Abstract
Conveyor belt transfer is a widely used transportation means in industry and agriculture, with the help of the robot arms the workpiece on the belt can be picked and placed, replacing human ...sorters for production lines work. The position and orientation of the workpiece are important for grabbing by the robot arms. The goal of the paper was to investigate the acquisition of the position and orientation of the conveyor belt workpiece by means of the camera video overhead looking down the belt. The proposed method is the inter frame difference in nature, using the conveyor belt background as the first frame, but the other frames were not used wholly as usually, only an ROI all around the conveyor belt in the camera video was chosen, and the inter frame difference was carried out in the ROI. The ROI was of the same width as that of the belt in the video which was known in advance, while the length of the ROI was arbitrary, so one pixel in the frame was scaled to the actual length conveniently. Every read frame behind the background was computed the difference with the background in such ROI, and the four vertexes coordinates of the rectangle workpiece image on the belt were obtained when it passed the ROI, and then the distance apart from the right belt boundary was calculated due to the proportional relation between the width of workpiece and that of the ROI. Two kind workpiece orientation on the belt toward the left and right were judged using the same obtained four vertexes coordinates by means of Euclidian length, and the tilt angle was calculated by arc tangent function in favour of two narrow sides of rectangle workpiece grab. The actual test showed that the method of obtaining the position and orientation of workpiece on the belt proposed in the paper could be realized correctly.
This book focuses on research related to the energy efficiency of conveyor transportation. The solutions presented in the Special Issue have an impact on optimizing, and thus reducing, the costs of ...energy consumption by belt conveyors. This is due, inter alia, to the use of better materials for conveyor belts, which reduce its rolling resistance and noise, and improve its ability to adsorb the impact energy from the material falling on the belt. The use of mobile robots designed to detect defects in the conveyor's components makes the conveyor operation safer, and means that the conveyor works for longer and there are no unplanned stops due to damage.
•The combustion characteristics of coal mine conveyor belt were studied.•The gas phase products of conveyor belt combustion were examined in phases.•The products of three phases of conveyor belt ...combustion were thoroughly investigated.•The fire risk posed by conveyor belt burning is investigated.
This study aimed to use the thermogravimetric infrared coupling (TG-FTIR) and cone calorimeter coupling techniques to analyse the Pyrolysis characteristics and fire hazard of conveyor belt during heating process based on different stages of the combustion process. The results demonstrate that the conveyor belt is melted and volatilized by heat in the first stage (200∼350 °C), and a cross-linking polymerization process ensues, with the primary gas-phase products being chlorine-containing compounds, aromatic acid esters, and HCl. In the second stage (350∼600 °C), the conveyor belt started to burn fiercely, redox reactions occurred, the primary gas-phase products added to hydrocarbons, Benzoic acids, aldehydes, amides, and a significant number of CO2, CO, H2O(g). The third stage (600∼700 °C) corresponds to the recession phase of combustion, when the concentration of most gas phase products decreases and the production of amides and ketones increases. As the intensity of thermal radiation increases, the mass loss, heat release rate, fire hazard, CO/CO2 generation rate and smoke also increase.
The stone processing and sorting installations are installations with the help of which different geometric dimensions of the processed materials are obtained. Until the final dimensions are ...obtained, the materials go through different stages of processing. The transfer of material, within the processing and sorting installation, is done with the help of conveyor belts. Depending on the dimensions needed to be processed, different technological routes are established so as to obtain the highest possible productivity of the process.
