Belt scratch-proof system and method for a belt middle sampler

Abstract

This invention discloses a belt anti-scratch system and method for a belt sampling machine. The system includes a support frame, a protective cover, and a main controller. The support frame is mounted on the belt conveyor frame, with the protective cover connected to its upper part. Industrial cameras are installed inside the protective cover and at the bottom of the belt for real-time monitoring of the belt's condition. A rotating support is mounted on the support frame, with a rotating shaft passing through the protective cover. One end of the shaft is connected to a reducer and a motor, while the other end holds a sampling head placed inside the protective cover, forming a rotatable sampling structure. The main controller is electrically connected to the industrial cameras and the motor. It acquires belt image data through the industrial cameras, processes the data, and then controls the motor to drive the sampling head, achieving monitoring of the belt's operating status and anti-scratch control during the sampling process. Through structural integration and intelligent control, this system effectively prevents the sampling head from scratching the belt, improving the safety and reliability of equipment operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of coal conveying technology and relates to a belt anti-scratch system and method for a belt sampling machine in the middle of a belt conveyor. Background Technology

[0002] In my country's energy system, coal has long held a dominant position, accounting for over 55% of the energy supply as the most important component of the energy structure. For thermal power plants, coal costs constitute a significant proportion of the total power generation cost, directly impacting the company's economic benefits and operational stability. Therefore, the sampling, testing, and analysis (STI) stage in coal procurement and settlement management is crucial, and the accuracy of its testing results is a key basis for measuring coal quality and protecting the company's interests. In coal inspection, error is a crucial indicator of the accuracy of inspection results. If measured by variance, sampling-related errors account for 80% of the total error. This demonstrates that sampling is the foundation and core of the three stages of coal collection, processing, and analysis. To improve the representativeness of sampling and the accuracy of coal quality inspection, while reducing the labor intensity of workers, conveyor belt sampling systems are widely used in many power plants. The belt conveyor sampling machine consists of a sampling device, a feeding belt conveyor, a crusher, a reducing belt conveyor, and a waste disposal unit. The sampler typically employs a rotary scraping structure, using a sampling head to scrape the cross-section of the material to obtain a subsample. However, this system presents significant safety hazards during actual operation. When the sampling head rotates abnormally or deviates, it can easily scratch the belt; if the belt tears completely, it can not only cause material spillage but also damage the reducer, motor, and other equipment. In severe cases, it can even cause irreversible damage to the machine frame structure, directly threatening the lives of on-site personnel. Therefore, it is urgent to improve and optimize the relevant technologies of the belt conveyor sampling machine to ensure the safety and reliability of coal sampling operations. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve the technical problem in the prior art that when the sampling head rotates abnormally or deviates, it is easy to scratch the belt and threaten the safety of the coal sampling process. The invention provides a belt anti-scratch system and method for a belt sampler in the middle of the belt.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention employs the following technical solution: The present invention provides a belt anti-scratch system for a belt sampling machine, comprising a support frame, a protective cover, and a main controller; The support frame is mounted on the belt conveyor frame; a protective cover is connected to the support frame; industrial cameras are installed inside the protective cover and at the bottom of the belt. The support frame is provided with a rotating support, the rotating support is provided with a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft passes through the protective cover; one end of the rotating shaft is connected to a reducer, and the reducer is connected to a motor; a sampling head is fixed on the rotating shaft, and the sampling head is located inside the protective cover; The main controller is electrically connected to both the industrial camera and the motor.

[0005] Furthermore, the bottom of the sampling head is provided with an elastic, wear-resistant pad.

[0006] Furthermore, the elastic wear-resistant pad is made of rubber, and its thickness matches the surface undulations of the belt.

[0007] Furthermore, the sampling head is a multi-degree-of-freedom hinged structure.

[0008] Furthermore, the sampling head integrates a piezoelectric ceramic actuator, allowing the sampling head to be finely adjusted in height or angle.

[0009] Furthermore, the sampling head is in an inverted position when stationary.

