January 2021

n TECHNOLOGY January 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com 20 THE BELTMANUFACTURER Continental has developed a technology that uses drones and acoustic monitoring to identify potential problems on large-scale conveyors before costly damage occurs. The technology replaces laborious manual inspections by sensor-based technologies that allow precise inspection and enable predictive maintenance. The system focuses on finding defective idlers, which are estimated to be responsible for 30% of the operating faults on large belt conveyors. A mid-sized conveyor system in the mining sector, for example, might have a 40km-long belt running over around 120,000 idlers. Open and outdoor sections of such conveyors are inspected from the air using drones equipped with cameras and infrared sensors that monitor both sides of the conveyor. After the drone has flown over a section, it returns to a charging station where it uploads the data to the cloud via an IoT module while it is being recharged. The image data is processed using an AI-assisted algorithm and analysed to detect any defective idlers. For covered or underground conveyors, monitoring is carried out using microphones installed every 20–25m that capture variations in the acoustic signatures of the idlers. The audio signals are recorded twice a day and uploaded to the cloud. Signals that might indicate a damaged idler are then investigated using an AI-based algorithm. “Conventional, and often manual, inspection methods can be very time-consuming, imprecise or even dangerous for service technicians because of the belt lengths or local circumstances such as underground routing and enclosed sections,”explains Clemens Panzer, a member of the Continental team that developed the technology.“Documentation is also often performed manually, with reports having to be input subsequently into the relevant datasets. Maintenance intervals also frequently follow a fixed rotational principle, meaning that measures required on short notice to avoid or prevent conveyor failures cannot be carried out in a timely manner.” The new sensor-based inspection approach, by contrast, allows the data-assisted remote monitoring of the condition of conveyor systems to detect potential damage at an early stage. “Changes in the conveyor condition over an extended period can be analysed better using the stored historical data, and the anticipated service life of the components can also be better estimated,” Panzer explains. The system has been tested successfully in field trials. More pilot projects are now planned, and the system is expected to become commercially available later this year. The belt-monitoring technology was developed to the prototype stage in just two months by a multi-disciplinary team at Continental’s start-up organisation. www.contitech.de Drones and microphones help to spot conveyor problems Continental’s conveyor monitoring system listens for tell-tale acoustic signals that could indicate faulty idlers Low-cost condition-monitoring kit helps to avoid downtime The Flir condition-monitoring kit allows critical parameters to be viewed on handheld devices viaWi-Fi FLIR HAS ANNOUNCED a “low-cost” industrial condition-monitoring kit that combines vibration and temperature monitoring to maximise output, improve worker safety, and cut operating costs. The easy- to-configure system can be installed anywhere with connections to a Wi-Fi network. It can track changes in vibration and heat in real time, helping to predict potentially serious problems before failures occur. The £834 SV87-Kit includes four wireless vibration and temperature remote sensors, along with a wireless gateway for 24/7 continuous monitoring of vibration and temperature data. Vibration monitoring not only provides early warning to help avoid maintenance surprises, but also allows staff to prioritise and streamline maintenance schedules. However, traditional wired continuous vibration monitoring systems can be expensive, are not always up to date, and can be cumbersome to install. The kit transfers the monitored data via Wi-Fi to tablets, smartphones or computers, allowing users to visualise trends and receive alerts via apps or emails if thresholds are exceeded. These thresholds can be set manually or based on ISO standards. www.flir.com/SV87-KIT