Cyclones impacting the densely populated Mediterranean region have been a continuous research focus, mainly for investigating either the associated heavy precipitation or the damaging wind gusts. In ...this study we examine five Mediterranean cyclones with combined large‐scale impact of strong 10 m gusts and heavy precipitation. The selected events occurred in (i) December 2003 in the northeastern Mediterranean; (ii) October 2007 in the central Mediterranean; (iii) January 2009, known as storm ‘Klaus’, in the western Mediterranean; (iv) December 2010 in the eastern Mediterranean; and (v) October 2011 in the central‐northern Mediterranean. European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalyses and 7 km resolution regional model simulations (COSMO) are analysed for each event. A Lagrangian viewpoint is employed to focus on interacting mechanisms that contribute to the joint impact on different spatial and temporal scales. In all cases, widespread strong wind gusts occur in the southwestern parts of the cyclone, while the precipitation field has localized peaks, with variable distribution in the central, southern, eastern and northern parts of the cyclone. Convective precipitation, significant in the cases in 2007, 2010 and 2011, is limited to the southern areas. In all cases, non‐convective precipitation is associated with ascent in a warm conveyor belt. Intense gusts are found within unstable air, below a low tropopause in a region with strong vertical wind shear, favouring downward momentum flux by turbulent mixing. Strongly descending dry intrusions are located coherently to the south and west of strong gusts. Much variability exists with regard to the emergence of convection, where strong winds and convective precipitation co‐occur: In the 2007 case, the dry intrusion is central in producing shallow convection in the cold frontal region. In the 2010 and 2011 cases, convective activity at high topography and in coastal regions leads to co‐location of both types of impact.
This paper presents a laboratory device simulating a section of a conveyor belt on which a diagonal plough is installed. Experimental measurements were carried out in a laboratory belonging to the ...Department of Machine and Industrial Design at the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava. During the measurements, a plastic storage box, representing a piece load, transported on the surface of a conveyor belt at a constant speed was brought into contact with the front surface of a diagonal conveyor belt plough. The aim of this paper is to determine the amount of resistance generated by the diagonal conveyor belt plough when it is placed at different angles of inclination β deg in relation to the longitudinal axis, based on the experimental measurements performed using a laboratory measuring device. Based on the measured values of tensile force required to keep the conveyor belt moving at a constant speed, the resistance to the conveyor belt movement is expressed, with a value of 20.8 ± 0.3 N being attained. Based on the ratio of the measured value of the arithmetic average of the resistance force and the weight of the used length of the conveyor belt, a mean value of the specific movement resistance of the size 0.33 N·N - 1 is calculated. This paper presents the time records obtained by measuring the tensile forces, on the basis of which it is possible to determine the magnitude of the force. The resistance during the ploughing operation of the diagonal plough when acting on a piece load placed on the working surface of the conveyor belt is presented. From the measured values of tensile forces presented in the tables, this paper reports the calculated values of the friction coefficient obtained during the movement of the diagonal plough when moving a piece of load with the defined weight from the working surface of the relevant conveyor belt. The maximum value of the arithmetic mean for the friction coefficient in motion µ = 0.86 was measured at an inclination angle of the diagonal plough of β = 30 deg.
Despite numerous research works on conveyor robots, few works can be found on electropneumatic conveyor belt robots with two separated lines. The unique feature of this study is a combination of ...various systems to develop an electropneumatic robot. In this work, an automated and intelligent mechatronic conveyor system is designed and developed for transporting and positioning circular objects that can be used in the manufacturing and packaging industries. In addition to moving and positioning, timing can also be controlled on this conveyor belt robot. All control operations are handled by an electrical and programmable relay called a mini programmable logic controller (PLC), color sensor, gripper arm, and electronic switches. An electropneumatic system is used to control the robot for placing objects. The main goal of this study is to develop a novel 3D structural design which make the procedure unique for better efficiency and accuracy. The novelty of this work lies within the 3D design of two belts and assembly of all electropneumatic components which are helpful for manufacturing assembly lines. Also, TCS230 sensor and AVR microcontroller are used to identify the colors within the operation. The results show the accuracy of the developed system is reliable in terms of color and positioning detection. The system is able to work non-stop for more than 1 hour without any issues.
In this study, effects of conveyor belt catalytic infrared radiation (BCIR) baking on sensory, surface color, texture, microbial sterilization, soy isoflavone, and water distribution were ...investigated comprehensively. The parameters of BCIR were radiation distance (12, 15, and 18 cm), baking temperature (65 °C, 80 °C, and 95 °C), and the corresponding speed of conveyor belt (0.58, 0.41, 0.28, 0.67 m/min, etc.). Meanwhile, the effect of conventional hot air (HA) baking on dried tofu were also studied for comparison. The results showed that the impact of BCIR radiation distance on the quality of the baked dried tofu was greater than that of baking temperature. In addition, there was a correlation between the moisture indexes and quality indicators of dried tofu under different BCIR baking temperatures and radiation distances. In comparison to HA baking, BCIR was better in golden-brown level, appealing sensory, microbial safety. Meanwhile, BCIR not only shortened the total baking time but also saved energy in scaled production of baked dried tofu.
