WO2024003621A1 - An idler monitoring device - Google Patents

An idler monitoring device Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024003621A1
WO2024003621A1 PCT/IB2023/052288 IB2023052288W WO2024003621A1 WO 2024003621 A1 WO2024003621 A1 WO 2024003621A1 IB 2023052288 W IB2023052288 W IB 2023052288W WO 2024003621 A1 WO2024003621 A1 WO 2024003621A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
idler
monitoring device
temperature sensor
sensor
processor
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2023/052288
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Hans Alfred GRANIG
Martin Granig
Thomas Sebastian GRANIG
Original Assignee
Lorbrand (Pty) Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Lorbrand (Pty) Ltd filed Critical Lorbrand (Pty) Ltd
Publication of WO2024003621A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024003621A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G43/00—Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
    • B65G43/02—Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting detecting dangerous physical condition of load carriers, e.g. for interrupting the drive in the event of overheating
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C19/00—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement
    • F16C19/52—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with devices affected by abnormal or undesired conditions
    • F16C19/525—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with devices affected by abnormal or undesired conditions related to temperature and heat, e.g. insulation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C33/00—Parts of bearings; Special methods for making bearings or parts thereof
    • F16C33/30—Parts of ball or roller bearings
    • F16C33/58—Raceways; Race rings
    • F16C33/583—Details of specific parts of races
    • F16C33/586—Details of specific parts of races outside the space between the races, e.g. end faces or bore of inner ring
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G15/00—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G39/00—Rollers, e.g. drive rollers, or arrangements thereof incorporated in roller-ways or other types of mechanical conveyors 
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G39/00—Rollers, e.g. drive rollers, or arrangements thereof incorporated in roller-ways or other types of mechanical conveyors 
    • B65G39/02—Adaptations of individual rollers and supports therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G43/00—Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
    • B65G43/10—Sequence control of conveyors operating in combination
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C13/00—Rolls, drums, discs, or the like; Bearings or mountings therefor
    • F16C13/006—Guiding rollers, wheels or the like, formed by or on the outer element of a single bearing or bearing unit, e.g. two adjacent bearings, whose ratio of length to diameter is generally less than one
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C19/00—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement
    • F16C19/02—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing balls essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows
    • F16C19/04—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing balls essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows for radial load mainly
    • F16C19/06—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing balls essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows for radial load mainly with a single row or balls
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C2326/00—Articles relating to transporting
    • F16C2326/58—Conveyor systems, e.g. rollers or bearings therefor
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C33/00—Parts of bearings; Special methods for making bearings or parts thereof
    • F16C33/72—Sealings
    • F16C33/76—Sealings of ball or roller bearings
    • F16C33/78—Sealings of ball or roller bearings with a diaphragm, disc, or ring, with or without resilient members

Definitions

  • Belt conveyor idlers are the rollers which are used at certain spacing to support the active as well as return side of the conveyor belt.
  • an idler monitoring device comprising: a body to be placed in use inside a seal of the idler; a temperature sensor connected to the body; a vibration sensor connected to the body; a rotational speed sensor connected to the body; a communications module connected to the body; a power supply including a stationary coil attached to the body and a plurality of magnets connected to a rotating part of the idler so that when the idler rotates the plurality of magnets also rotate and induce a current in the stationary coil thereby to supply power to the device; a memory connected to the body; a processor connected to the body and electronically connected to the temperature sensor, vibration sensor, rotational speed sensor, power supply, memory and communications module, the processor programmed to control the device to: periodically obtain measurements from the temperature sensor, vibration sensor and rotational speed sensor; and transmit the measurements from the device via the communications module.
  • the body is preferably planar and circular in shape.
  • the device may further include an arm extending away from the planar body and wherein the temperature sensor is connected to the arm so that in use the temperature sensor will pass through a slot in the seal to be able to more accurately measure temperature of a bearing of the idler.
  • At least a part of the body may be an integrated circuit including the processor temperature sensor, vibration sensor, rotational speed sensor and communications module.
  • the stationary coil is a coiled bobbin and is electrically connected to the processor via a conductor located on the body.
  • the rotational speed sensor may include an analogue to digital converter (ADC) and a high pass filter connected to the stationary coil of the power supply, wherein the pulses produced on the stationary coil pass through the high pass filter and into the ADC and are then analysed by the processor to calculate the instantaneous revolutions per minute of the idler.
  • ADC analogue to digital converter
  • the communications module of each device in one example is able to transmit and receive data to and from communications modules of other devices connected to nearby idlers which together from a wireless mesh network along which data is transmitted to a gateway node from where it will be transmitted to a central server.
