Belt management system and method

• US 9,811,809 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Sakuragi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): MANSFIELD, THOMAS L
• Application Number:
  US14/404,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20150170109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/02 detecting dangerous physical condition of load carriers, e.g. for interrupting the drive in the event of overheating
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/08 for measuring thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/107 for measuring objects while moving G01B7/105 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

A belt management system of the present invention is formed by a management server (1) that manages belts that are used in a belt conveyor, a terminal (2) that is provided in a location where the belt conveyor is installed, and a data server (3) that is provided in a company that manufactures and sells belts, wherein the management server is provided with: a transceiver unit (10) that receives in time series belt remaining thickness data that shows the thickness of the belt and that is supplied from the terminal at each one of predetermined periods; and a belt lifespan prediction unit (11) that, by writing the belt remaining thickness data in the management database in time series, and reading from the management database the belt remaining thickness data that has been stored in time series, and dividing the difference between the predetermined periods by the usage amount of the belt at each of the predetermined periods, and determining a unit amount of change in the usage amount units, and subtracting from the most recent belt remaining thickness data a management threshold value which shows the thickness of the belt and which is to be used as an indicator for replacement, and dividing the result of this subtraction by the unit amount of change, determines a remaining lifespan that shows the future amount of use until the belt needs to be replaced.

Claims

1. A belt management system that is formed by a management server that manages belts that are used in a belt conveyor, a terminal that is provided in a location where the belt conveyor is installed, and a data server that is provided in a company that manufactures and sells belts, wherein

the management server is provided with:

a transceiver unit that receives in time series belt remaining thickness data that shows the thickness of the belt and that is supplied from the terminal at each one of predetermined periods;

a belt lifespan prediction unit that, by writing the belt remaining thickness data in the management database in time series, and reading from the management database the belt remaining thickness data that has been stored in time series, and dividing the difference between the predetermined periods by the usage amount of the belt at each of the predetermined periods, and determining a unit amount of change in the usage amount units, and subtracting from the most recent belt remaining thickness data a management threshold value which shows the thickness of the belt, and dividing the result of this subtraction by the unit amount of change, determines a remaining lifespan that shows the future amount of use until the belt needs to be replaced;

an expenditure database in which a total cost of ownership is written and stored, in belt conveyor units, for each different type of belt, the total cost of ownership including at least belt price, maintenance costs, and electricity cost; and

a total cost of ownership calculating unit that determines a total cost in usage amount units by dividing a sum total of the belt price, the maintenance costs, and the electricity cost that has been stored in the expenditure database by the usage amount, and associating the total cost in usage amount units with the corresponding belt of the belt conveyor and writing and storing the results in the expenditure database,

wherein a measuring device that measures the belt remaining thickness data is provided in the belt conveyer,

wherein the belt remaining thickness data is either data that has been measured and input into the terminal, or data that is measured by the measuring device and is collected from the measurement device by the terminal.

2. The belt management system according to claim 1, wherein, when the remaining lifespan drops below a usage amount in the predetermined period that has been set in advance, the belt lifespan prediction unit transmits an alarm recommending that the belt be replaced to the terminal and the data server.

3. The belt management system according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal transmits to the management server the belt remaining thickness data that has been measured after each of the predetermined periods by the measuring unit.

4. The belt management system according to claim 1, wherein the usage amount is the weight of transport material that has been transported by the belt conveyor, and the remaining lifespan shows the weight that can be subsequently transported from the point in time when the most recent belt remaining thickness data was measured.

5. The belt management system according to claim 1, wherein the usage amount is the period for which the belt conveyor transported the transport material, and the remaining lifespan shows the period for which transport material can be subsequently transported from the point in time when the most recent belt remaining thickness data was measured.

6. The belt management system according to claim 1, wherein the management server is further provided with:

an inventory database in which an inventory quantity for each different type of belt at the location where the belt conveyor is installed, and a management remaining quantity which shows the minimum inventory quantity of each different type of belt that is required in order to manage the belt conveyor are written and stored in advance; and

a belt inventory management unit that, when the inventory quantity drops below the management remaining quantity, recommends to the terminal and the data server that it is necessary to buy new inventory.

