Control unit and method for operating a conveying means

A control unit (10) for conveyor means, the conveyor means comprising a drive unit (11) and the control unit for controlling the drive unit, a carriage (28) of the conveyor means being movable along a rail (12, 29, 49, 67) of the conveyor means by means of the drive unit, the control unit comprising a control device (13) by means of which the drive unit is controllable, the control unit comprising a rotary encoder (16, 36, 56) which is connectable to a shaft (18) of the drive unit or of a measuring wheel of the carriage for registering a rotation of the shaft, the rotary encoder comprising an encoder device (17, 37, 52, 58) by means of which a rotation angle signal, a rotational speed signal or a position value is transmittable to the control device in order to determine an assumed position of the carriage on the rail,

• wherein the control unit has a safety device (71) having a sensor apparatus (14, 40, 70) positionable on the carriage and the rail, at least one position signal being detectable by means of the sensor apparatus, the safety device having a safety apparatus (25, 38, 51, 59) by means of which a real position of the carriage on the rail is determinable based on the position signal, the assumed position being correctable according to the real position by means of the safety device,
• wherein the position signal is generated by means of at least one sensor (22, 31, 47, 50, 63) of the sensor apparatus (14, 40, 70) disposed on the carriage (28) when passing markings (19, 30, 46, 48, 63) of the sensor apparatus disposed on the rail (12, 29, 49, 67), and
• wherein the sensor apparatus (14, 40, 70) comprises at least two sensors (22, 31, 47, 50, 63) disposed on the carriage (28) and a plurality of markings (19, 30, 46, 48, 63) disposed along the rail (12, 29, 49, 67), passive RFID transponders (20, 21, 33, 42, 43) being used as markings and RFID transceivers (23, 34, 41) being used as sensors.