  • the memory may have stored therein an identification of other devices which are in communication range of the device and which are closer to the gateway node.
  • the memory may also have stored therein a unique device identification.
  • the device uses a routing algorithm running on the processor to find an orderly and redundant path to the gateway.
  • the device may listen for data messages from nearby devices as they may be required to forward them to other devices.
  • Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of an idler roller shaft, bearing, seal and idler monitoring device
  • FIG 2 shows the components of Figure 1 assembled
  • FIG. 3 shows the two parts of the idler monitoring device of Figures
  • Figure 4 shows a cross section of the connected seal and idler monitoring device of Figure 2;
  • Figure 5 shows an enlarged portion from Figure 4.
  • Figure 6 shows an example seal
  • Figure 7 shows an enlarged portion from Figure 6
  • Figure 8 shows the coiled bobbin from Figure 1 in more detail
  • Figure 9 shows a block circuit diagram of the idler monitoring device.
  • the present invention relates to an idler monitoring device for monitoring an idler of a conveyor belt.
  • a rotating metal flinger seal 14 is used to house a polymer magnet cage 36.
  • the body 18 is connected to a temperature sensor 20, a vibration sensor 22, a rotational speed sensor 24, a communications module 26, a power supply 28 and a processor 30.
  • a circlip 32 is used to hold the various components together as shown in Figure 2.
  • the idler monitoring device can be seen without the parts of the idler to which it is attached.
  • the magnetic cage 36 has radially mounted filling holes for the magnets 28b. Due to the fact that an excess amount of filling holes is provided, a varying number of magnets 28b can be inserted depending on the particular system requirements and conveyor belt operating speed. Unfilled slots can remain empty and sealed off with epoxy or any other suitable material.
  • the stationary coil 28a in one example is a coiled bobbin and is electrically connected to the processor via a conductor located on the body 18.
  • the stationary coil 28a passes into an opening 46 in the seal 16 which can be most clearly seen in Figures 6 and 7.
  • the processor 26 is connected to the main roller body 18 and electronically connected to the temperature sensor 20, vibration sensor 22, rotational speed sensor 24, power supply 28 and communications module 30 by way of a printed circuit board.
  • the processor 26 is programmed to control the device to periodically obtain measurements from the temperature sensor 20, vibration sensor 22 and rotational speed sensor 24 and transmit the measurements from the device via the communications module 30.
  • the device also includes a memory 38 on which data can be stored including measurement data from any of the sensors of the device.
  • the memory 38 also stores an associated seal ID which is a unique identification of the seal which the device is monitoring.
  • Each idler that contains a monitoring device in at least one of its seals will contain a barcode on the outside of both seals and/or will be marked with a unique number on each axle end.
  • at least one barcode of each idler is scanned with a smartphone, or the unique number is entered.
  • the location of the idler is input using an interface on the smartphone and is sent to a remote central server over the internet.
  • the unique identification of the seal stored in the memory 38 could be read by using a handheld device with short-range communication ability to communicate with the idler monitoring device to obtain the unique identification from the memory.
  • the short-range communication could be performed using the communications module 30 via a Bluetooth or RFID communication protocol or via any other suitable protocol.
  • the handheld device could be a smart phone, a tablet, or a standalone, custom-designed handheld device with all the required functionality, or able to communicate with a smartphone or tablet to provide the additional functionality.
  • the handheld device when the handheld device is near the idler monitoring device, it powers the idler monitoring device wirelessly by inducing a current in the stationary coil of the seal.
  • the seal ID is then transmitted to the handheld device and will be displayed on a display on the handheld device.
  • the handheld device can also be used to configure various parameters of specific seals.
  • the handheld device When the idlers are being installed, the handheld device is brought near to at least one of the seals of the idler and the handheld device will indicate to the installer that the seal ID has been read successfully. The exact location of the idler can then be entered into the handheld device.
  • the handheld device may include a location module such as a GPS module, in which case the GPS determined location of the handheld device may also be saved if available. This associates the seal IDs of the idler with their physical location and allows for the locations of problematic idlers to be shown to an authorised user in the future.
  • a location module such as a GPS module
  • Each idler contains two seals 16, one on each end of the idler, and one or both seals 16 can have an idler monitoring device fitted to it, powered by the motion of the idler, which is able to detect or predict a failure of the idler.
  • Each idler monitoring device contains the sensors described above.
