Guidance of a cutting head in relation to a material

A method for guiding a cutting head in relation to a material, said method comprising:

• providing with an interpolator unit a position setpoint value and a speed setpoint value for guiding the cuffing head;
• determining from the position setpoint value a setpoint location signal, comparing in a first comparison an actual location signal provided by a drive unit with the setpoint location signal;
• setting with the drive unit a position and a speed of the cutting head in relation to the material dependent upon the position setpoint value and the speed setpoint value;
• detecting with a distance sensor a distance between the cutting head and the material and providing a distance signal;
• in a second comparison, subtracting a pre-determined comparison distance from the distance signal to generate a difference signal and superposing the difference signal on the actual location signal which is delayed by a first timespan and determining therefrom a limited distance control signal, wherein the first timespan is dependent upon a delay time of the distance sensor required by the distance sensor to provide the corresponding distance signal for a detected distance,
• determining a control signal for the drive unit dependent upon the first comparison, the speed setpoint value and the limited distance control signal, and
• cutting the material by moving the cutting head relative to the material commensurate with the determined control signal.

A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable non-transitory medium and comprising program code which when loaded into a memory of a processor of a control facility, which guides a cutting head in relation to a material in order to make a cut in the material by means of a cutting process earned out by the cutting head due to a relative movement of the cutting head in relation to the material, and executed by the processor, causes the control facility to

• provide with an interpolator unit a position setpoint value and a speed setpoint value for guiding the cutting head,
• determine from the position setpoint value a setpoint location signal, compare in a first comparison an actual location signal provided by a drive unit with the setpoint location signal,
• set with the drive unit a position and a speed of the cutting head in relation to the material dependent upon the position setpoint value and the speed setpoint value,
• detect with a distance sensor a distance between the cutting head and the material and providing a distance signal,
• in a second comparison, subtract a pre-determined comparison distance from the distance signal to generate a difference signal and superpose the difference signal on the actual location signal which is delayed by a first timespan and determine therefrom a limited distance control signal, wherein the first timespan is dependent upon a delay time of the distance sensor required by the distance sensor to provide the corresponding distance signal for a detected distance,
• determine a control signal for the drive unit dependent upon the first comparison, the speed setpoint value and the limited distance control signal, and
• cut the material by moving the cutting head relative to the material commensurate with the determined control signal.

A control facility for guiding a cutting head in relation to a material in order to make a cut in the material by means of a cutting process carried out by the cutting head due to a relative movement of the cutting head in relation to the material, the control facility comprising:

• a first input receiving from an interpolator unit a position setpoint value and a speed setpoint value for guiding the cutting head,
• a second input receiving from a distance sensor a distance signal indicating a distance between the cutting head and the material,
• an output supplying to a drive unit a position and a speed of the cutting head in relation to the material based on a control signal which depends on the position setpoint value and the speed setpoint value, for which purpose the control facility is configured to,
• determine from the position setpoint value a setpoint location signal, compare in a first comparison an actual location signal provided by a drive unit with the setpoint location signal,
• set with the drive unit the position and the speed of the cutting head,
• provide a distance signal based on the detected distance between the cutting head and the material,
• in a second comparison, subtract a pre-determined comparison distance from the distance signal to generate a difference signal and superpose the difference signal on the actual location signal which is delayed by a first timespan and determining therefrom a limited distance control signal, wherein the first timespan is dependent upon a delay time of the distance sensor required by the distance sensor to provide the corresponding distance signal for a detected distance between the cutting head and the material,
• determine a control signal for the drive unit dependent upon the first comparison, the speed setpoint value and the limited distance control signal, and
• cut the material by moving the cutting head relative to the material commensurate with the determined control signal.