Displacement-based detection of damage to a conveyor belt

Abstract

A method for automatically detecting the appearance of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt is implemented with the aid of a computing device connected to a device for measuring the amount of tensioning force on a tensioning device of a belt conveyor. The condition of the conveyor belt is determined by monitoring and processing measurements of the position of a movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor. The claimed method and system make it possible, by the processing of such measurements, to more precisely detect the presence of an anomalous source of resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt, indicating damage to the conveyor belt.

Description

CONVEYOR BELT DAMAGE DETERMINATION BY DISPLACEMENT AREA OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present technical solution relates to the field of computer technology, in particular, to a method and system for automated determination of the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt. LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] Conveyor transport for bulk cargo is used in many industries, including mining, processing, energy, chemicals, and in cargo handling. Bulk cargo, whether waste rock, ore, coal, coke, feedstock, concentrate, sinter, pellets, chemicals, or other materials, is transported directly on a conveyor belt from the loading point, typically near the tail drum, to the unloading point, typically near the head / drive drum. During conveyor operation, accidents may arise due to the entry of foreign objects, which can cause concentrated resistance to the conveyor belt and lead to belt damage. This can occur, in particular, due to the entry of heavy, large, and sharp-edged pieces of ore or foreign materials that contaminate ore, such as excavator teeth, scrap, rebar, or steel sheets.When loading a conveyor belt, jamming and damage to the conveyor belt, primarily due to a longitudinal tear, can occur. In this situation, an abnormal, concentrated source of resistance to conveyor belt movement, which is less consistent with normal, trouble-free conveyor operation, is introduced.

[0003] Accordingly, early detection of the presence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to conveyor belt movement can prevent damage to the conveyor belt, and consequently extend the service life of the conveyor belt.

[0004] Thus, the prior art includes systems for protecting conveyor belts from longitudinal ruptures, which operate on the principle of damaging elements vulcanized into the belt (inductive loops, inserts, antennas, etc.). An example One such solution is the CONTI RipProtect system produced by the company Inductive loops are vulcanized into the belt with a certain pitch at the discretion of the customer (usually 50-150 running meters), so that if any of the inductive loops is damaged due to a belt break, the conveyor stops, in this case the amount of damaged belt is limited by the pitch of the inductive loops installed in the conveyor belt, provided that the system is installed in a place immediately adjacent to the place where the cut occurred.

[0005] The disadvantages of this type of solution are that such systems cannot be used for any tapes, since a tape with inductive loops is required, and inductive loops often fail, giving false signals.

[0006] Laser systems are known, for example, CONTI SurfaceProtect laser scanning of the tape surface for damage, including longitudinal tears.

[0007] The main disadvantages of such systems are that they are very sensitive to environmental conditions, positioning and the condition of the belt surface (problems arise when the belt surface is wet or when there is adhesion of the transported material that fills damaged areas), which leads to very strict operating conditions for these systems and a large number of false alarms.

[0008] There are systems known that control the width of the tape or determining its integrity by transmitting vibration across the belt Belt width monitoring systems operate based on the principle that longitudinal cutting can cause the belt to expand or contract due to overlapping of cut sections, changing its width. Ultrasonic or radar sensors are installed to monitor the edge position of the belt to determine belt width. Systems based on transverse vibration transmission operate based on the principle that longitudinal cutting of the belt disrupts its integrity and prevents vibration from being transmitted across the belt.

[0009] The main disadvantage of belt width control systems is that if a cut does not result in the belt diverging or narrowing, the cut is not detected because the belt width does not change.

[0010] Systems based on the transmission of vibration across the belt are very sensitive to the type of belt frame and rubber compound and are not applicable to all types of belts. In addition, in the case of a longitudinal cut, the signal can effectively spread around the conveyor belt through the transported material, thereby not recording a longitudinal tear. [OOP] The common drawbacks of the above-mentioned systems is that they are not designed to detect anomalous sources of concentrated resistance to conveyor belt movement. Another drawback of such systems is that they are installed in close proximity to the suspected belt fault. If the fault occurs on the conveyor at a location remote from the system installation, the detection time for such fault increases significantly, leading to further damage, sometimes negating the usefulness of such a system.

[0012] To overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, we propose a new principle based on analyzing the position of the moving element of the belt conveyor's tensioning device. This principle ensures reliable and accurate detection of the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to conveyor belt movement by recording changes in the position of the moving element of the belt conveyor's tensioning device. Furthermore, this principle enables the detection of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to conveyor belt movement regardless of the conveyor belt length and the location of the belt damage, and, as a result, offers high versatility. ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The claimed solution is aimed at overcoming the technical problem of promptly identifying an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt by monitoring the position of the moving element of the belt conveyor tensioner.

[0014] The technical result is an increase in the accuracy and speed of determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt.