  • the temperature sensor 20 is mounted on an arm 40 extending away from the planar body 18 so that in use the temperature sensor 20 will pass through a slot in the seal 16 to be able to more accurately measure temperature of a bearing of the idler. This can best be seen in Figure 5.
  • the temperature sensor 20 is soldered onto the end of a thin axially mounted printed circuit board, which in turn is soldered to the main printed circuit board and the sensor 20 is thermally coupled to the idler bearing by means of thermally conductive adhesive or other suitable method.
  • the temperature sensor 20 itself is used to measure the temperature of the bearing and is comprised of a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor.
  • NTC negative temperature coefficient
  • the vibration sensor 22 is comprised of an accelerometer that measures the small, varying accelerations of the device rapidly in order to distinguish between the different types of vibration experienced by the idler which could be the result of the conveyor operating conditions or bearing failure.
  • the measured rotational frequency of the roller will assist monitoring software executing on the central server to determine the type of failure mechanisms present. If there is damage to the bearing outer ring running surface, the measured “over rolling frequency” will be at a specific frequency which is a function of the roller rotating frequency and bearing type. Likewise, there are unique frequencies associated with damage to the inner ring running surface or to at least one of the balls in the bearing.
  • the calculated frequency associated with damage on: ⁇ the outer ring of the bearing is a multiple of 25.6 Hz ⁇ the inner ring of the bearing is a multiple of 41 .1 Hz ⁇ the one of the balls of the bearing is a multiple of 34 Hz
  • vibration analysis is done by an artificial neural network (ANN) that has been trained to classify bearing vibrations into one of several possible states, such as failed, failing, and ok.
  • the ANN may be a recurrent neural network (RNN), feedforward neural network (FNN), or another class of neural network.
  • RNN recurrent neural network
  • FNN feedforward neural network
  • the ANN model could be trained using multiple vibration time series that have been manually labelled as one of the possible states (failed, failing, or ok).
  • the trained ANN model is stored in the memory 38 of the seal itself and is run on the processor 26 instead of on the remote central server. This eliminates the need to send acceleration time series data over the wireless mesh network which could result in network congestion due to the large size of the data.
  • the processor 26 will only transmit the state to the server.
  • the rotational speed sensor 24 is comprised of an analogue to digital converter (ADC) and a high pass filter.
  • ADC analogue to digital converter
  • the pulses produced by the coil pass through the high pass filter and into the ADC.
  • the software running on the processor 26 analyses the samples taken by the ADC in order to calculate the instantaneous revolutions per minute (rpm) of the idler.
  • the device In order for the device to take measurements of temperature, mechanical vibration and rpm and transmit data messages, the device must have a continuous supply of electrical energy.
  • the device is powered by the power supply 28, which as described above is comprised of a coil 28a attached to the body 18 and a plurality of magnets attached to the magnet cage 36 which in turn is connected by press fit into the rotating flinger seal.
  • the flinger seal 14 and the magnet cage 36 may also be comprised of a single injection moulded item.
  • the coil 28a typically contains thousands of turns of insulated copper wire wound around a cylindrical ferromagnetic core.
  • the coil 28a is contained within the stationary part of the idler seal 16, where the other components also reside.
  • the rotating part of the idler seal 14 contains a circular array of magnets 28b residing within the magnet housing 36.
  • the magnets 28b pass by the coil 28a, causing a changing magnetic flux within the core of the coil. This causes an alternating current to be induced in the coil 28b.
  • the alternating current produced by the coil is converted into direct current for use in the rest of the device by a bridge rectifier.
  • One or more capacitors are used for temporary energy storage and use when the coil does not produce enough power for the device during certain instances of the idler’s rotational cycle.
  • the device only requires one coil to power the electronics.
  • the device takes regular measurements of bearing temperature using the temperature sensor 20, mechanical vibration using the vibration sensor 22, and rotational speed of the idler using the rotational speed sensor 24.
  • the communications module 30 contains a wireless radio frequency transceiver which enables it to communicate with the devices contained within the seals of nearby idlers, forming a wireless mesh network.
  • the communications module 30 is connected to an antenna 44 on the main printed circuit board for transmitting data.
  • the wireless mesh network also contains a gateway node that is a standalone unit and that is connected to the internet, and forwards messages that it receives from nodes in the wireless mesh network over the internet to a remote central server (not shown) where they are stored and processed.
  • a gateway node that is a standalone unit and that is connected to the internet, and forwards messages that it receives from nodes in the wireless mesh network over the internet to a remote central server (not shown) where they are stored and processed.
  • the base station gateway may be many kilometres away from the majority of idlers.
