element in the respective section, wherein straight connecting lines connecting the checkpoints of the respective spline are boundary lines of surfaces of the respective envelope,
• using the respective envelope as the surface that is taken up by the at least one element in the respective section, and
• checking with the monitoring facility based on the determined surfaces and/or volumes whether there is a risk for a collision between the elements, and
• a control facility connected to the monitoring facility and controlling the operation of the plurality of axes of the machine and moving the elements of the machine in the position-controlled fashion.