Method and program for monitoring a belt conveyor.

Abstract

This invention provides a belt conveyor monitoring method that enables appropriate evaluation of information regarding the fall of items transported by the belt conveyor. [Solution] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for monitoring a belt conveyor is provided, comprising a detection step and a deduction step, wherein in the detection step, a conveyed object that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor is detected by a position sensor, and in the deduction step, the position information and / or accumulation state of the fallen conveyed object is identified based on the detection content of the position sensor.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a method and program for monitoring a belt conveyor.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, technologies for managing abnormalities in belt conveyors have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining the degree of risk of occurrence of an abnormality in a belt conveyor by attaching an image capturing device to a moving machine and continuously acquiring images of the belt conveyor and the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the image capturing device is attached to the moving machine, the monitoring area is limited to the vicinity of the moving machine. Therefore, there is a concern that it may not be possible to quickly respond when an abnormality occurs. Further, from the viewpoint of quickly responding when an abnormality occurs in the belt conveyor, it is necessary to appropriately manage information when the load on the belt conveyor falls.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a method for monitoring a belt conveyor and the like that can appropriately evaluate information when the conveyed material on the belt conveyor falls.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for monitoring a belt conveyor is provided, comprising a detection step and a deduction step, wherein in the detection step, a conveyed object that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor is detected by a position sensor, and in the deduction step, the position information and / or accumulation state of the fallen conveyed object is identified based on the detection content of the position sensor.

[0007] According to the above embodiment, a method for monitoring a belt conveyor is provided that can appropriately evaluate information when an object being transported by the belt conveyor falls.

[0008] Furthermore, they may be provided in the following embodiments.

[0009] (1) A method for monitoring a belt conveyor, comprising a detection step and a specification step, wherein in the detection step, a conveyed object that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor is detected by a position sensor, and in the specification step, the position information and / or accumulation state of the fallen conveyed object is identified based on the detection content of the position sensor.

[0010] (2) The method for monitoring a belt conveyor as described in (1) above, wherein the position sensor is a LiDAR sensor or an optical rangefinder.

[0011] (3) The method for monitoring a belt conveyor as described in (2) above, wherein in the detection step, the position sensor detects the fallen conveyed object by irradiating light along the longitudinal direction of the belt conveyor.

[0012] (4) In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor as described in (3) above, the detection step involves detecting the fallen conveyed object using a plurality of position sensors, wherein the plurality of position sensors are arranged in a line along the width direction of the belt conveyor.

[0013] (5) A method for monitoring a belt conveyor as described in any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the detection step involves detecting the conveyed material that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor and accumulated, and the identification step involves identifying the location information and / or state of accumulation of the accumulated conveyed material.

[0014] (6) A method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the detection step detects the conveyed object that is in the process of falling from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor.

[0015] (7) A monitoring method for a belt conveyor as described in (6) above, wherein the detection step detects the conveyed objects that are in the process of falling, and the identification step identifies the accumulation state of the conveyed objects based on the frequency of appearance of the conveyed objects that are in the process of falling.

[0016] (8) A method for monitoring a belt conveyor as described in any one of (1) to (7) above, further comprising a warning step, wherein the warning step issues a warning when the accumulation state identified in the specific step satisfies predetermined conditions.

[0017] (9) A method for monitoring a belt conveyor as described in any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein the conveyed material is a powder.

[0018] (10) A program that causes at least one computer to perform each step of the method for monitoring a belt conveyor as described in any one of (1) to (9) above. Of course, this is not always the case. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall structure of a process to which a monitoring system may be applied. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the hardware configuration of the information processing device 2, etc. [Figure 3]It is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the information processing apparatus 2. [Figure 4] It is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using a monitoring system or the like. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the installation mode of the position sensor 3. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the content specified by the specifying unit 232. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the content specified by the specifying unit 232.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that various characteristic matters shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other. <00OO096> That is, the monitoring method of the belt conveyor of the present embodiment is as follows. A monitoring method for a belt conveyor, Comprising a detection step and a specification step, In the detection step, an object being conveyed that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor is detected by a position sensor, <000OO101>In the specification step, based on the detection content of the position sensor, the position information and / or the accumulation state of the fallen object being conveyed is specified.

