Remote conveyor belt monitoring system and method

• US 7,894,934 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContiTech USA, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Veyance Technologies Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Spaolonzi, Mauricio Pinto, Wallace, Jack Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGESS, RAMYA PRAKASAM
• Application Number:
  US11/566,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 700/230, 198/341.01, 198/340, 198/341.03, 198/341.09, 198/810.01
• 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 method of remotely monitoring multiple conditions of a plurality of conveyor belts using a web-based diagnostic and predictive system that permits an automatic comprehensive collection and consolidation of data relating to conveyor belt health comprising:

sensing conditions relating to a first 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 monitoring computer at a monitoring location geographically remote from the first geographic location;

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

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

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

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

acquiring the second data with said monitoring computer at said monitoring location geographically remote from the first and second geographic locations;

storing the second data in the monitoring database at the monitoring location.

2. The method of claim 1 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 and the second 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, and the second data from the field data conditioners to the second 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.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein acquiring the second computer is at a facility of one of a vendor or a lessor or a maintenance service provider of the conveyor belt.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said conditions comprise a combination of any number of the following:

belt speed;

belt position;

belt load;

belt tension;

rolling resistance;

belt temperature;

belt splice failure;

belt rip detection;

belt width; and

belt transverse motion.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said conditions comprise all of the following:

belt speed;

belt position;

belt load;

belt tension;

rolling resistance;

belt temperature;

belt splice failure;

belt rip detection;

belt width; and

belt transverse motion.