  • the idler monitoring devices gain sufficient power to operate and a mesh network discovery stage in the device software is initiated.
  • the devices become aware of the devices surrounding them as well as a communication path to the gateway. Each device transmits a unique ID and routing information that they gather by monitoring the transmission of other devices.
  • the unique ID could be a unique seal ID or a unique device ID.
  • the devices will have stored in the memory 38 a list of IDs for devices that are within receiving range of the device but closer in proximity to the gateway.
  • the devices use a routing algorithm running on the processor to find an orderly and redundant path to the gateway.
  • the devices continuously listen for data messages from nearby devices as they may be required to forward them to other devices.
  • a device that wishes to send a message to the gateway will send it to one of the devices that was stored in its memory 38 during the discovery stage.
  • the memory 38 has stored therein an identification of other devices which are in communication range of the device and which are closer to the gateway node.
  • the device that receives the message will acknowledge its reception by sending a response and follow the same process as the original sender in order to forward the message that it received. Should the device that originally sent the message not receive the acknowledgement, it will restart the same process but will send the message to another device in its stored list.
  • each device participating in the forwarding of the message has at least one other functioning device that is within receiving range but nearer to the gateway, the message will propagate along the conveyor until it reaches the gateway.
  • the gateway receives a message containing a measurement and its associated ID, it sends this message to the central server over the internet.
  • the server then stores and processes the received message.
  • the measurements are analysed by the central server for any abnormalities and periodic changes in order to detect or predict the failure of specific idlers.
  • the analysis could be done by an ANN such as an RNN, a rule-based system, or a combination of both.
  • An authorised user can view, using an interface on a computer, a list of idlers that are installed at a site and each idler’s current and historical measurements as well as a condition status, indicating the condition of the bearings in the idler and, thus, its likelihood of failure.
  • a list of idlers in a poor condition and the exact position where an idler was installed on the frame can also be shown.
  • the seal can relatively loosely be fitted onto the shaft 10 because of the axial shaft flat and corresponding seal flat portion which can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. This prevents inadvertent seal rotation in case there is jamming between the stationary seal and the rotating seal due to dirt entrapment or misalignment.
  • the stationary seal 16 typically can be removed and replaced if a fault is found after assembly when doing the quality control diagnostic test procedure, or when a hardware upgrade is required by the client, or when a repair is required after delivery.
  • the axially mounted printed circuit board is housed in the extra space afforded by the axial flat portion of the seal.
  • the exposed portion of the seal encompassing the printed circuit board, coil and wiring is encapsulated onto the injection moulded part of the seal.

Abstract

An idler monitoring device for monitoring an idler of a conveyor belt includes a body (18) to be placed in use inside a seal (16) of the idler. A temperature sensor (20), vibration sensor (22), rotational speed sensor (24) and a communications module (30) are connected to the body. A power supply (28) includes a stationary coil (28a) attached to the body and a plurality of magnets (28b) connected to a rotating part of the idler so that when the idler rotates the plurality of magnets also rotate and induce a current in the stationary coil thereby to supply power to the device. A processor (26) is programmed to control the device to periodically obtain measurements from the temperature sensor, vibration sensor and rotational speed sensor and transmit the measurements from the device via the communications module (30).

Description

AN IDLER MONITORING DEVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Belt conveyor idlers are the rollers which are used at certain spacing to support the active as well as return side of the conveyor belt.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided an idler monitoring device comprising: a body to be placed in use inside a seal of the idler; a temperature sensor connected to the body; a vibration sensor connected to the body; a rotational speed sensor connected to the body; a communications module connected to the body; a power supply including a stationary coil attached to the body and a plurality of magnets connected to a rotating part of the idler so that when the idler rotates the plurality of magnets also rotate and induce a current in the stationary coil thereby to supply power to the device; a memory connected to the body; a processor connected to the body and electronically connected to the temperature sensor, vibration sensor, rotational speed sensor, power supply, memory and communications module, the processor programmed to control the device to: periodically obtain measurements from the temperature sensor, vibration sensor and rotational speed sensor; and transmit the measurements from the device via the communications module.
The body is preferably planar and circular in shape.
The device may further include an arm extending away from the planar body and wherein the temperature sensor is connected to the arm so that in use the temperature sensor will pass through a slot in the seal to be able to more accurately measure temperature of a bearing of the idler.
At least a part of the body may be an integrated circuit including the processor temperature sensor, vibration sensor, rotational speed sensor and communications module.
The temperature sensor may be soldered onto an end of a thin axially mounted printed circuit board which in turn is soldered to a main printed circuit board and the temperature sensor is thermally coupled to the idler bearing by means of thermally conductive adhesive or other suitable method.
The temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature of the bearing and may be comprised of a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor.
In one example, the stationary coil is a coiled bobbin and is electrically connected to the processor via a conductor located on the body. The rotational speed sensor may include an analogue to digital converter (ADC) and a high pass filter connected to the stationary coil of the power supply, wherein the pulses produced on the stationary coil pass through the high pass filter and into the ADC and are then analysed by the processor to calculate the instantaneous revolutions per minute of the idler.
The vibration sensor typically includes an accelerometer that measures varying accelerations of the device in order to distinguish between different types of vibration experienced by the idler.
The communications module of each device in one example is able to transmit and receive data to and from communications modules of other devices connected to nearby idlers which together from a wireless mesh network along which data is transmitted to a gateway node from where it will be transmitted to a central server.
The memory may have stored therein an identification of other devices which are in communication range of the device and which are closer to the gateway node.
The memory may also have stored therein a unique device identification.
In one example, the device uses a routing algorithm running on the processor to find an orderly and redundant path to the gateway.
The device may listen for data messages from nearby devices as they may be required to forward them to other devices.
The device may further include one or more capacitors for energy storage and use when the coil does not produce enough power for the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of an idler roller shaft, bearing, seal and idler monitoring device;
Figure 2 shows the components of Figure 1 assembled;
Figure 3 shows the two parts of the idler monitoring device of Figures
1 and 2 without the idler illustrated;
Figure 4 shows a cross section of the connected seal and idler monitoring device of Figure 2;
Figure 5 shows an enlarged portion from Figure 4;
Figure 6 shows an example seal;
Figure 7 shows an enlarged portion from Figure 6;
Figure 8 shows the coiled bobbin from Figure 1 in more detail; and
Figure 9 shows a block circuit diagram of the idler monitoring device.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
The present invention relates to an idler monitoring device for monitoring an idler of a conveyor belt.
Referring to the accompanying figures, some of the parts of an idler of a conveyor belt are illustrated which include a roller shaft 10 and a roller bearing 12.
A rotating metal flinger seal 14 is used to house a polymer magnet cage 36.
An idler monitoring device has a body 18 to be placed in use inside the stationary nylon seal 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the body 18 is planar and circular in shape.
The body 18 is connected to a temperature sensor 20, a vibration sensor 22, a rotational speed sensor 24, a communications module 26, a power supply 28 and a processor 30.
These will be described in more detail below with reference to Figure 9.
At least a part of the body 18 is a printed circuit board including the processor 26 temperature sensor 20, vibration sensor 22, rotational speed sensor 24 and communications module 30.
A circlip 32 is used to hold the various components together as shown in Figure 2.
Referring now to Figure 3, the idler monitoring device can be seen without the parts of the idler to which it is attached.
The idler monitoring device includes the body 18 to which the components are connected and also includes a plurality of magnets 28b connected to a magnetic cage 36 which holds the magnets 28b. The plurality of magnets 28b form part of the power supply as will be described below.
The magnetic cage 36 has radially mounted filling holes for the magnets 28b. Due to the fact that an excess amount of filling holes is provided, a varying number of magnets 28b can be inserted depending on the particular system requirements and conveyor belt operating speed. Unfilled slots can remain empty and sealed off with epoxy or any other suitable material.
The magnetic cage 36 is connected to the seal 14 which is a rotating part of the idler so that when the idler rotates the plurality of magnets 28b also rotate. Another part of the power supply is a stationary coil 28a attached to the body 18.
The stationary coil 28a in one example is a coiled bobbin and is electrically connected to the processor via a conductor located on the body 18.
The stationary coil 28a passes into an opening 46 in the seal 16 which can be most clearly seen in Figures 6 and 7.
It will be appreciated that when the main roller body and the pressed-in rotating seal 14 rotates, the plurality of magnets 28b also rotate and induce a current in the stationary coil 28a thereby to supply power to the device.
The processor 26 is connected to the main roller body 18 and electronically connected to the temperature sensor 20, vibration sensor 22, rotational speed sensor 24, power supply 28 and communications module 30 by way of a printed circuit board.
The processor 26 is programmed to control the device to periodically obtain measurements from the temperature sensor 20, vibration sensor 22 and rotational speed sensor 24 and transmit the measurements from the device via the communications module 30.
The device also includes a memory 38 on which data can be stored including measurement data from any of the sensors of the device. The memory 38 also stores an associated seal ID which is a unique identification of the seal which the device is monitoring.