[0022] By the way, a program for realizing software appearing in an embodiment may be provided as a non-temporary computer-readable medium readable by a computer, may be provided so as to be downloadable from an external server, or may be provided so as to start the program on an external computer and realize its function on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0023] Furthermore, in various information processing according to one embodiment, an input and an output corresponding to the input can be realized. Here, as long as an output is obtained as a result of the input, the form of the information referenced in such information processing (hereinafter referred to as "reference information") is not limited. The reference information may be, for example, rule-based information such as a database, a lookup table, or a predetermined function (including a decision formula such as a regression equation constructed by a statistical method), or a pre-trained model that has learned the correlation between input and output in advance, or a large-scale language model that can output a desired result by inputting a prompt.

[0024] Furthermore, in one embodiment, "part" may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by a circuit in a broad sense, and the information processing of software that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. Also, in one embodiment, various types of information are handled, and this information can be represented, for example, by the physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage and current, the high or low values ​​of signal values ​​as a set of binary bits composed of 0s or 1s, or by quantum superposition (so-called qubits), and communication and calculations can be performed on a circuit in a broad sense.

[0025] Furthermore, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by combining at least a suitable combination of circuits, circuits, processors, and memory. The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated circuit. In other words, it includes application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (for example, simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.

[0026] 1. Hardware Configuration The monitoring method of this embodiment is typically carried out using a predetermined monitoring system. This section describes the hardware configuration of the monitoring system and other components according to this embodiment.

[0027] The belt conveyor monitoring method of this embodiment can be applied to processes that transport various items on a belt conveyor, and can typically be carried out by the monitoring system shown below. First, the process of transporting these items and the configuration of the hardware that may constitute this process will be described.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a process to which a monitoring system may be applied. The process shown in this figure is one in which a conveyed object 4 is transported in the flow direction D1 by a belt conveyor 1. In this embodiment, the conveyed object 4 transported by the belt conveyor 1 may be various articles that are transported by a belt conveyor. Furthermore, such articles (conveyed objects) may be powders. For example, powders may be coal, coke powder, cement, biomass fuel, soil, ore, slag, dust, etc.

[0029] First, the details of the belt conveyor 1 to which the monitoring method of this embodiment is applied will be described. The belt conveyor 1 may be constructed by comprising a head pulley 13a and a tail pulley 13b, with a belt wound around these pulleys. In this embodiment, the belt conveyor 1 is typically installed above the ground G, spaced apart from the ground G. In this specification, the upper belt wound around the pulleys will be referred to as the upper belt 11a, and the lower belt as the lower belt 11b. The "upper belt 11a" may also be referred to as the "carrier belt," and the "lower belt 11b" as the "return belt." Typically, the conveyed material 4 is loaded onto the upper belt 11a, and conveyance takes place from the tail pulley 13b side to the head pulley 13a side.

[0030] In this embodiment, the belt conveyor 1 may have one or more rollers 12 between the head pulley 13a and the tail pulley 13b. These rollers 12 can support the upper belt 11a, enabling a stable conveying process.

[0031] The belt conveyor 1 may be driven by, for example, the rotation of the head pulley 13a and the tail pulley 13b. That is, the head pulley 13a and the tail pulley 13b may be connected to a motor (not shown), thereby moving the belt of the belt conveyor 1 in the flow direction D1. The belt conveyor 1 does not necessarily have to be driven by the rotation of the head pulley 13a and the tail pulley 13b. For example, a drive pulley (not shown) may be present on the belt conveyor 1, and the belt conveyor 1 may be driven by this. In addition, the belt conveyor 1 may be equipped with various pulleys not shown in Figure 1, such as snub pulleys, tension pulleys, and bend pulleys.

[0032] Furthermore, in the monitoring method of this embodiment, a position sensor 3 is provided within the process. The location of the position sensor 3 can be selected from any location where the monitoring method of this embodiment can be implemented, but in Figure 1, it is provided on the side of the lower belt 11b of the belt conveyor 1 that is closer to the ground G. The position sensor 3 may be fixed in a predetermined location, or it may be mounted in a way that allows it to move. The position sensor 3 may also be mounted so as to be rotatable around a predetermined axis so that the measurement direction can be adjusted. Although Figure 1 shows an example in which one position sensor is installed within the process, as will be described later, the number of position sensors provided within the process is not limited to this. That is, the process may have one position sensor, or it may have two or more position sensors. In the following, even if there are multiple position sensors used in the monitoring method of this embodiment, they may be collectively referred to as "position sensor 3".