[0015] Another technical result is the ability to record damage to the conveyor belt at any point along the conveyor.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a method is proposed for the automated determination of the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt, performed with the help of a computing device associated with at least one device for measuring the position of a movable element of a tensioning device of a belt conveyor, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) obtaining measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor from at least one position measuring device; b) performing, with the help of the computing device, processing of the measurements obtained in step a), during which they are compared with at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor and / or with at least one reference pattern of values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor;c) determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt if, at step b), a deviation of the measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor from at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor and / or compliance with at least one reference pattern of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor indicating the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or a deviation from the reference patterns of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor corresponding to the trouble-free operation of the belt conveyor is detected; d) recording in the memory of the computing device the data on the detected abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or transmitting them to an external device.

[0017] In one particular example of implementation, the movable element of the tensioning device may be at least one of: a movable shoe, a slider, a trolley, conveyor drum, drum axle, turning device, tension trolley, tension frame, tension block, tension cable, tension member, tension load (counterweight), winch drum or a mark on the above elements.

[0018] In another particular example of implementation, at stage b), the obtained measurements undergo a preliminary averaging or smoothing procedure.

[0019] In another particular example of implementation, at step b), the reference value is set based on the specified or average position of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioning device, obtained in the time range preceding the moment of measurement.

[0020] In another particular example of implementation, at step b), the reference value in the form of the average value of the position of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioning device is set based on a moving average constructed on the basis of averaging functions over N measurements of the position of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioning device, where N > 1.

[0021] In another particular example of implementation, the window on which the moving average is calculated is shifted back relative to the moment of measurement of the current position of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioning device by a specified period of time or a specified number of measurements of the position of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioning device.

[0022] In another particular example of implementation, a deviation from a given reference value is the fact of exceeding or falling below the reference value, or a deviation from the reference value by more than a given amount, or by more than a given percentage of the reference value.

[0023] In another particular example of implementation, at step c) the presence of an abnormally concentrated source of resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt is determined if the deviation from the reference position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is recorded a specified and / or more number of times during a specified period of time or a specified and / or more number of times in a row.

[0024] In another particular example of implementation, at step b), the processing of the values ​​obtained from the device for measuring the position of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioning device occurs in a time or frequency representation.

[0025] In another particular example of implementation, at step b), the computing device is configured to recognize reference patterns of position values ​​of the movable element of the tensioning device when a problem occurs. an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or deviations from the reference patterns of the position values ​​of the movable element of the tensioning device during trouble-free operation of the conveyor when analyzing the time and / or frequency representation of the position values ​​of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor and / or analyzing the characteristic function (CF) of the position values ​​of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

[0026] In another particular example of implementation, the reference pattern of the position values ​​of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioner, indicating the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt, has the form of a “step”.

[0027] In another particular example of implementation, at step b) a Fourier transform or Fourier series expansion is used to obtain a frequency representation of the position values ​​of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioner.

[0028] In another particular example of implementation, at step b), for the frequency representation of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, the amplitude spectrum of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is analyzed to identify anomalous harmonics and / or sections of the spectrum corresponding to the reference pattern indicating the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt or a discrepancy with the reference pattern corresponding to the trouble-free operation of the belt conveyor.

[0029] In another specific example of implementation, the amplitude spectrum of the position values ​​of the movable element of the belt conveyor tensioner is analyzed using AI technology.

[0030] In another particular example of implementation, an external device is connected to a computing device via a wired or wireless data transmission channel.

[0031] In another particular example of implementation, the external device is at least one of: a monitor, an interactive screen, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, a smart wearable device, a removable storage medium, a belt conveyor control controller, or a belt conveyor control system.

[0032] In another particular example of implementation, the computing device is connected to the belt conveyor control system in one of the following ways: via relay outputs, via the Modbus protocol, or via Profibus or Profinet networks.

[0033] In another particular example of implementation, at step d), the computing device generates a signal for stopping the belt conveyor, transmitted to the belt conveyor control system, upon determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt.

[0034] In another particular example of implementation, the GUI is implemented on an external device and / or on a computing device.

[0035] In another particular example of implementation, the computing device is additionally configured with the ability to configure it and / or monitor the result of its operation using an external device.

[0036] In another particular example of implementation, a video stream is additionally generated with an image of the conveyor belt surface, obtained from a video camera.

[0037] In another particular example of implementation, the computing device additionally generates an alarm signal to notify the belt conveyor operator of the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt, transmitted to an external device and / or a sound and / or light alert device.

[0038] In another particular example, a position measuring device is selected from the group: a non-contact displacement sensor, a distance sensor (ultrasonic, optical, laser, radio wave or operating in another range of electromagnetic radiation), a contact displacement sensor based on an encoder with a measuring wheel.

