Conti unveils sensor-based conveyor inspection system

HANOVER, Germany—Using a drone and strategically placed microphones on the ground, Continental A.G. has developed a conveyor belt maintenance system that can identify weak points along the track before a problem occurs.

The sensor-based system can reduce down time resulting from unscheduled maintenance, Conti said, and is mainly focused on a conveyor belt's idlers, since they are the most numerous and damage-prone component. The system also can permit the data-assisted planning of maintenance intervals and replaces the conventional, manual inspection process with a more precise one.

The monitoring system was developed by Co-space, a Conti startup.

"Conventional and often manual inspection methods can be very time-consuming, imprecise or even dangerous for service technicians because of the belt length or local circumstances such as underground routing and enclosed sections," said Clemens Panzer, a Conti leader with the system's development team.

Documentation also often is performed manually, Panzer said, with reports having to be entered by hand. To their detriment, maintenance intervals also often follow a fixed rotational schedule, with maintenance required on short notice to avoid failures with the idlers, considered essential for smooth conveyance operations.

To wit, a conveyor belt measuring about 131,000 feet in length runs over about 120,000 idlers.

Conti's hybrid solution of both air and ground instruments uses a drone equipped with infrared and RGB cameras that monitors both sides of the conveyor belt.

After the drone flies over a given section, it returns to a charging station and uploads the data to a cloud space as it recharges. The data then is processed using an algorithm that helps detect defects.

Maintenance that is required in covered sections or underground conveyors is predicted with microphones installed every 65 to 80 feet. They capture frequency variations in the idlers—essentially any acoustic warnings. The audio data on the ground is uploaded twice per day.

All air and ground data is logged in perpetuity and immediately is available for review. Having access to such a cache of data helps plan service periods, Conti said, further reducing the bottom line for companies.

"Changes in the conveyor condition over an extended period can be analyzed significantly better using the stored historical data, and the anticipated service life of the components can also be better estimated," Panzer said.

Conti said the system so far has seen successful field trials. It is scheduled to be operational some time in 2021.

"We expect a viable software solution for future service operations to be available in the course of next year," Panzer said.