[0033] The position sensor 3 can be appropriately selected from known sensors capable of detecting the position of the object to be measured. For example, the position sensor 3 may be a LiDAR sensor or an optical rangefinder. A LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) sensor is a sensor that measures the distance to an object by irradiating it with laser light and detecting the reflected light, and generates measurement data of the object to be measured. Based on this principle, the above measurement data may include point cloud data obtained via the position sensor 3. The LiDAR sensor here may be either a so-called 2D LiDAR or a 3D LiDAR. The position sensor 3 may also include a laser light source, a light receiving unit, a microcontroller, and a communication unit (not shown). That is, laser light is irradiated from the laser light source, the light receiving unit receives the reflected light reflected from the object, point cloud data is generated by the microcontroller, and the point cloud data can be output externally via the communication unit. On the other hand, an optical rangefinder that can be used as position sensor 3, like a LiDAR sensor, measures the distance to an object by irradiating it with laser light and detecting the reflected light, and generates measurement data for the object being measured. However, typically, the aforementioned laser light is irradiated in only one direction.

[0034] As described above, the monitoring system of this embodiment includes a position sensor 3. However, the "monitoring system" may include any configuration other than the position sensor 3. Specifically, the monitoring system of this embodiment can also refer to a system that includes a configuration for appropriately analyzing the data acquired by the position sensor 3. That is, the monitoring system of this embodiment may include an information processing device 2, described later, in addition to the position sensor 3.

[0035] Although not shown in detail in Figure 1, the position sensor 3 may be configured to communicate with a predetermined information processing device 2, and this information processing device 2 may perform predetermined calculations and other operations.

[0036] Figure 2 shows the hardware configuration of the information processing device 2, etc. As shown in Figure 2, the position sensor 3 is connected to the information processing device 2 via a communication path 31. The communication path 31 is selected from among the means capable of communicating between the position sensor 3 and the information processing device 2, and can be wired or wireless. The details of the information processing device 2 will be described below.

[0037] [Information Processing Device 2] The information processing device 2 comprises a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a control unit 23, a display unit 24, and an input unit 25, and these units are electrically connected by a communication bus 20.

[0038] (Communications Section 21) The communication unit 21 is configured to transmit various electrical signals from the information processing device 2 to external components. The communication unit 21 is also configured to receive various electrical signals from external components to the information processing device 2. Furthermore, the communication unit 21 may have a network communication function, enabling the communication of various information between the information processing device 2 and external devices via a communication line.

[0039] (Storage unit 22) The storage unit 22 stores various types of information as defined above. This can be done, for example, as a storage device such as a solid-state drive (SSD) that stores various programs related to the information processing device 2 executed by the control unit 23, or as a memory such as random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily necessary information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to program calculations. The storage unit 22 stores various programs and variables related to the information processing device 2 executed by the control unit 23.

[0040] (Control Unit 23) The control unit 23 is, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) (not shown). The control unit 23 reads and executes a predetermined program stored in the memory unit 22, thereby realizing various functions related to the information processing device 2. In other words, information processing by software stored in the memory unit 22 is concretely realized by the control unit 23, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 23. These will be described in more detail in the next section. Note that the control unit 23 is not limited to being a single unit, and may be implemented with multiple control units 23 for each function, or a combination thereof.

[0041] (Display section 24) The display unit 24 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 2, for example, or it may be an external unit. The display unit 24 displays a graphical user interface (GUI) screen that can be operated by the user. This is preferably done by using different display devices such as a CRT display, liquid crystal display, organic EL display, and plasma display, depending on the type of information processing device 2.

[0042] (Input section 25) The input unit 25 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 2, or it may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 25 may be integrated with the display unit 24 and implemented as a touch panel. If it is a touch panel, the user can input tap operations, swipe operations, etc. Of course, instead of a touch panel, a switch button, mouse, QWERTY keyboard, etc. may be used. In other words, the input unit 25 receives operation input made by the user. This input is transmitted as a command signal to the control unit 23 via the communication bus 20, and the control unit 23 can execute predetermined controls and calculations as needed.