[0039] In another preferred embodiment, a system for automated determination of the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt is claimed, comprising a computing device connected to at least one device for measuring the position of a movable element of a tensioning device of a belt conveyor, in which the computing device is configured to: receive measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of a belt conveyor from at least one position measuring device; processing the received measurements, during which they are compared with at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device belt conveyor devices and / or with at least one reference pattern of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor; determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt in the event that a deviation of the measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor from at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is detected and / or compliance with at least one reference pattern of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, indicating the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or deviation from the reference patterns of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, corresponding to the trouble-free operation of the belt conveyor;recording in memory data about the identified anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or transmitting it to an external device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040] Fig. 1 illustrates the general scheme for implementing the claimed solution.

[0041] Fig. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the implementation of the claimed method for monitoring the condition of a conveyor belt.

[0042] Fig. 3A - 3B illustrate examples of processing signals received from a device for measuring the position of a movable element of a belt conveyor tension device.

[0043] Fig. 4A - 4B illustrate an example of signal processing in terms of harmonic analysis.

[0044] Fig. 5 illustrates an example of expansion of a linear function into a Fourier series.

[0045] Fig. 6 illustrates the general appearance of the computing device. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0046] As shown in Fig. 1, the solution consists in creating an automated method for monitoring the condition of a conveyor belt (101) during the transportation of material (105), in particular ore, rocks and other types of material fed onto the belt (101) through a loading hopper (104). The movement of the conveyor belt (101) is carried out by rotating the head (drive) (102) and tail (103) drums, there may be several drive drums, they are driven by electric motors, which in turn are started using a control controller (not shown).

[0047] The main indicators of the state of the conveyor belt within the framework of the claimed solution are the parameter of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, which ensures the tension of the belt (101) necessary for transmitting the traction force to the said belt (101). The indicators of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor are read using one or more position measuring devices (106), which is placed on or near the movable elements (111) of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, such as a movable shoe, a slider, trolleys, a conveyor drum, a drum axis, a turning device, a tension trolley, a tension frame, a tension block, a tension cable, a tension element, a tension load (counterweight), a winch drum, a mark on the above-mentioned elements, etc.

[0048] The position measuring device (106) can be, for example, a distance sensor operating on the principle of raster spatial filtering of the object image, for example, the ISD-3 sensor, a laser length sensor operating on the principle of laser interference, for example, the ISD-5 sensor, devices for measuring the length of movement, such as encoders with a wheel, for example, Wachendorff, etc. It is worth noting that any devices for measuring position or distance can be used as the position measuring device (106), such as contact or contactless ones, for example, ultrasonic, optical, laser, radio wave and other sensors based on electromagnetic radiation or contact sensors with measuring wheels, etc.Accordingly, the position measuring devices (106) are intended for measuring the distance to or the length of movement of objects moving relative to the position measuring device (106), such as movable elements (111) of the tensioning device or objects fixed relative to the ground, if the position measuring device (106) itself is fixed on the movable elements (111) of the tensioning device, and converting the obtained results into an electrical signal.

[0049] The measured position data of the movable element of the tensioning device (111), recorded by the device (106), is transmitted via a data transmission channel to the computing device (107) for subsequent processing. The computing device (107) may be, for example, a computer, a computing unit, a single-board computer, a system on a chip (SoC), etc.

[0050] A wired and / or wireless communication may be used as a data transmission channel, for example, a connection via a physical connection (USB, Lan, RS-232, etc.), or via a wireless communication type (Bluetooth, BLE, WLAN, etc.). The computing device (107) may be implemented in a single housing with the position measuring device (106). Furthermore, in one particular embodiment, the position measurement of the movable element of the tensioning device (111) may be performed by several independent position measuring devices (106).

[0051] The computing device (107) is connected to an external device (108), typically a computer, server, or control panel, which stores data on the state of the conveyor belt and subsequently transmits information on the state of the belt to end users (109), such as a conveyor operator or maintenance personnel. In one embodiment, the external device (108) may be a belt conveyor controller or a remote belt conveyor control system.

[0052] An external device (108) is connected to the computing device (107) via a wired or wireless data transmission channel similar to those previously indicated. The external device (108) may be, for example, a monitor, interactive screen, computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, smart wearable device, removable storage medium, belt conveyor control controller, or a remote belt conveyor control system.

[0053] In the case of the option of connecting the computing device (107) to the belt conveyor control system, in the event of recognition of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101), for example, in the event of a belt (101) break due to a jamming of a piece of ore or material clogging the ore (an excavator tooth, a steel lining of a dump truck body, reinforcement, a pipe, scrap, etc.) or clogging (blocking) of the loading chute of the conveyor or as a result of contact of the belt (101) with stationary elements of the conveyor, etc., the computing device (107) generates an alarm signal to notify the operator (109) of the belt conveyor about the presence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101), transmitted to an external device (108) and / or a sound and / or light notification device (alarm system).Also, this signal can forcibly stop the conveyor to prevent damage to the conveyor belt (101) and / or. prompt repair of the damaged section of the tape (101) and prevention of the spread of further damage to the tape (101).