Conveyor belt catalytic infrared radiation (BCIR) baking, an emerging thermal processing technique at the pilot scale, was innovatively employed in dried tofu baking for its prompt attributes of high efficiency and energy-saving in this study. The findings of the current research explored the physicochemical qualities and water distribution subjected to BCIR treatment, with the comparison of traditional hot air baking, which can provide basis and assistance for the BCIR application in the food baking industry and for scaling up the baking process with energy-saving production.
•Dried tofu was baked by a conveyor belt catalytic infrared radiation (BCIR) apparatus.•The quality of baked dried tofu products by BCIR can be equivalent to or higher than hot air.•The water distribution and migration principle of baked dried tofu by BCIR were first discovered.•Appropriate BCIR baking process parameters of dried tofu were determined.
•A model of microwave heating process with translational motion and rotation was built.•Implicit function and level set method are used to express the elements’ motion.•Effects of samples' moving ...speeds and shape on the heating uniformity are analyzed.•This method can analyze the industrial microwave heating process with complex motion.
In practical chemical applications, in order to improve the microwave heating uniformity, moving elements, such as mode stirrers, turntables and conveyor belts, have been widely used as an easy way to implement. However, different moving elements may have different shapes, modes of motion and moving speed, which makes the simulation of the heating process very difficult. In this paper, a stepping algorithm based on implicit function and level set method is proposed to simulate the microwave heating process of multi-component with unequal moving speed. The accuracy of the algorithm is verified by discrete method and experiments. Moreover, the model was used to analyze the heating process with different components at different positions and speeds. The effect of different materials of mode stirrers and shapes of heated sample on heating process were also compared. The researches show that the proposed model can effectively improve the heating uniformity and heating efficiency.
Vibration sensor that relies on the mechanical vibration of machinery to monitor its operational stability for the purpose of preventing mechanical failure and reducing the loss of life and property ...is of desired practical significance. Here, we propose a self-powered mechanical vibration sensor based on the coupling of electromagnetic generator (EMG) for energy harvesting and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for active sensing. For EMG, a magnetic levitation system has been established that can easily respond to tiny external mechanical vibration, and the rationally designed voltage amplifier rectifier circuit as well as corresponding energy storage unit can effectively collect and store mechanical vibration energy. Furthermore, a pendulum-shaped single-electrode mode TENG can respond to vibration in the orthogonal direction and activate the pulse trigger circuit with high sensitivity. The cooperation of the two modules can realize real-time vibration monitoring and alarm signal transmission. The multi-mechanism coupled self-powered vibration sensor reported here can be applied to many scenarios, such as conveyor belt, high-speed train, and freight elevator.
A self-powered machinery vibration sensing system coupling TENG and EMG has been designed and proposed here, in which EMG for mechanical energy harvesting and TENG for active sensing. Under the assistance of six-stage voltage amplifier rectifier circuit, EMG is capable of collecting vibration mechanical energy of machinery. Meanwhile, rabbit fur-based TENG owns the feature of humidity insensitiveness, and the home-made pulse trigger circuit can convert electric signal derived from TENG to alarming signal. Specifically, in this work, EMG is adopted to collect longitudinal vibration energy of conveyor belt and TENG to detect transverse vibration, which is negative for stable operation of conveyor. The self-powered vibration sensor system developed here can be applied to many scenarios such as high-speed train, belt conveyor and freight elevator, and the concept of multi-mechanism coupling is of practical significance for future applications of TENG. Display omitted
•A self-powered machinery vibration sensing system coupling TENG and EMG has been designed and proposed.•The concept of multi-mechanism coupling is adapted to diverse generators as well as broad application scenarios.•EMG is employed to collect longitudinal vibration energy of conveyor belt and TENG to detect transverse vibration.•Six-stage amplifier rectifier circuit is used to assist EMG, and pulse trigger circuit is employed to convert electric signal to alarming.
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