[0010] Furthermore, the curvature of the scraper of the sampling head can be dynamically adjusted.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for preventing scratches on the belt of a belt sampling machine, comprising: The position of the sampling head is determined in real time using an industrial camera; When the sampling head is tilted, the control motor drives the sampling head away from the belt and triggers an alarm; Industrial cameras are used to identify damaged areas on the conveyor belt and mark them as high-risk areas. The sampling head is controlled to actively reduce the scraping pressure in high-risk areas.

[0012] Furthermore, the reduction of scraping pressure is achieved by fine-tuning the height / angle of local units through the multi-degree-of-freedom hinge structure of the sampling head.

[0013] Furthermore, when an alarm is triggered, the control belt stops feeding coal.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention discloses a belt anti-scratch system for a belt sampling machine. The system incorporates industrial cameras installed inside the protective cover and at the bottom of the belt, enabling comprehensive, real-time monitoring of the belt's operating status. The industrial cameras quickly capture minute scratches, wear, and other abnormalities on the belt surface and transmit the image information to the central controller in real time. The central controller uses a preset image recognition algorithm to accurately determine if the belt is at risk of being scratched. Upon detecting an anomaly, the central controller immediately sends a command to the motor, controlling the motor to adjust the rotation shaft and the operating state of the sampling head, preventing hard friction or collision between the sampling head and the belt. This effectively prevents belt scratches, significantly extends the belt's service life, and reduces equipment maintenance costs. Through the coordinated design of the motor, reducer, rotating support, and rotating shaft, the sampling head achieves flexible and stable rotation within the protective cover, ensuring accurate and efficient sampling. Simultaneously, the protective cover isolates the sampling head from the belt's operating area, forming a physical protective barrier. This not only prevents splashed materials from injuring operators during sampling but also prevents external debris from entering the sampling area and affecting sampling accuracy and the normal operation of the belt. In addition, the master controller's precise control of the motor can intelligently adjust the sampling frequency and position of the sampling head according to the belt running speed and sampling requirements, thereby significantly improving sampling efficiency and accuracy while ensuring belt safety.

[0015] Furthermore, the elastic, wear-resistant pad at the bottom of the sampling head effectively cushions the impact force between the sampling head and the belt upon contact. The high elasticity of the rubber material allows the pad to quickly absorb the kinetic energy generated when the sampling head presses down, preventing rigid compression and scratching of the belt surface. For example, when the belt runs at high speed or the sampling head exerts uneven force, the pad disperses the pressure through elastic deformation, significantly reducing the risk of scratches and wear on the belt surface, and further extending the belt's service life.

[0016] Furthermore, the sampling head employs a multi-degree-of-freedom hinge structure, granting it the ability to rotate flexibly in multiple directions within space. During belt operation, even if the belt deviates, vibrates, or experiences surface unevenness, the sampling head can adjust its posture in real time through its hinge structure, maintaining optimal contact with the belt surface and avoiding hard scratches caused by positional deviations. This adaptive adjustment capability significantly reduces the probability of accidental belt scratches, providing a more reliable guarantee for safe belt operation. The internally integrated piezoelectric ceramic actuator enables minute and rapid adjustments to the sampling head's height or angle. By precisely controlling the voltage of the piezoelectric ceramic, the sampling head position can be finely adjusted with micron-level precision, ensuring accurate contact with the belt surface under various operating conditions. During sampling, this ensures consistent sampling depth, improving the accuracy of sampling data; and it allows for timely adjustment of the sampling head's posture when the belt experiences minor deformation, preventing damage to the belt due to excessive pressure, achieving a dual optimization of sampling accuracy and belt protection. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the anti-scratch device for the sampling machine belt in the middle of the belt. Figure 2 This is an enlarged view of the sampling head structure.