Each idler that contains a monitoring device in at least one of its seals will contain a barcode on the outside of both seals and/or will be marked with a unique number on each axle end. When the idlers are installed, at least one barcode of each idler is scanned with a smartphone, or the unique number is entered. The location of the idler is input using an interface on the smartphone and is sent to a remote central server over the internet. Alternatively, or in addition, the unique identification of the seal stored in the memory 38 could be read by using a handheld device with short-range communication ability to communicate with the idler monitoring device to obtain the unique identification from the memory.
The short-range communication could be performed using the communications module 30 via a Bluetooth or RFID communication protocol or via any other suitable protocol.
The handheld device could be a smart phone, a tablet, or a standalone, custom-designed handheld device with all the required functionality, or able to communicate with a smartphone or tablet to provide the additional functionality.
In one example, when the handheld device is near the idler monitoring device, it powers the idler monitoring device wirelessly by inducing a current in the stationary coil of the seal.
The seal ID is then transmitted to the handheld device and will be displayed on a display on the handheld device.
The handheld device can also be used to configure various parameters of specific seals.
When the idlers are being installed, the handheld device is brought near to at least one of the seals of the idler and the handheld device will indicate to the installer that the seal ID has been read successfully. The exact location of the idler can then be entered into the handheld device.
Additionally, the handheld device may include a location module such as a GPS module, in which case the GPS determined location of the handheld device may also be saved if available. This associates the seal IDs of the idler with their physical location and allows for the locations of problematic idlers to be shown to an authorised user in the future.
The operation of the idler monitoring device will now be described in more detail.
Each idler contains two seals 16, one on each end of the idler, and one or both seals 16 can have an idler monitoring device fitted to it, powered by the motion of the idler, which is able to detect or predict a failure of the idler.
Each idler monitoring device contains the sensors described above.
Referring to Figure 9, these will be described in more detail.
The temperature sensor 20 is mounted on an arm 40 extending away from the planar body 18 so that in use the temperature sensor 20 will pass through a slot in the seal 16 to be able to more accurately measure temperature of a bearing of the idler. This can best be seen in Figure 5.
The temperature sensor 20 is soldered onto the end of a thin axially mounted printed circuit board, which in turn is soldered to the main printed circuit board and the sensor 20 is thermally coupled to the idler bearing by means of thermally conductive adhesive or other suitable method.
The temperature sensor 20 itself is used to measure the temperature of the bearing and is comprised of a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor.
The vibration sensor 22 is comprised of an accelerometer that measures the small, varying accelerations of the device rapidly in order to distinguish between the different types of vibration experienced by the idler which could be the result of the conveyor operating conditions or bearing failure. The measured rotational frequency of the roller will assist monitoring software executing on the central server to determine the type of failure mechanisms present. If there is damage to the bearing outer ring running surface, the measured “over rolling frequency” will be at a specific frequency which is a function of the roller rotating frequency and bearing type. Likewise, there are unique frequencies associated with damage to the inner ring running surface or to at least one of the balls in the bearing.
For example, for a roller fitted with a 6308 deep groove ball bearing rotating at 500 rpm (8.33 Hz), the calculated frequency associated with damage on: ~ the outer ring of the bearing is a multiple of 25.6 Hz ~ the inner ring of the bearing is a multiple of 41 .1 Hz ~ the one of the balls of the bearing is a multiple of 34 Hz
If any of these frequencies are detected, especially during the initial stages of failure, this can assist in determining the cause of failure and limit future failures.
Alternatively, or in addition, vibration analysis is done by an artificial neural network (ANN) that has been trained to classify bearing vibrations into one of several possible states, such as failed, failing, and ok. The ANN may be a recurrent neural network (RNN), feedforward neural network (FNN), or another class of neural network. The ANN model could be trained using multiple vibration time series that have been manually labelled as one of the possible states (failed, failing, or ok).
In one example, the trained ANN model is stored in the memory 38 of the seal itself and is run on the processor 26 instead of on the remote central server. This eliminates the need to send acceleration time series data over the wireless mesh network which could result in network congestion due to the large size of the data.
In this example, the processor 26 will only transmit the state to the server. The rotational speed sensor 24 is comprised of an analogue to digital converter (ADC) and a high pass filter. The pulses produced by the coil pass through the high pass filter and into the ADC. The software running on the processor 26 analyses the samples taken by the ADC in order to calculate the instantaneous revolutions per minute (rpm) of the idler.
In order for the device to take measurements of temperature, mechanical vibration and rpm and transmit data messages, the device must have a continuous supply of electrical energy.