[0054] The external device (108) and the computing device (107) may contain a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying the results of measuring the belt tension force, indicating the detection of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101), or displaying various types of information and for configuring the system.

[0055] The computing device (107) is additionally configured with the possibility of configuring it and / or tracking the result of the analysis of the state of the conveyor belt (101) using an external device (108).

[0056] Additionally, one or more cameras can be installed on the conveyor, forming a video stream with an image of the surface of the conveyor belt (101), received from the video camera.

[0057] Fig. 2 shows a description of the implementation of a method (200) for the automated determination of the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt (101) within the framework of the implementation of the claimed solution.

[0058] At step (201), the computing device (107) receives data on the measurement of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device (offset data) from the position measuring device (106).

[0059] The tensioning device may be a tension carriage, tension drum, hydraulic and / or pneumatic tensioning system, trolley-truck tensioning device, winch or screw tensioning device, etc. The tensioning device is designed to tension the belt (101) to ensure its slip-free operation. Depending on the conveyor length, its throughput, belt speed, load type, height difference between the conveyor loading and unloading points, the location and design of the drive stations, the availability of free space, and other conveyor characteristics, the most suitable tensioning devices may be installed. However, it is worth noting that the operating principle of these devices is the same and is based on the tension of one of the conveyor drums. The tensioning device may consist of multiple elements, both movable and fixed.Accordingly, to implement the claimed technical solution, the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioner is measured. As noted above, the movable element (111) of the tensioner may be a sliding shoe. runner, trolley, conveyor drum, drum axle, turning device, tension trolley, tension frame, tension block, tension cable, tension element, tension load (counterweight), winch drum, mark on the above elements, etc.

[0060] A distinctive feature of the claimed method (200) is the ability to detect conveyor belt damage, such as a longitudinal cut (tear) caused by the jamming (jamming) of ore-contaminating objects or large ore pieces, and, as a result, the occurrence of an abnormal source of resistance to conveyor belt movement (101), the presence of which determines belt damage. It is worth noting that, in the claimed technical solution, the term "conveyor belt damage" should be understood as conveyor belt deformation, which leads to a disruption of its structure and / or functionality. Thus, conveyor belt damage may include: abrasion, fraying, cut, tear, sidewall destruction, etc.In addition, by measuring the position of the movable element (111) on the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, the accuracy and permanence of determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt is increased in comparison with sensors built into the belt, due to the leveling of errors associated with the transportation of large-piece materials that create local stresses in the conveyor belt, creating noise and measurement errors.In addition, the said solution provides the ability to continuously monitor the condition of the conveyor belt (101) by recording the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and, accordingly, its damage, regardless of the location of its occurrence on the conveyor, without the need to modify and / or retrofit the conveyor belt with certain equipment (the use of built-in measuring sensors in the belt web, the installation of external scanners for sensors, image capture sensors, etc., which allow damage to be recorded only at the location of their installation and at the time of passage of the built-in sensors).

[0061] The device (106) can be mounted directly on the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, for example, a movable shoe, a slider, a trolley, a tension trolley, a tension frame, a tension block, a tension cable, a tension element, a tension load (counterweight). In another particular embodiment, the device (106) can be mounted near the movable element (111) of the tensioning device to measure its position. In addition, the movable element can be a mark mounted on the movable elements (111) of the tensioning device, the position which is measured by the device (106). The measurements obtained by the device (106) record the values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device.

[0062] To obtain more accurate and efficient measurements of the position of the movable element (111) of the belt conveyor's tensioning device, it is necessary for the tension on the tensioning device to be a controlled variable, i.e., fixed, while the position of the tensioning device itself, conversely, is uncontrolled. This means that by varying the position of the movable elements (111) of the tensioning device, a constant level of tension on the belt (101) is ensured.

[0063] Next, at step (202), the obtained data are processed using the software logic of the computing device (107), during which the obtained values ​​of the position indicators of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device are compared with one or more established reference values ​​of the position parameters of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor (100), on the basis of which the presence of an anomaly in the operation of the conveyor (100) is determined, which indicates the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101).

[0064] Also, the data received from the device (106) can be analyzed within the framework of the compliance of the operating pattern of a particular movable element (111) of the tensioning device with a reference pattern, which will indicate the occurrence of an abnormal source causing increased resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101). For example, an abrupt change in the position of the movable element, for example, in the form of a "step" (an abrupt shift in the position of the movable element on the tensioning device) may indicate the occurrence of a source causing resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt. Moreover, depending on the location of the device (106), the "step" can be "up" or "down". Also, the reference pattern of the position values ​​of the movable element (111) of the conveyor tensioning device can represent an operating pattern corresponding to the trouble-free operation of the conveyor (100), which indicates the normal state of the conveyor belt (101).This allows for the detection of deviations (discrepancies) with this type of pattern, which also indicates the emergence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to conveyor belt movement (101). Furthermore, in another particular embodiment, an operating pattern corresponding to trouble-free conveyor operation can be formed taking into account the type and / or size and / or other parameters of the material being transported. conveyor. For example, an operation pattern corresponding to trouble-free operation of a conveyor might include an operation pattern corresponding to trouble-free operation of a conveyor transporting large-piece materials. This pattern can also be created taking into account the length and / or throughput of the conveyor.