[0019] Among them: 1-protective cover; 2-gearbox; 3-support frame; 4-motor; 5-sampling head; 501-miniature hydraulic or piezoelectric ceramic actuator; 502-hinged structure; 6-elastic wear-resistant pad; 7-feeding tube; 8-rotating shaft; 9-main controller; 10-rotating support; 11-industrial camera A; 12-industrial camera B. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and marked in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0021] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0022] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0023] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "horizontal," or "inner" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of the invention is in use, they are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. Furthermore, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0024] Furthermore, the use of the term "horizontal" does not imply that the component must be absolutely horizontal, but rather that it can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" simply means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical," and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0025] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0026] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings: See Figure 1 One embodiment of the present invention provides a belt anti-scratch system for a belt sampling machine, including a support frame 3, a protective cover 1 and a main controller 9; The support frame 3 is mounted on the belt conveyor frame; a protective cover 1 is connected to the support frame 3; an industrial camera A is installed inside the protective cover 1, and an industrial camera B is installed at the bottom of the belt; A rotating support 10 is mounted on the support frame 3, and a rotating shaft 8 is mounted on the rotating support 10, passing through the protective cover 1. One end of the rotating shaft 8 is connected to a reducer 2, and the reducer 2 is connected to a motor 4. A sampling head 5 is fixed on the rotating shaft 8 and is located inside the protective cover 1. The main controller 9 is electrically connected to both the industrial camera and the motor 4. (See also...) Figure 2 The sampling head 5 is a multi-degree-of-freedom hinged structure 502 (similar to a robotic arm joint), internally integrating a micro hydraulic or piezoelectric ceramic actuator 501. When encountering large pieces of coal or uneven conveyor belts, local units of the sampling head can independently fine-tune their height / angle (not lifting as a whole), maintaining full-section sampling while minimizing local pressure. Simultaneously, the curvature of the mounting plate can be dynamically adjusted to adapt to changes in the belt curvature under different tensions. The bottom of the scraper of the sampling head 5, in contact with the belt, is equipped with elastic, wear-resistant rubber 6. This ensures that the sampling head 5 will not damage the conveyor belt during operation, while still scraping the entire cross-section of the material being sampled, completely collecting subsamples. When stationary (not sampling), the sampling head 5 is inverted, not affecting the normal flow of coal.

[0027] During installation, the support frame 3 is fixed horizontally across both sides of the conveyor belt frame, and the protective cover 1 is installed on top of the support frame. Industrial camera A is installed downwards inside the protective cover 1, directly facing the working area of ​​sampling head 5; industrial camera B is installed upwards on the bottom crossbeam of the support frame 3. Sampling head 5 is connected to reducer 2 and motor 4 via rotating shaft 8, initially in an inverted position (scraper vertically upwards) to avoid obstructing the coal flow. The main controller 9 is preset with parameters such as belt speed 2.5 m / s, sampling interval 10 s, and high-risk area pressure threshold (60% of normal area). After system startup, the main controller 9 controls motor 4 to drive rotating shaft 8 via reducer 2, causing sampling head 5 to rotate 180° to a horizontal working position. The elastic, wear-resistant rubber pad 6 at the bottom of sampling head 5 adheres tightly to the belt surface, scraping the coal flow cross-section. The scraped sample enters the subsequent processing stage through the discharge pipe 7. When industrial camera A detects a large piece of coal (size > 300mm), the piezoelectric ceramic actuator 501 inside sampling head 5 is activated, with only a local unit rising 15mm to avoid it, while the remaining units remain in contact. Industrial camera B captures a real-time image of the bottom of the conveyor belt and identifies a longitudinal crack 30cm long and 2mm deep using a deep learning algorithm. The main controller marks this area as a high-risk zone. When the sampling head is about to enter the high-risk zone, the multi-degree-of-freedom hinged structure dynamically adjusts the scraper curvature to match the local subsidence curvature of the conveyor belt; the piezoelectric ceramic actuator reduces the pressure of the corresponding unit to a preset threshold; the sampling width is maintained, but the pressure per unit area decreases by 40% to ensure uninterrupted coal sampling; when industrial camera A detects that sampling head 5 is tilted due to a collision with a foreign object, the main controller 9 immediately controls motor 4 to reverse 90°, causing sampling head 5 to be urgently lifted away from the conveyor belt surface, triggering an audible and visual alarm and sending a stop signal to the conveyor belt control system, stopping the coal feeding operation, which resumes operation after manual reset.