[0043] 2. Functional Configuration This section describes the functional configuration of this embodiment. Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the information processing device 2. As described above, information processing by software (stored in the memory unit 22) is concretely realized by hardware (control unit 23), and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 23.

[0044] Specifically, the information processing device 2 (control unit 23) may include, as functional units, an acquisition unit 231, a identification unit 232, a calculation unit 233, a belt conveyor control unit 234, a warning unit 235, a memory management unit 236, and a display control unit 237. Note that these functional units may be increased or decreased as appropriate depending on the application to which the information processing device 2 is applied.

[0045] (Acquisition part 231) The acquisition unit 231 is configured to perform the acquisition process. In the acquisition process, the acquisition unit 231 acquires various information and data. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 231 acquires the detection content of the position sensor 3. The detection content here is typically based on measurement data measured by the position sensor 3 while the belt conveyor 1 is in operation. The specific processing will be explained later.

[0046] (Specific Section 232) The identification unit 232 is configured to execute a specific process. In the specific process, the identification unit 232 identifies the location information and / or accumulation state of the fallen transported object based on the detection information of the position sensor 3. The specific details of this process will be explained later.

[0047] (Computation unit 233) The calculation unit 233 is configured to perform calculation processes. In the calculation process, the calculation unit 233 performs various calculations based on acquired values, etc. For example, the calculation unit 233 performs calculations related to distance within the process based on coordinate information, etc., acquired by the acquisition unit 231. In addition, the calculation unit 233 calculates values ​​related to the accumulation state of transported objects based on the frequency of appearance of transported objects in the falling process. The specific processing of this will be explained later.

[0048] (Belt conveyor control unit 234) The belt conveyor control unit 234 is configured to perform the belt conveyor control process. In the belt conveyor control process, the belt conveyor control unit 234 emits various signals and performs control related to the operation and stopping of the belt conveyor 1.

[0049] (Warning section 235) The warning unit 235 is configured to perform a warning process. In the warning process, the warning unit 235 issues a warning when the deposition state identified in a specific process meets predetermined conditions. The content of this warning will be explained later.

[0050] (Memory Management Department 236) The memory management unit 236 is configured to execute the memory management process. In the memory management process, the memory management unit 236 is configured to manage various information to be stored, related to the process of this embodiment. Typically, the memory management unit 236 is configured to store information handled by the information processing device 2 in a memory area. This memory area may be, for example, the memory unit 22 of the information processing device 2 or the memory units of various devices and terminals, but this memory area does not necessarily have to be within the process shown in Figure 1, and the memory management unit 236 can also manage to store various information in an external memory device or the like.

[0051] (Display control unit 237) The display control unit 237 is configured to execute the display control process. In the display control process, the display control unit 237 creates various display information and controls it so that it can be seen by the user. The display information may be the visual information itself that is generated in a manner that can be seen by the user, such as a screen, image, icon, or text, or it may be rendering information for displaying visual information such as a screen, image, icon, or text on various devices or terminals.

[0052] 3. Details of the belt conveyor monitoring method Section 3 will explain in detail the method for monitoring the conveyor belt, referring to activity diagrams and other relevant materials as needed.

[0053] As described above, the belt conveyor monitoring method of this embodiment acquires information regarding the fall of the conveyed object 4 being transported by the belt conveyor 1, and identifies and evaluates predetermined events based on this acquired information. In other words, the belt conveyor monitoring method of this embodiment is effective because it can identify the location where the conveyed object 4 has fallen using the position sensor 3.

[0054] In this embodiment, further analysis and calculations may be performed using the measurement data measured by the position sensor 3 as described above. These analyses and calculations are typically performed by the information processing device 2 (typically the calculation unit 233 of the information processing device 2). The following section will continue to describe the monitoring method in which the information processing device 2 performs analyses and calculations.

[0055] Figure 4 is an activity diagram illustrating the flow of information processing using a monitoring system, etc. In the belt conveyor monitoring method of this embodiment, first, the position sensor 3 detects a conveyed object 4 that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 1 while it is in operation (activity A101). Specifically, the position sensor 3, which is installed at a predetermined position, continuously emits laser light to capture the fallen conveyed object 4, and the position sensor 3 detects the reflected light reflected from the conveyed object 4. Activity A101 here may be called the detection process.