[0065] The reference value is set based on at least one of: a specified (nominal) position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, an average value of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, extreme values ​​of the position of the movable element, or one or more previous values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, obtained in the time range preceding the moment of measurement. The data and patterns obtained in the time period are, as a rule, collected during normal operation of the conveyor (100) in the absence of belt damage. Also, the data and patterns can be collected upon the occurrence of abnormal sources of resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101) and recording readings during emergency operation of the conveyor. This makes it possible to establish the type of data and patterns indicating the occurrence of abnormal sources of concentrated resistance causing resistance to the movement of the belt (101) when it is damaged.

[0066] At step (203), based on the results of comparing the position indicators of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor (100) with the reference value and / or the reference pattern, the computing device (107) makes a decision on the presence or absence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101). If an anomalous source of resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101) is detected, then at step (204) the detected anomalous source is recorded in the memory of the computing device (107). Furthermore, in yet another particular embodiment, this information can also be transmitted at step (205) to the external device (108) for its storage and / or subsequent use.

[0067] Fig. 3A-3B shows an example of an analysis of the values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device in terms of their comparison with the reference value (30) and / or, for example, the reference pattern (304) of the displacement of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, indicating the presence of an abnormal source of resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101) or, conversely, is compared with reference patterns corresponding to trouble-free operation (301) of the conveyor (100). It is worth noting that when comparing with reference patterns corresponding to trouble-free operation, a comparison can occur with a plurality of such patterns, For example, with 10 failure-free operation patterns, since there may be more than one failure-free operation pattern. This feature further increases the accuracy of detecting the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to conveyor belt movement. For example, the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device may differ from nine reference patterns corresponding to failure-free conveyor operation, but it may correspond to or be within the permissible deviations compared to one, say, 10th failure-free conveyor pattern. This would indicate the absence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to conveyor belt movement, i.e., failure-free conveyor operation.Thus, by applying the principle of comparison with multiple patterns of trouble-free conveyor operation, it is possible to correctly determine the conveyor's trouble-free operation (100), as opposed to comparing it with only one reference pattern corresponding to trouble-free conveyor operation. Accordingly, the occurrence of an abnormal source of conveyor belt resistance is determined by deviations from all reference patterns corresponding to trouble-free conveyor operation.

[0068] A characteristic pattern of position change (e.g., of the "step" type (308)) may also be considered as a reference pattern when an abnormal source of resistance to conveyor belt movement occurs, for example, when a longitudinal tear in the conveyor belt occurs, creating a fall (302). In this case, the "step" pattern may be "up" or "down", depending on the location of the device (106) relative to the movable element (111) of the belt conveyor tensioner. Said pattern arises as a result of the displacement of the movable element (111) of the tensioner in order to take up the slack that has arisen in the conveyor belt (101) as a result of its stretching due to a concentrated source of resistance to belt movement that appeared at the moment of the tear formation.The received signal (300) from the device (106), characterizing the values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, is analyzed for its deviation (shift) from the established reference value (30), when a deviation (shift) below / above the reference value occurs, in particular, as an example in Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B a drop (302) below the reference value (30) is shown, the fact of occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101) is recorded. It is worth noting that the value of the change in the position of the movable element (111) of the conveyor belt tensioning device when an abnormal source of concentrated resistance occurs. the movement of the conveyor belt can be either positive (“step up”) or negative (“step down”) relative to the previous position of the movable element of the tensioning device during trouble-free operation of the conveyor and depends on the location of the device (106).

[0069] The fact of recording the deviation in the position (302) of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device indicates the occurrence of damage to the belt (101). The excess / fall in the value of the position of the movable element relative to the reference value of the displacement is caused by the fact that when an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the belt (101) occurs, for example in the case of a jamming of a piece of ore or material clogging the ore, such as an excavator tooth, a steel lining of a dump truck body, reinforcement, a pipe, scrap, etc., or jamming (clogging) of the loading chute of the conveyor or as a result of contact of the belt with fixed elements of the conveyor, such an abnormal source impedes the movement of the belt (101), which causes its additional stretching and, accordingly, a displacement of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device.Thus, for example, ore-contaminating material or a large, sharp-pointed piece of ore can pierce and jam the belt during transportation and, accordingly, will slow down the movement of the belt at the place where the cut occurs, thereby creating additional stretching of the belt on the conveyor and, accordingly, the occurrence of additional displacement of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device in the form of a “step”, which is detected by the device (106).

