Patent ID: 7873484

Claim:
A method for position monitoring, comprising: (a) transmitting two measured position values from a single position measuring device to a first processing unit; (b) transmitting a setpoint value from a setpoint value generator to a second processing unit; (c) transmitting one of the two measured position values to the second processing unit; (d) transmitting the setpoint value to the first processing unit; (e) performing mutually independent comparisons between the setpoint value and the measured position values by the first processing unit and the second processing unit; (f) monitoring, at least during a standstill of a shaft of the single position-measuring device, the two measured position values for an electronic shaft break between the single position measuring device and the first processing unit; wherein the two measured position values are different and have a defined relationship with respect to each other, the transmitting (a) including alternately transmitting the two measured position values to the first processing unit; and (g) determining an occurrence of an electronic shaft break based on a detection of a failure of the alternating transmission of the two measured position values.