[0056] In detecting such fallen conveyed objects 4, the position sensors 3 may be installed in the following manner, for example. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the installation configuration of the position sensors 3. That is, in the detection process of this embodiment, the position sensors 3 may be arranged to detect the fallen conveyed objects 4 by irradiating light along the longitudinal direction of the belt conveyor 1. Specifically, Figure 5 shows an observation of the direction in which the lower belt 11b exists from the ground G side. The position sensors (3a, 3b, 3c) shown in Figure 5 are so-called 2D LiDARs. In the detection process, the fallen conveyed objects 4 can be detected by multiple position sensors (3a, 3b, 3c) as shown in Figure 5. Various arrangement configurations of the multiple position sensors 3 can be set, but typically, the multiple position sensors (3a, 3b, 3c) are arranged in a line along the width direction of the belt conveyor 1. In other words, 2D LiDAR and 3D LiDAR typically emit laser light at predetermined angular intervals around the sensor body, which can result in areas that are difficult to measure at distances far from the sensor body. In contrast, by arranging multiple position sensors in a row, detection with minimal omissions can be achieved using position sensor 3.

[0057] However, the methods for improving the measurement accuracy of the position sensor 3 are not limited to this. For example, the position sensor 3 may be installed so as to be rotatable around a predetermined axis, and measurement (detection) may be performed while rotating the position sensor 3 so as to eliminate the aforementioned unmeasurable area. Alternatively, the position sensor 3 may be attached to a movable object (such as a mobile device), and measurement (detection) may be performed while changing the position of the position sensor 3. Furthermore, when using multiple position sensors 3, the multiple position sensors 3 may be arranged along a direction different from the width direction of the belt conveyor 1 (for example, the longitudinal direction).

[0058] Next, the information processing device 2 acquires measurement data (detection data) from the position sensor 3 (Activity A102). Specifically, the acquisition unit 231 of the information processing device 2 receives the measurement data output from the position sensor 3 via the transmission path using the communication unit 21, and stores it in the storage unit 22 as appropriate. In this specification, the acquisition of measurement data by the position sensor 3, shown as Activity A101, and the acquisition of measurement data by the information processing device 2, shown as Activity A102, may be collectively referred to as the "acquisition process." The measurement data acquired here may also be so-called point cloud data.

[0059] Next, based on the detection data acquired in Activity A102, a predetermined analysis is performed (Activity A103). In Activity A103, typically, the identification unit 232 of the information processing device 2 performs a predetermined analysis to identify and evaluate the conveyed object 4 that fell from the belt conveyor 1. This process of identification and evaluation may also be called the "identification process".

[0060] The details of this process will be described below. Specifically, the identification unit 232 of the information processing device 2 identifies the location information and / or accumulation state of the fallen transported object 4 based on the detection content of the position sensor 3. The details of the identification content of this identification unit 232 will be explained below.

[0061] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the information identified by the identification unit 232. This Figure 6 shows that a portion of the conveyed material 4 on the conveying surface of the upper belt 11a has fallen from the conveying surface of the upper belt 11a and accumulated on the ground G as sediment (5a, 5b). In other words, Figure 6 shows a cross-section perpendicular to the flow direction D1 of the belt conveyor 1. In such an example, the position sensor 3 can detect the detection area 30a and determine whether or not sediment (5a, 5b) is present. Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 6, the detection step involves detecting the conveyed material (sediment 5a, 5b) that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 1 and accumulated, and the identification step involves identifying the position information and / or state of accumulation of the accumulated conveyed material (sediment 5a, 5b).

[0062] More specifically, the position sensor 3 can obtain data on the length of the distance from the position sensor 3 to the object being measured for each detection site 30a. That is, when the laser light emitted by the position sensor 3 is reflected by the sediment 5a, the measurement distance will be shorter than in areas without sediment 5a, thus allowing the presence of sediment 5a to be identified. Furthermore, the detection by the position sensor 3 also allows for the identification of positional information related to the sediment 5a (i.e., the distance from the position sensor 3). In other words, the information identified by the identification unit 232 may include the location of the sediment 5a within the process. In the example in Figure 6, sediment 5a is detected at multiple detection sites 30a. In this case, the amount of sediment in the transported material 4 can also be identified by the number of detection sites 30a relative to the sediment 5a. That is, in the example in Figure 6, a large number of detection sites relative to the sediment indicates that the sediment is present over a wide area, suggesting that a considerable amount of sediment has been deposited. The identification unit 232 calculates distance information for each of the detection points 30a in this manner and can identify the position information and / or state of the deposited transported material (deposits 5a, 5b).