[0028] The belt anti-scratch system for a belt sampling machine of this invention uses industrial cameras inside the protective cover and at the bottom of the belt to collect real-time image data of the belt's operation. The central controller analyzes and processes the images to accurately determine the belt's condition and controls the motor to drive the sampling head. During the sampling process, the relative position and posture of the sampling head and the belt are adjusted in real time, effectively preventing the sampling head from scratching the belt and achieving intelligent anti-scratch control. The elastic wear-resistant pad at the bottom of the sampling head is made of rubber material that matches the surface undulations of the belt, providing flexible contact during sampling. This ensures sampling accuracy and buffers the force between the sampling head and the belt, reducing the risk of scratches caused by rigid contact and extending the belt's service life. The multi-degree-of-freedom hinged structure of the sampling head, combined with the internally integrated piezoelectric ceramic actuator, allows it to finely adjust its height or angle according to the actual surface conditions of the belt, dynamically adapting to changes in the belt's position and surface undulations during operation, ensuring a smooth sampling process and further reducing damage to the belt. At the same time, the dynamically adjustable scraper curvature design enhances the adaptability of the sampling head under different working conditions, improving sampling efficiency and quality. The sampling head is inverted when stationary to avoid accidental contact and scratching with the belt when idle. The overall system structure is rationally arranged with components such as support frame and rotating support to ensure operational stability. Combined with intelligent control and flexible protection, it significantly improves the safety and reliability of the sampling machine in the middle of the belt and reduces equipment maintenance costs and downtime risks.

[0029] One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for preventing scratches on the belt of a belt sampling machine, comprising: The position of sampling head 5 is determined in real time using an industrial camera. After the system is installed and debugged, the image recognition algorithm parameters for the industrial camera are preset in the main controller, including image features of the normal state of the belt surface and image templates for the standard position of the sampling head. Simultaneously, the threshold for the sampling head's skew angle is set to 5°, and the criteria for judging belt damage areas are: three or more consecutive scratches exceeding 10cm in length and 2mm in depth are marked as high-risk areas. After the system starts, the belt begins conveying coal, and the industrial cameras inside the protective cover and at the bottom of the belt acquire image data at a frequency of 10 frames per second and transmit it to the main controller in real time. The main controller uses the preset image recognition algorithm to analyze the position of the sampling head. When the angular deviation between the sampling head and the preset standard position reaches 4.5°, the sampling head is determined to be skewed.

[0030] When sampling head 5 deviates, the control motor 4 drives sampling head 5 away from the belt and triggers an alarm. This triggers an audible and visual alarm and sends a stop signal to the belt control system. The control system then stops the coal feeding operation, resuming operation only after manual reset. Specifically, the main controller immediately sends a control command to the motor, driving the rotating shaft to quickly move the sampling head away from the belt surface, avoiding contact and scratches. Simultaneously, the main controller triggers the audible and visual alarm, emitting a flashing red light and a buzzer alarm to alert on-site operators. After the alarm is triggered, the main controller synchronously stops the belt from feeding coal, preventing further damage from continued belt operation while the sampling head is in an abnormal state. The belt stops within 3 seconds.

[0031] Industrial cameras are used to identify and mark damaged areas on the belt as high-risk areas. Specifically, the industrial cameras continuously acquire images of the belt surface, and the central controller analyzes and processes these images. When scratches that meet the criteria for high-risk areas are detected on the belt surface, the area is marked as high-risk and highlighted with a red border on the system monitoring interface. The location coordinates and damage characteristics of the area are also recorded.

[0032] The sampling head 5 actively reduces the scraping pressure in high-risk areas by fine-tuning the height and angle of local units through its multi-degree-of-freedom hinge structure. Specifically, when the sampling head reaches the marked high-risk area, the main controller controls the multi-degree-of-freedom hinge structure of the sampling head, using an internally integrated piezoelectric ceramic actuator to fine-tune the height and angle of local units. For example, raising the height of the area where the sampling head scraper contacts the belt by 0.5 mm and fine-tuning the angle by 2° reduces the scraping pressure of the sampling head in that area by 30%, ensuring effective sampling while minimizing damage to the belt in the high-risk area.