[0070] The pattern of the resulting change in position (303) of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device is compared with the reference pattern (304) of displacement, which indicates that there is an abnormal source in the belt that causes resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101).

[0071] In the event of a cut in the belt (101), its movement occurs in characteristic jerks, which is associated with the uneven destruction of the belt web upon contact with a cutting object (foreign ore-contaminating material, a large piece of ore, a stationary element of the conveyor, etc.). The pattern of such movement will correspond to the reference pattern of displacement (304) of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, for example, characterized by the periodicity of the occurrence of a short-term change in the position of the movable element, or, conversely, may differ from the reference patterns of displacement or the displacement parameters of the movable element of the tensioning device, corresponding to trouble-free operation (301) of the conveyor (100), which indicates the appearance of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance belt movement (101). Also, the displacement pattern (for example, a "step" type) when a rupture occurs differs from the reference patterns corresponding to trouble-free operation (301) of the conveyor (100) and also indicates the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the belt (101).

[0072] The reference value (30) may be static or dynamic, since it may be selected based on either a given parameter of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, for example, the reference value that functions as the threshold level (30) in Fig. 3A, or based on the average value of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device over a certain period of time prior to the moment of comparison, for example, the moving average (30) in Fig. 3B. The value of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device may depend on the length of the conveyor, the mass and load flow of the transported material, as well as the operating mode of the conveyor.

[0073] The deviation of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device relative to the reference value (30) represents either the fact of exceeding / falling below the reference value, or the deviation of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device from the reference value by more than a specified amount (for example, by 0.5 m, 1 m, 2 m or more), or by more than a specified percentage of the reference value (for example, 5-10%). The reference value in the form of an average value of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device can be set based on a moving average (30), as shown in Fig. 3B, constructed on the basis of averaging functions over N measurements of the position of the movable element on the tensioning device, where N > 1.In this case, the window on which the moving average is calculated can be shifted back relative to the moment of measuring the current value of the position of the movable element on the tensioning device by a specified period of time or a specified number of measurements of the position of the movable element on the tensioning device.

[0074] Additionally, the presence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the belt (101) can be recorded if the deviation of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device from the reference value (30) is recorded a specified and / or more number of times during a specified period of time (for example, 100 milliseconds, 1 second, etc.) or a specified and / or more number of times in a row.

[0075] The data received from the measurement device (106) can be processed to present them in time or frequency representation. Computational The device (107) allows, by means of a built-in algorithm, to recognize characteristic patterns of change in the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device in the presence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101) during the analysis of the data received from the device (106), presented in a time and / or frequency representation. The frequency representation of the values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) on the tensioning device can be obtained by performing a Fourier transform or a Fourier series expansion of the time representation of the values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, received from the position measuring device (106). The Fourier transform or the Fourier series expansion of the time representation of the values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) on the tensioning device is performed on a time interval or a window that moves forward in time (windows 305, 306, 307) of Fig. 4A.

[0076] For the frequency representation of the values ​​of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, an analysis of the amplitude spectrum of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device can be performed to identify anomalous harmonics and / or sections of the spectrum corresponding to a reference pattern indicating the presence of an anomalous source, or a comparison with reference patterns displaying the normal, trouble-free operation of the conveyor (100), in the absence of anomalous sources of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt.

[0077] The computing device (107) is configured to recognize characteristic patterns of occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to movement of the conveyor belt (101) when analyzing the time and / or frequency representation of the position values ​​of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device and / or analyzing the characteristic function (CF) of the position values ​​of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including analytical methods, artificial neural networks, etc.

[0078] To obtain a frequency representation of the position values ​​of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, the amplitude spectrum of the positions of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device is analyzed to identify anomalous harmonics and / or spectrum sections corresponding to a reference pattern indicating the presence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101). Anomalous harmonics of the position of the movable element (I ll) of the tensioning device during the movement of the conveyor belt (101) in the frequency representation can be determined based on the peak and / or average values ​​of the spectrum and / or the shape of the spectrum of the position of the moving elements (111) of the tensioning device in the trouble-free operation mode of the conveyor.