[0063] Although Figure 6 shows a configuration in which the detection units 30a are arranged horizontally with respect to the ground G, the arrangement of the detection units is not limited to this. For example, the detection units of the position sensor 3 may be set up so that they are arranged horizontally with respect to the ground G as shown in Figure 6, as well as vertically with respect to the ground G (i.e., the detection units are arranged in two dimensions). This makes it possible to evaluate more accurately how high the sediment 5a and 5b have accumulated.

[0064] Furthermore, the measurement range for the distance data measured by the position sensor 3 may be set in advance. That is, for conveyed objects falling from the belt conveyor 1, the location where they usually accumulate is within the expected range. In other words, the position sensor 3 does not need to measure excessively long distances, and by setting (limiting) the measurement range as described above, efficient identification and evaluation can be performed with a limited amount of data.

[0065] As described above, the monitoring method of this embodiment detects the conveyed objects 4 that have fallen from the belt conveyor 1 and identifies the accumulation state, etc. However, when identifying the accumulation state, etc., it is not necessary to detect objects that have already been conveyed 4 (such as the accumulated objects 5a and 5b shown in Figure 6).

[0066] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the information identified by the identification unit 232. In Figure 7, the detection unit 30b is positioned to detect the conveyed objects 4 that are in the process of falling from the conveying surface (upper belt 11a) of the belt conveyor 1, rather than the accumulated conveyed objects (accumulated objects 5a, 5b). In other words, the example shown in Figure 7 involves a detection step that continuously detects the conveyed objects 4 in the process of falling, and a identification step that identifies the accumulation state of the conveyed objects 4 based on the frequency of appearance of the conveyed objects 4 in the process of falling. In this example of Figure 7, the position sensor 3 is installed at a height between the height of the upper belt 11a and the height of the lower belt 11b.

[0067] In other words, similar to the example shown in Figure 6, the position sensor 3 can detect the fallen transported object 4 and estimate the distance between the position sensor 3 and the fallen transported object 4. In addition, if the position sensor 3 continuously detects transported objects 4 in the process of falling, it can estimate the amount of transported object 4 that has fallen based on the frequency of appearance of the transported object 4. That is, since the amount of transported object 4 that has fallen here is correlated with the accumulation state, the identification unit 232 of the information processing device 2 can identify the accumulation state of the transported object 4 on the ground G without directly targeting the accumulated material (accumulated material 5a, 5b) with the position sensor 3. To explain in more detail, when the position sensor 3 performs continuous measurements, the measurement data may be associated with distance data and the time when the distance data was measured. In other words, from such associated data, it is possible to manage how much of the measured value at a predetermined distance (a predetermined distance range) has been detected as cumulative time. Then, depending on the amount of such cumulative time, it is possible to estimate the shape of the accumulated material at a predetermined distance (i.e., a predetermined location in the process).

[0068] Furthermore, the information identified in this manner (analysis results) may be displayed to the user operating the information processing device 2 (Activity A104). That is, various pieces of information identified in a specific process may be displayed on the display unit 24 or the like of the information processing device 2. Such processing can be realized by the functions of the display control unit 237.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the warning unit 235 may issue a warning depending on the state identified in a specific process. That is, in this embodiment, the warning unit 235 may be configured to issue a warning when the accumulation state identified in a specific process satisfies predetermined conditions. This configuration makes the monitoring status of the belt conveyor 1 easily understandable to workers and others. Specifically, such warnings may be issued based on the following processes.