The device is powered by the power supply 28, which as described above is comprised of a coil 28a attached to the body 18 and a plurality of magnets attached to the magnet cage 36 which in turn is connected by press fit into the rotating flinger seal. The flinger seal 14 and the magnet cage 36 may also be comprised of a single injection moulded item.
The coil 28a typically contains thousands of turns of insulated copper wire wound around a cylindrical ferromagnetic core.
The coil 28a is contained within the stationary part of the idler seal 16, where the other components also reside.
The rotating part of the idler seal 14 contains a circular array of magnets 28b residing within the magnet housing 36.
As the rotating part of the seal 14 rotates, the magnets 28b pass by the coil 28a, causing a changing magnetic flux within the core of the coil. This causes an alternating current to be induced in the coil 28b.
The alternating current produced by the coil is converted into direct current for use in the rest of the device by a bridge rectifier. One or more capacitors are used for temporary energy storage and use when the coil does not produce enough power for the device during certain instances of the idler’s rotational cycle. The device only requires one coil to power the electronics.
In order for failure to be detected and predicted, the device takes regular measurements of bearing temperature using the temperature sensor 20, mechanical vibration using the vibration sensor 22, and rotational speed of the idler using the rotational speed sensor 24.
The communications module 30 contains a wireless radio frequency transceiver which enables it to communicate with the devices contained within the seals of nearby idlers, forming a wireless mesh network.
The communications module 30 is connected to an antenna 44 on the main printed circuit board for transmitting data.
The wireless mesh network also contains a gateway node that is a standalone unit and that is connected to the internet, and forwards messages that it receives from nodes in the wireless mesh network over the internet to a remote central server (not shown) where they are stored and processed.
It will be appreciated that the base station gateway may be many kilometres away from the majority of idlers.
When the conveyor starts moving, the idler monitoring devices gain sufficient power to operate and a mesh network discovery stage in the device software is initiated.
During this discovery stage, the devices become aware of the devices surrounding them as well as a communication path to the gateway. Each device transmits a unique ID and routing information that they gather by monitoring the transmission of other devices. The unique ID could be a unique seal ID or a unique device ID. After the discovery stage is complete, the devices will have stored in the memory 38 a list of IDs for devices that are within receiving range of the device but closer in proximity to the gateway.
The devices use a routing algorithm running on the processor to find an orderly and redundant path to the gateway. The devices continuously listen for data messages from nearby devices as they may be required to forward them to other devices.
A device that wishes to send a message to the gateway will send it to one of the devices that was stored in its memory 38 during the discovery stage.
Thus, the memory 38 has stored therein an identification of other devices which are in communication range of the device and which are closer to the gateway node.
The device that receives the message will acknowledge its reception by sending a response and follow the same process as the original sender in order to forward the message that it received. Should the device that originally sent the message not receive the acknowledgement, it will restart the same process but will send the message to another device in its stored list.
Provided each device participating in the forwarding of the message has at least one other functioning device that is within receiving range but nearer to the gateway, the message will propagate along the conveyor until it reaches the gateway.
Once the gateway receives a message containing a measurement and its associated ID, it sends this message to the central server over the internet. The server then stores and processes the received message.
The measurements are analysed by the central server for any abnormalities and periodic changes in order to detect or predict the failure of specific idlers. The analysis could be done by an ANN such as an RNN, a rule-based system, or a combination of both.
An authorised user can view, using an interface on a computer, a list of idlers that are installed at a site and each idler’s current and historical measurements as well as a condition status, indicating the condition of the bearings in the idler and, thus, its likelihood of failure. A list of idlers in a poor condition and the exact position where an idler was installed on the frame can also be shown.
It will be appreciated that the stationary part of the seal 16, which houses the monitoring device can easily be removed by removing the external circlip 32 that is fitted outboard of the seals.
The seal can relatively loosely be fitted onto the shaft 10 because of the axial shaft flat and corresponding seal flat portion which can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. This prevents inadvertent seal rotation in case there is jamming between the stationary seal and the rotating seal due to dirt entrapment or misalignment.
The stationary seal 16 typically can be removed and replaced if a fault is found after assembly when doing the quality control diagnostic test procedure, or when a hardware upgrade is required by the client, or when a repair is required after delivery.
The axially mounted printed circuit board is housed in the extra space afforded by the axial flat portion of the seal.