[0079] A conditional simplified example of identifying anomalous harmonics and sections in the amplitude spectrum of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of a belt conveyor during a rupture is shown in Fig. 4A - Fig. 4B, where the displacement ("step") and subsequent oscillation of the position are simplified and depicted by a piecewise broken line (the horizontal line (311) is the trouble-free operation of the conveyor (100), the descending line (312) is the displacement of the movable element at the moment of occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to movement, and the sawtooth line (313) is the continuing effect on the position of the movable element caused by the anomalous source of concentrated resistance to movement of the conveyor belt).The horizontal line (311) displays a conditionally constant position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device before the belt damage (the displacement is practically absent or is within the permissible ranges), its expansion on the time window (305) in a Fourier series does not give any harmonics (the amplitude spectrum is zero - this is an extremely exaggerated case, only as an example). Whereas, if we make a Fourier series expansion on the time window (306), where the change in the position of the movable element (312) occurs, caused by the appearance of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the belt (101), a whole set of harmonics will appear. As an example, it is possible to expand the linear function y(x) = -x in a Fourier series in sines, for example, on the section [-3;3] with the expansion order of 25 (the first 25 harmonics), Fig. 5. Analytically, the expansion can be written according to formula (1): where you can see a set of harmonic components. And the amplitude spectrum of frequencies is determined by the following set of amplitudes Ьп , decreasing inversely proportional to the ordinal number of the harmonic n according to formula (2): The first 7 (seven) terms of the expansion look like this:

[0080] Similarly, as shown in Fig. 4A, the conventional sawtooth displacement (313) of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device, which occurs as a result of jerks during the breaking of the belt web due to the jamming of cutting elements in the conveyor belt, for example, foreign ore-contaminating material or a piece of ore, which are an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the belt, in the frequency representation when decomposed in the time window (307) has its own harmonics and spectrum sections that differ in frequency and / or amplitude from the harmonics and spectrum of trouble-free operation of the conveyor belt (in the example in Fig. 4B, in the trouble-free operation mode, the amplitude spectrum is zero), such harmonics and spectrum sections are also considered anomalous and their detection indicates the presence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt.Thus, if, for example, a spectral analysis of the position of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device is periodically carried out in a given time window, constantly shifting it forward in time (windows 305, 306, 307), then it is possible to detect anomalous harmonics and / or sections of the spectrum indicating the presence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the belt (101), for example, a stuck piece of ore or foreign material causing a cut in the belt.

[0081] The processing of the data received from the position measuring device (106) by the computing device (107) can be performed using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including analytical methods or artificial neural networks.

[0082] Additionally, the computing device (107) can be connected to the belt conveyor control system in one of the following ways: via relay outputs, via the Modbus protocol, or via Profibus or Profinet networks. With this connection principle, the computing device (107) generates a signal to stop the belt conveyor, transmitted to the belt conveyor control system, upon detecting the presence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt (101) based on the processing of data from devices for measuring the position (106) of the movable element (111) of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor (100).

[0083] Fig. 6 shows a general example of a computing device (400), for example, a computing unit (computing module), a computer, a server, a laptop, a smartphone, a SoC (System-on-a-Chip), etc., which can be used for the full or partial implementation of the claimed solution, in particular, for the implementation of devices (107, 108). In the general case, the device (400) contains such components as: one or more processors (401), at least one random access memory (402), a persistent data storage means (403), input / output interfaces (404) including relay outputs for connection to belt conveyor motion control controllers, an I / O means (405), and network interaction means (406).

[0084] The processor (401) of the device performs the basic computing operations necessary for the operation of the device (400) or the functionality of one or more of its components. The processor (401) executes the necessary machine-readable instructions contained in the RAM (402).

[0085] Memory (402) is typically implemented as RAM and contains the necessary software logic to provide the required functionality. Data storage (403) can be implemented as HDD, SSD, RAID array, network storage, flash memory, optical storage (CD, DVD, MD, Blue-Ray discs), etc. Data storage (403) enables long-term storage of various types of information, such as request processing history (logs), user identifiers, camera data, images, etc.

[0086] Interfaces (404) are standard means for connecting and working with computing devices. Interfaces (404) may represent, for example, relay connections, USB, RS232 / 422 / 485 or others, RJ45, LPT, UART, COM, HDMI, PS / 2, Lightning, FireWire, etc. for work, including, via Modbus protocols and Probfibus networks. The choice of interfaces (404) depends on the specific design of the device (400), which can be a computing unit (computing module), for example, based on a CPU (one or more processors), a microcontroller, etc., a personal computer, a mainframe, a server cluster, a thin client, a smartphone, a laptop, etc., as well as connected third-party devices.

[0087] The following can be used as I / O data means (405): keyboard, joystick, display (touch display), projector, touchpad, mouse, trackball, light pen, speakers, microphone, etc.

[0088] The network interaction means (406) are selected from a device that provides network reception and transmission of data, for example, an Ethernet card, a WLAN / Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, a BLE module, an NFC module, an IrDa module, an RFID module, a GSM modem, etc. With the help of the means (406), the organization of data exchange via a wired or wireless data transmission channel, for example, a WAN, is ensured. PAN, LAN, Intranet, Internet, WLAN, WMAN or GSM, quantum data transmission channel, satellite communication, etc. The components of the device (400) are usually connected via a common data transmission bus.

[0089] These application materials present a preferred disclosure of the implementation of the claimed technical solution, which should not be used as limiting other, particular embodiments of its implementation that do not go beyond the scope of the requested scope of legal protection and are obvious to specialists in the relevant field of technology.