[0070] In other words, prior to issuing a warning, the results of a specific process are compared with predetermined warning conditions (Activity A105). Specifically, if the accumulation state of the conveyed material in a specific process is evaluated as meeting predetermined conditions, it is determined that the warning conditions are met. If the warning conditions are met in this comparison, a warning is presented to the worker performing the conveying operation (an example of a user) (Activity A106). If the warning conditions are not met, the processing of Activity A106 is skipped. For example, when the height of the accumulated material when the conveyed material is piled up, or the distance between the accumulated material and the lower belt 11b is quantitatively (numerically) determined, the system may be controlled so that a warning is presented to the worker, etc., if the determined value exceeds a predetermined threshold. Examples of this warning include displaying a predetermined warning message on a display, generating a warning sound from a predetermined device, illuminating a warning light placed in a conspicuous location, and combinations thereof, but the system is not limited to these, and various forms of warnings are possible. In other words, the warning in this embodiment may not be limited to visual information, but may also be based on other sensory information such as auditory information and tactile information, or it may be a combination of two or more of these.

[0071] In addition, the operation of the belt conveyor 1 can be stopped if a specific result in a specific process satisfies predetermined conditions. That is, for example, if the aforementioned warning conditions are met, the operation of the belt conveyor 1 can be stopped based on the function of the belt conveyor control unit 234 of the information processing device 2.

[0072] The information processing related to these activities A101 to A106 is performed continuously for each frame rate of the position sensor 3 or each control rate of the control unit 23, thereby executing the monitoring method for the belt conveyor. The belt conveyor monitoring method of this embodiment can also be terminated by stopping the belt conveyor 1 or stopping the measurement of the position sensor 3 during any of the processes of the activities A101 to A106 described above.

[0073] 4. Others Section 4 will describe variations of the belt conveyor monitoring method mentioned above.

[0074] Although the embodiments relating to information processing described above were explained as a configuration of a monitoring system (information processing device 2), a program may be provided to cause at least one computer to execute each step of the belt conveyor monitoring method. Similarly, a program may be provided to cause at least one computer to execute each step of the belt conveyor control method described above.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 2 performed various analyses and calculations. However, the belt conveyor monitoring method of this embodiment may also be realized by manually monitoring the measurement data measured by the position sensor 3.

[0076] In the embodiment described above, the information processing device 2 performed various storage and control functions, but instead of the information processing device 2, multiple external devices may be used. That is, the behavior of the conveyor belt 1 may be distributed and stored in multiple external devices using blockchain technology or the like.

[0077] Finally, various embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 1: Belt conveyor 2: Information Processing Device 3, 3a, 3b, 3c: Position sensor 4: Transported items 5a, 5b: Sediment 11a: Upper belt 11b: Lower belt 12: Laura 13a: Head pulley 13b: Tail Pulley 20: Communications bus 21: Communications Department 22: Storage section 23: Control Unit 24: Display section 25: Input section 30a, 30b: Detection site 31: Communication path 231: Acquisition Department 232: Specific part 233: Arithmetic section 234: Belt conveyor control unit 235: Warning section 236: Memory management department 237: Display Control Unit D1 :Direction G: Ground

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a conveyor belt, It comprises a detection step and a identification step, In the detection step, the conveyed object that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor is detected by a position sensor. A monitoring method in which, in the specified step, the location information and / or accumulation state of the fallen transported object is identified based on the detection content of the position sensor.

2. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 1, A monitoring method in which the position sensor is a LiDAR sensor or an optical rangefinder.

3. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 2, In the detection step, the position sensor detects the fallen conveyed object by irradiating light along the longitudinal direction of the belt conveyor.

4. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 3, In the detection step, the fallen transported object is detected by multiple position sensors. Herein, the plurality of position sensors are arranged in a line along the width direction of the belt conveyor in a monitoring method.

5. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 1, In the detection step, the conveyed material that has fallen from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor and accumulated is detected. The aforementioned specific step involves a monitoring method for identifying the location information and / or state of the deposited transported material.

6. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 1, The detection step involves a monitoring method for detecting the conveyed object in the process of falling from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor.

7. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 6, In the detection step, the transported object that is in the process of falling is detected, The aforementioned specific step involves a monitoring method for determining the accumulation state of the conveyed objects based on the frequency of appearance of the conveyed objects during the falling process.

8. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 1, Further equipped with a warning process, The warning step is a monitoring method that issues a warning when the deposition state identified in the specific step satisfies predetermined conditions.

9. In the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to claim 1, The aforementioned conveyed material is a powder, and this is a monitoring method.

10. It is a program, A program that causes at least one computer to perform each step of the method for monitoring a belt conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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