The exposed portion of the seal encompassing the printed circuit board, coil and wiring is encapsulated onto the injection moulded part of the seal.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1 . An idler monitoring device for monitoring an idler of a conveyor belt, the device comprising: a body to be placed in use inside a seal of the idler; a temperature sensor connected to the body; a vibration sensor connected to the body; a rotational speed sensor connected to the body; a communications module connected to the body; a power supply including a stationary coil attached to the body and a plurality of magnets connected to a rotating part of the idler so that when the idler rotates the plurality of magnets also rotate and induce a current in the stationary coil thereby to supply power to the device; a memory connected to the body; a processor connected to the body and electronically connected to the temperature sensor, vibration sensor, rotational speed sensor, power supply, memory and communications module, the processor programmed to control the device to: periodically obtain measurements from the temperature sensor, vibration sensor and rotational speed sensor; and transmit the measurements from the device via the communications module. An idler monitoring device according to claim 1 wherein the body is planar and circular in shape. An idler monitoring device according to claim 2 including an arm extending away from the planar body and wherein the temperature sensor is connected to the arm so that in use the temperature sensor will pass through a slot in the seal to be able to more accurately measure temperature of a bearing of the idler. An idler monitoring device according to any preceding claim wherein at least a part of the body is an integrated circuit including the processor temperature sensor, vibration sensor, rotational speed sensor and communications module. An idler monitoring device according to claim 4 wherein the temperature sensor is soldered onto an end of a thin axially mounted printed circuit board which in turn is soldered to a main printed circuit board and the temperature sensor is thermally coupled to the idler bearing by means of thermally conductive adhesive or other suitable method. An idler monitoring device according to claim 5 wherein the temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature of the bearing and is comprised of a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor. An idler monitoring device according to any preceding claim wherein the stationary coil is a coiled bobbin and is electrically connected to the processor via a conductor located on the body. An idler monitoring device according to any preceding claim wherein the rotational speed sensor includes an analogue to digital converter (ADC) and a high pass filter connected to the stationary coil of the power supply, wherein the pulses produced on the stationary coil pass through the high pass filter and into the ADC and are then analysed by the processor to calculate the instantaneous revolutions per minute of the idler.
. An idler monitoring device according to any preceding claim wherein the vibration sensor includes an accelerometer that measures varying accelerations of the device in order to distinguish between different types of vibration experienced by the idler. 0. An idler monitoring device according to any preceding claim wherein the communications module of each device is able to transmit and receive data to and from communications modules of other devices connected to nearby idlers which together from a wireless mesh network along which data is transmitted to a gateway node from where it will be transmitted to a central server. 1 . An idler monitoring device according to claim 10 wherein the memory has stored therein an identification of other devices which are in communication range of the device and which are closer to the gateway node.
2. An idler monitoring device according to claim 10 or claim 1 1 wherein the device uses a routing algorithm running on the processor to find an orderly and redundant path to the gateway.
3. An idler monitoring device according to any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein the device listens for data messages from nearby devices as they may be required to forward them to other devices.
4. An idler monitoring device according to any preceding claim wherein the memory has stored therein a unique device identification.
5. An idler monitoring device according to any preceding claim further including one or more capacitors for energy storage and use when the coil does not produce enough power for the device.
PCT/IB2023/052288 2022-06-28 2023-03-10 An idler monitoring device WO2024003621A1 (en)

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Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015042661A2 (en) * 2013-09-24 2015-04-02 Vayeron Pty Ltd An idler, a method for monitoring a plurality of idlers, and a conveyor system
WO2018141009A1 (en) * 2017-01-31 2018-08-09 Conveyor Innovations Pty Ltd Conveyor idler roller monitoring assembly
AU2018408980A1 (en) * 2018-02-16 2020-05-21 Industria Metalmecanica Rivet S.A. Multifunction sensor contained in a seal of a conveyor belt roller
WO2021026605A1 (en) * 2019-08-13 2021-02-18 Minesensor Assets Pty Ltd A sensor assembly and monitoring system for an idler roller in a belt conveyor system

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015042661A2 (en) * 2013-09-24 2015-04-02 Vayeron Pty Ltd An idler, a method for monitoring a plurality of idlers, and a conveyor system
WO2018141009A1 (en) * 2017-01-31 2018-08-09 Conveyor Innovations Pty Ltd Conveyor idler roller monitoring assembly
AU2018408980A1 (en) * 2018-02-16 2020-05-21 Industria Metalmecanica Rivet S.A. Multifunction sensor contained in a seal of a conveyor belt roller
WO2021026605A1 (en) * 2019-08-13 2021-02-18 Minesensor Assets Pty Ltd A sensor assembly and monitoring system for an idler roller in a belt conveyor system

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