Claims

FORMULA 1. A method for the automated determination of the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt, performed using a computing device associated with at least one device for measuring the position of a movable element of a tensioning device of a belt conveyor, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) receiving measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor from at least one position measuring device; b) processing the measurements obtained in step a), using the computing device, during which they are compared with at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor and / or with at least one reference pattern of values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor;c) determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt if, at step b), a deviation of the measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor from at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor and / or compliance with at least one reference pattern of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor indicating the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or a deviation from the reference patterns of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor corresponding to the trouble-free operation of the belt conveyor is detected; d) recording in the memory of the computing device the data on the detected abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or transmitting them to an external device.

2. The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the movable element of the tensioning device can be at least one of: a movable shoe, a slider, a trolley, a conveyor drum, a drum axis, a rotating device, a tensioning trolley, a tensioning frame, tension block, tension cable, tension element, tension load (counterweight), winch drum or a mark on the above elements.

3. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that at step b) the obtained measurements undergo a preliminary averaging or smoothing procedure.

4. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that in step b) the reference value is set based on the specified or average position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, obtained in the time range preceding the moment of measurement.

5. The method according to paragraph 4, characterized in that at step b) the reference value in the form of the average value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is set based on a moving average constructed on the basis of averaging functions over N measurements of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, where N > 1.

6. The method according to paragraph 5, characterized in that the window on which the moving average is calculated is shifted back relative to the moment of measurement of the current position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor by a given period of time or a given number of measurements of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor.

7. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the deviation from the specified reference value is the fact of exceeding or falling below the reference value or a deviation from the reference value by more than a specified amount, or by more than a specified percentage of the reference value.

8. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that at step c) the presence of an abnormally concentrated source of resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt is determined if the deviation from the reference position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is recorded a specified and / or more number of times during a specified period of time or a specified and / or more number of times in a row.

9. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that at step b) the processing of the values ​​obtained from the device for measuring the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor occurs in a time or frequency representation.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that at step b) the computing device is configured to recognize reference patterns of the position values ​​of the movable element of the tensioning device when an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt occurs and / or deviations from the reference patterns of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device during trouble-free operation of the conveyor when analyzing the time and / or frequency representation of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor and / or analyzing the characteristic function (CF) of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the reference pattern of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, indicating the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt, has the form of a “step”.

12. The method according to paragraph 9, characterized in that at step b) a Fourier transform or Fourier series expansion is used to obtain a frequency representation of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor.

13. The method according to paragraph 9 is characterized in that at step b) for the frequency representation of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, the amplitude spectrum of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is analyzed for the purpose of identifying anomalous harmonics and / or sections of the spectrum corresponding to a reference pattern indicating the occurrence of an anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt or a discrepancy with the reference pattern corresponding to the trouble-free operation of the belt conveyor.

14. The method according to paragraph 13, characterized in that the amplitude spectrum of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is analyzed using AI technology.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the external device is connected to the computing device via a wired or wireless data transmission channel.

16. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the external device is at least one of: a monitor, an interactive screen, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, a smart wearable device, a removable data carrier, a belt conveyor control controller, or a belt conveyor control system.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the computing device is connected to the belt conveyor control system in one of the following ways: via relay outputs, via the Modbus protocol or Profibus or Profinet networks.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that at step d), the computing device generates a signal for stopping the belt conveyor, transmitted to the belt conveyor control system, upon determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt.

19. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the GUI is implemented on an external device and / or on a computing device.

20. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the computing device is additionally configured with the possibility of configuring it and / or monitoring the results of its operation using an external device.

21. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that a video stream is additionally formed with an image of the surface of the conveyor belt, obtained from a video camera.

22. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the computing device additionally generates an alarm signal to notify the belt conveyor operator about the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt, transmitted to an external device and / or a sound and / or light alert device.

23. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the position measuring device is selected from the group: a contactless displacement sensor, a distance sensor (ultrasonic, optical, laser, radio wave or operating in another range of electromagnetic radiation), a contact displacement sensor based on an encoder with a measuring wheel.

24. A system for automated determination of the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of a conveyor belt, comprising a computing device connected to at least one device for measuring the position of a movable element of a tensioning device of a belt conveyor, in which the computing device is configured to: receive measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of a belt conveyor from at least one position measuring device; processing the received measurements, during which they are compared with at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device belt conveyor devices and / or with at least one reference pattern of the value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor; determining the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt in the event that a deviation of the measurement data of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor from at least one reference value of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor is detected and / or compliance with at least one reference pattern of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, indicating the occurrence of an abnormal source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or deviation from the reference patterns of the values ​​of the position of the movable element of the tensioning device of the belt conveyor, corresponding to the trouble-free operation of the belt conveyor;recording in memory data about the identified anomalous source of concentrated resistance to the movement of the conveyor belt and / or transmitting it to an external device.

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