Roller drive and method for controlling a system

1. A roller drive, comprising:

a roller rotationally mounted on a roller axle and a roller support;

an electric motor adapted to drive the roller being at least partially surrounded by the roller to form a housing; and

at least one sensor arranged on the roller drive;

wherein energy and/or data are contactlessly transmittable between the roller drive and the roller or a part co-rotatable with the roller; and

wherein the roller axle is attached to the roller support.

2. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is adapted to supply signals to an electronic circuit to determine: an arrival of a load; a mass or a weight of the load; a speed of the load; identification information of the load; a width of the load; a length of the load; an alignment of the load relative to the roller axle; and/or a material property of the load.

3. The roller drive according to claim 2 , wherein the material property of the load includes an optical property, an electrical property, and/or a magnetic property.

4. The roller drive according to claim 2 , wherein the electronic circuit is co-rotatable with the roller.

5. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein a stator or a rotor of the electric motor co-rotatable with the roller and/or an excitation winding is co-rotatable with the roller.

6. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein energy and/or data is inductively transmittable inductively, a secondary winding is co-rotatable with the roller, which is inductively coupled to a primary winding provided in the roller support or is inductively coupled to a primary wire disposed on the roller support.

7. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is disposed within the roller, the sensor is integrated into the roller bearing, the sensor is disposed in a surface of the roller, and/or the sensor is disposed in an end shield of the roller drive.

8. The roller drive according to claim 2 , wherein a winding of the electric motor is adapted to inductively supply the electronic circuit.

9. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein data or sensor signals are able to be modulated upon a supply voltage for the electric motor, and are transmittable inductively from a secondary winding to a primary winding.

10. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein data or sensor signals are transmitted contactlessly as radio signals or as infrared signals.

11. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein data of at least one sensor is transmittable to an electronic circuit of the roller drive, the electronic circuit being connected to a superordinate control for exchanging data.

12. A method for controlling a system which has at least one roller drive as recited in claim 1 , comprising:

supplying information acquired by at least one sensor of the roller drive to a superordinate control of the system; and

determining a state variable of the system from a time characteristic of values acquired by the sensor.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the state variable is a physical quantity of a load to be transported by the roller drive.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the state variable relates to presence of goods on a roller conveyor that includes the roller 1 , a number of loads transported within the system, weight loading of a roller-conveyor section that includes the roller, a spacing of goods on the roller conveyor, a rotational speed of the roller, and/or a drive torque and/or a braking torque of roller.

15. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising inferring a length of a transported load from a characteristic of signals of a force sensor and a rotational speed of the roller.

16. A method for controlling a system which has at least one roller drive as recited in claim 1 , comprising:

supplying information acquired by the roller drive and assigned to a specific load and/or information acquired with the aid of an RFID disposed on the load to a superordinate control of the system; and

controlling operating time, angular position, drive torque and/or rotational speed of the roller drive as a function of the acquired information, regulating operating time, angular position, drive torque and/or rotational speed to respective setpoint values or setpoint-value time characteristics, and/or adjusting operating time, angular position, drive torque and/or rotational speed.

17. The roller drive according to claim 1 , wherein a pressure sensor is positioned between the roller axle and the roller support.

18. The roller drive according to claim 17 , wherein a spring element is positioned opposite the pressure sensor, such that the roller axle is positioned between the pressure sensor and the spring element.