[0033] This invention relates to a belt-mounted sampling machine's belt scratch prevention method. Using an industrial camera that captures images at a high frequency of 10 frames per second, combined with a pre-set image recognition algorithm, it can accurately determine the sampling head's position and quickly identify anomalies when the sampling head's tilt angle reaches 4.5° (close to the 5° tilt angle threshold). This high-precision, high-frequency real-time monitoring mechanism can promptly control the motor to drive the sampling head away from the belt before it is about to scratch it, simultaneously triggering an audible and visual alarm and stopping the machine. This effectively avoids belt scratch accidents caused by sampling head tilt, nipping potential risks in the bud. When a sampling head tilt anomaly occurs, the main controller quickly issues a command, driving the motor to rotate the shaft and rapidly remove the sampling head from the belt surface, while the belt stops within 3 seconds. This rapid fault response mechanism significantly shortens the contact time between the sampling head and the belt in abnormal conditions, significantly reducing belt wear, decreasing equipment maintenance costs and downtime, and improving the reliability and stability of the belt-mounted sampling machine. Industrial cameras continuously capture images of the conveyor belt surface. The central controller, based on preset high-risk area criteria, quickly identifies scratches on the belt surface that meet the criteria, accurately marks high-risk areas, and displays this information intuitively on the system monitoring interface. This function not only enables real-time monitoring of belt damage but also provides detailed data support for subsequent maintenance by recording the location coordinates and characteristic information of damaged areas, facilitating the development of targeted repair strategies. For marked high-risk areas, the multi-degree-of-freedom hinged structure and piezoelectric ceramic actuator of the sampling head allow for fine-tuning of the height and angle of local units, reducing the scraping pressure of the sampling head in high-risk areas by 30%. This adaptive pressure adjustment method minimizes secondary damage to the damaged areas of the belt while ensuring effective coal sampling, balancing sampling requirements with belt protection, extending the belt's service life, and improving the overall operational efficiency of the belt sampling machine.

[0034] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A belt anti-scratch system for a belt sampling machine, characterized in that, It comprises a support frame (3), a protective cover (1) and a general controller (9); The support frame (3) is erected on a belt frame; the support frame (3) is connected with the protective cover (1); the inside of the protective cover (1) and the bottom of the belt are both provided with an industrial camera; The support frame (3) is provided with a rotary support (10), the rotary support (10) is provided with a rotary shaft (8), the rotary shaft (8) passes through the protective cover (1) and is provided; one end of the rotary shaft (8) is connected with a speed reducer (2), the speed reducer (2) is connected with a motor (4); the rotary shaft (8) is fixedly provided with a sampling head (5), and the sampling head (5) is arranged in the inside of the protective cover (1); The general controller (9) is electrically connected with the industrial camera and the motor (4).

2. The belt center sampler belt scuffing system of claim 1, wherein, The bottom of the sampling head (5) is provided with an elastic wear-resistant leather pad (6).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The elastic wear-resistant leather pad (6) is made of rubber material, and the thickness is matched with the surface fluctuation of the belt.

4. The belt center sampler belt scuffing system of claim 1, wherein, The sampling head (5) is a multi-degree-of-freedom articulated structure.

5. The belt center sampler belt scuffing system of claim 4, wherein, The sampling head (5) is integrated with a piezoelectric ceramic driver inside, so that the sampling head (5) can be finely adjusted in height or angle.

6. The belt center sampler belt scuffing system of claim 4, wherein, The sampling head (5) is in an inverted state in the static state.

7. The belt center sampler belt scuffing system of claim 4, wherein, The scraping plate camber of the sampling head (5) can be dynamically adjusted.

8. A method of preventing belt scuffing of a belt center sampler belt based on the belt center sampler belt scuffing prevention system of any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, It comprises: The position of the sampling head (5) is determined in real time through the industrial camera; When the sampling head (5) is deflected, the motor (4) drives the sampling head (5) to move away from the belt and triggers an alarm; The industrial camera identifies the damaged area of the belt and marks it as a high-risk area; The sampling head (5) actively reduces the scraping pressure in the high-risk area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The reduction of scraping pressure is realized by the multi-degree-of-freedom articulated structure of the sampling head (5) to finely adjust the height / angle of the local unit.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, When the alarm is triggered, the belt is controlled to stop feeding coal.

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