REMOTE CONVEYOR BELT MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080133051A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContiTech USA, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Wallace, Jack Bruce, Spaolonzi, Mauricio Pinto
• Granted Patent: US 7,894,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/230
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/00 Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34039 Access central database through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0232 based on qualitative trend analysis, e.g. system evolution
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A remote conveyor belt monitoring system for monitoring an operation of a conveyor belt at a first geographic location. A local HMI is operable to acquire and store data representing conveyor belt conditions and operating characteristics. First and second computers at different geographic locations acquire the data via an internet. Thus, data relating to the operating conditions of the conveyor belt can be remotely consolidated and monitored by computers at different global locations.

Claims

1. A remote conveyor belt monitoring system for use with a conveyor belt system at a first:

geographic location, the conveyor belt system having a conveyor belt, a conveyor belt control operable to start and stop the conveyor belt, and a conveyor belt condition sensing system producing first data representing conveyor belt conditions and operating characteristics, the remote conveyor belt monitoring system comprising;

a first computer at a location geographically remote from the first location, the first computer operable to acquire and store the first data in a database; and

a second computer at a location geographically remote from the first location, the second computer operable to acquire and display the first data from the database and determine other data from the first data representing operating trends of the conveyor belt.

2. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 1 further comprising a data communications system for transferring the first data from the condition sensing system to the first computer and for further transferring the first data from the first computer to the second computer.

4. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the first computer is at a location geographically remote from the second computer.

3. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 3 wherein the data communications system is an internet.

5. A remote conveyor belt monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of user sites, each user site comprising

at least one conveyor belt system comprising a conveyor belt, a conveyor belt control operable to start arid stop the conveyor belt, and a conveyor belt condition sensing system producing first data representing conveyor belt conditions and operating characteristics, and

at least one human-machine interface (“

HMI”

) operable to acquire, store and display the first data in a first database and being further operable to generate and display further data representing trends relating to conveyor belt conditions and operating characteristics;

a data communications system;

a computer system at a location geographically remote from the user sites, the computer system being connectable to the data communications system and operable to acquire and store the first data in a second database; and

at least one computer at a location geographically remote from the user sites and the computer system, the at least one computer being connectable to the data communications system and operable to acquire and display the first data.

6. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 5 wherein the conveyor belt condition sensing system comprises:

a plurality of sensors operable to detect conditions associated with the conveyor belt and its operation; and

a plurality of field data conditioners, each of the field data conditioners being connected to at least one of the sensors, operable to process signals from the at least the one of sensors arid provide data representing conveyor belt conditions and operating characteristics.

7. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 6 wherein the plurality of sensors detect at least one condition selected from a temperature, a conveyor belt speed, a conveyor belt thickness, a conveyor belt splice condition, a conveyor belt load, conveyor belt slippage, transverse conveyor belt movement or any combination thereof.

8. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 5 wherein the computer system is operable to acquire the first data from the first database of the at least one HMI.

9. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 6 wherein the computer system is operable to acquire the first data from the field data conditioners.

10. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 6 wherein one of the field data conditioners is responsive to a signal from the at least one of the sensors and is operable to cause the conveyor belt control to stop the conveyor independent of the HMI and the computer system.

11. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 5 wherein the data communications system is an internet.

12. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 5 wherein the location of the at least one computer is a Facility of a lessor of the at least one conveyor belt system.

13. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 5 wherein the location of the at least one computer is a facility of a maintenance service provider of the at least one conveyor belt system.

14. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 5 wherein each of the plurality of user sites is geographically remote firm all other user sites.

15. The remote conveyor belt monitoring system of claim 5 wherein at least one of the plurality of user sites comprises a site for handling a bulk material.

16. A method of remotely monitoring a conveyor belt comprising:

sensing conditions relating to an operating conveyor belt at a first geographic location;

generating at the first location first data in response to the conditions sensed;

storing the first data in a first database at the first geographic location;

acquiring the first data with a first computer at a second location geographically remote from the first geographic location;

storing the first data in a second database at the second location; and

acquiring the first data from the first computer with a second computer at a location (geographically remote from the first location and the second location, the second computer operable to store and display the first data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the method further comprises:

producing the first data with field data conditioners in response to the sensing, the first data representing conveyor belt conditions and operating characteristics;

acquiring the first data with a human-machine interface (“

HMI”

) at the first geographic location, the HMI operable to poll the field data conditioners and transfer the first data from the field data conditioners to the first database over a local area network; and

displaying with the HMI the first data and further data representing trends relating to conveyor belt conditions and operating characteristics.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein acquiring the first data with the first computer further comprises:

polling the field data conditioners with the first computer; and

transferring the first data from the field data conditioners to the first computer over an internet.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein acquiring the first data with the second computer further comprises transferring the first data from the first computer to the second computer using all internet connection.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein acquiring the second computer is at a facility of one of a lessor and a maintenance service provider of the conveyor belt.