Conveyor Object Stability Detection to Prevent Transport Jams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor jams caused by unstable objects lead to safety issues, product damage, and downtime, necessitating manual intervention with mechanical tools, which can result in high costs and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using a camera and control unit to determine the stability of objects on a conveyor system by comparing the moving direction of objects to the transport direction, allowing for the identification and removal of unstable objects before jams occur, utilizing optical flow analysis and image processing techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual methods are used to resolve conveyor jams, then employees can physically unjam the system, but safety issues and product damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of unstable objects using image processing and optical flow analysis before they cause conveyor jams. By identifying objects with abnormal movement patterns early in the transport process, the system enables preventive action rather than reactive manual intervention, eliminating the need for employees to physically unjam the conveyor and avoiding associated safety risks and product damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces manual mechanical intervention with an automated optical detection system. Instead of employees using physical tools like jam break poles to resolve conveyor jams, the system uses cameras and image processing algorithms to detect unstable objects and trigger automated responses, substituting mechanical human action with automated sensing and control.
2Reliability
If conveyor jams occur frequently, then system downtime increases, but resolving jams manually is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors objects on the conveyor using image processing and detects unstable movement patterns before they develop into jams that would cause downtime. By performing preliminary detection and enabling early intervention, the system prevents interruptions to conveyor operation, maintaining continuous productivity and eliminating time loss associated with manual jam resolution.
3Device complexity
If simple image processing is used to determine object stability, then hardware requirements are reduced, but accurate detection of unstable objects becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses optical flow as an intermediary computational concept to bridge simple image processing and accurate stability detection. By calculating optical flow fields from image sequences and analyzing the characteristics of object movement within these fields, the system achieves precise detection of unstable objects using standard image processing techniques rather than requiring complex hardware or advanced algorithms.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention is directed to computer implemented method for determining the stability of an object (12) being transported on a conveyor system (14), wherein the conveyor system (14) comprises a carrier (16) configured to transport the object (12) in a transport direction (18) of the conveyor system (14), comprising the steps of - receiving a series of images representing the object (12) on the carrier (16) being transported by the conveyor system (14), - determining a moving direction (32) of the object (12) in the received series of images, and - determining the stability of the object (12) by comparing the determined moving direction (32) of the object to the transport direction (18) of the conveyor system (14). Furthermore, the invention is directed to a control unit (20) configured to perform the above method and further to a system (10) comprising said control unit (20) and a camera (22).