7. The belt management system according to claim 1, wherein the management server is further provided with:

a fault database that shows detection threshold values that are set for each line and are used to determined whether or not a fault has occurred; and

a fault management unit that compares detection values showing the state of a belt that are supplied from the terminal with the detection threshold values, and when the result of this comparison indicates a fault in the belt, transmits a notification to the terminal and to the data server that shows that a fault has occurred in the belt.

8. A belt management method that causes a belt management system that is formed by a management server that manages belts that are used in a belt conveyor, a terminal that is provided in a location where the belt conveyor is installed, and a data server that is provided in a company that manufactures and sells belts to operate, wherein

the belt management method includes:

a computer system implementing the steps of;

a receiving step in which belt remaining thickness data that shows the thickness of the belt and that is supplied from the terminal is received in time series at each one of predetermined periods;

a belt lifespan prediction step in which, by writing the belt remaining thickness data in the management database in time series, and reading from the management database the belt remaining thickness data that has been stored in time series, and dividing the difference between the predetermined periods by the usage amount of the belt at each of the predetermined periods, and determining a unit amount of change in the usage amount units, and subtracting from the most recent belt remaining thickness data a management threshold value which shows the thickness of the belt, and dividing the result of this subtraction by the unit amount of change, a remaining lifespan that shows the future amount of use until the belt needs to be replaced is determined;

a recording step wherein a total cost of ownership is written and stored in an expenditure database, in belt conveyor units, for each different type of belt, the total cost of ownership including at least belt price, maintenance costs, and electricity cost; and

a calculating step wherein a total cost of ownership calculating unit determines a total cost in usage amount units by dividing a sum total of the belt price, the maintenance costs, and the electricity cost that has been stored in the expenditure database by the usage amount, and associating the total cost in usage amount units with the corresponding belt of the belt conveyor and writing and storing the results in the expenditure database,

wherein a measuring device that measures the belt remaining thickness data is provided in the belt conveyor,

wherein the belt remaining thickness data is either data that has been measured and input into the terminal, or data that is measured by the measuring device and is collected from the measurement device by the terminal.

9. A belt management method in which data is exchanged between a terminal that is provided at a location where a belt conveyor is installed and a management server that manages the belts used on the belt conveyor, wherein

the belt management method includes:

a computer system implementing the steps of;

a transmitting step in which belt remaining thickness data that shows the thickness of the belt is transmitted by the terminal in time series to the management server after predetermined periods;

a receiving step in which, when the remaining lifespan determined by the management server that shows the future amount of use of the belt until it needs to be replaced drops below a usage amount in the predetermined period that has been set in advance, an alarm recommending that the belt be replaced is received by the terminal from the management server;

a recording step wherein a total cost of ownership is written and stored in an expenditure database, in belt conveyor units, for each different type of belt, the total cost of ownership including at least belt price, maintenance costs, and electricity cost; and

a calculating step wherein a total cost of ownership calculating unit determines a total cost in usage amount units by dividing a sum total of the belt price, the maintenance costs, and the electricity cost that has been stored in the expenditure database by the usage amount, and associating the total cost in usage amount units with the corresponding belt of the belt conveyor and writing and storing the results in the expenditure database,

wherein a measuring device that measures the belt remaining thickness data is provided in the belt conveyor,

wherein the belt remaining thickness data is either data that has been measured and input into the terminal, or data that is measured by the measuring device and is collected from the measurement device by the terminal.

10. The belt management method according to claim 9, wherein the belt remaining thickness data that has been measured after each of the predetermined periods by the measuring unit is transmitted from the terminal to the management server.

11. The belt management method according to claim 9, wherein

an inventory quantity for each different type of belt at the location where the belt conveyor is installed is transmitted by the terminal, and

when the inventory quantity drops below a predetermined management remaining quantity, notification from the management server is received by the terminal recommending to it that it is necessary to buy new inventory.

12. The belt management method according to claim 9, wherein

detection values that show the state of the belt are transmitted by the terminal to the management server, and

when the detection values are compared with a preset detection threshold value and, as a result, indicate that there is a fault in the belt, notification showing that a fault has occurred in the belt is received by the terminal from the management server.