# US 10,865,052 B2 · Monitoring system for conveyor belt > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,052 B2 - Document ID: US10865052B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/642,556 - Filed: 2018-06-26 - Published: 2020-06-18 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-31 - Assignees: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. - Applicants: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Gang Hou; Masahiko Miyamoto; Taro Takahashi; Kazuya Kanno - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865052B2 ## CPC - B65G 43/02: detecting dangerous physical condition of load carriers, e.g. for interrupting the drive in the event of overheating - B65G 15/08: the load-carrying surface being formed by a concave or tubular belt, e.g. a belt forming a trough - B65G 15/40: troughed or tubular; formed with joints facilitating troughing - B65G 2203/0208: relating to the transported articles - B65G 2203/0275: Damage on the load carrier - B65G 2203/0283: Position of the load carrier - B65G 2203/041: Camera - B65G 2203/044: Optical - B65G 2207/48: Wear protection or indication features - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) ## Abstract Surface image data relating to an upper cover rubber is continuously and successively captured by a surface camera device and input to a computation device. Each piece of surface image data is stored in a database in association with data on the circumferential position of that surface image data on a conveyor belt and data on the time at which that surface image data was captured. An input unit is used to display any piece of surface image data on a monitor, register surface image data in which a predetermined defect is present on the surface of the upper cover rubber in the database as data to be monitored, and automatically register in the database surface image data having the same circumferential position data as the data to be monitored as related data to be monitored. Such monitoring system determines the state of damage of a cover rubber surface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A monitoring system for a conveyor belt comprising: a surface camera device that is installed at a predetermined position of a conveyor line and can continuously and successively capture surface image data relating to a conveyor belt rubber cover while the conveyor belt travels; a computation device that receives input of the surface image data; a monitor communicably connected to the computation device; an input unit that inputs an instruction to the computation device, and a mistracking camera device, each piece of surface image data being stored in a database of the computation device in association with data on a circumferential position of that piece of surface image data on the conveyor belt and data on the time at which that piece of surface image data is captured; the monitor being able to display any piece of surface image data from the database in response to an instruction from the input unit; surface image data among the displayed surface image data in which a predetermined defect is present on the surface of the rubber cover being registered in the database as data to be monitored in response to an instruction from the input unit; surface image data having the same circumferential position data as the data to be monitored being automatically registered in the database as related data to be monitored; and the mistracking camera device continuously and successively capturing mistracking determination image data obtained by capturing, in plan view, a longitudinal predetermined range of the conveyor belt while the conveyor belt travels, wherein: each piece of mistracking determination image data is stored in the database in association with data on the time at which that piece of mistracking determination image data is captured; any piece of mistracking determination image data from the database can be displayed on the monitor in response to an instruction from the input unit; and a mistracking amount of the conveyor belt on the mistracking determination image data displayed on the monitor is calculated by the computation device and registered in the database in association with the mistracking determination image data for which the mistracking amount has been calculated. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The monitoring system for a conveyor belt according to claim 1, wherein the surface image data registered as the data to be monitored and the related data to be monitored is displayed on the monitor in a time series in response to an instruction from the input unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The monitoring system for a conveyor belt according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyed object camera device that can successively capture conveyed object image data relating to conveyed objects that are fed onto the rubber cover, wherein each piece of conveyed object image data is stored in the database in association with data on the time at which that piece of conveyed object image data is captured. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The monitoring system for a conveyor belt according to claim 1, further comprising an amount of wear detection device that can continuously and successively detect an amount of wear on the rubber cover, wherein each amount of wear is stored in the database in association with data on time at which that amount of wear is detected. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The monitoring system for a conveyor belt according to claim 1, wherein the size of the predetermined defect on the surface image data displayed on the monitor is identified, and the identified size is input to the computation device in response to an instruction from the input unit and registered in the database in association with surface image data in which a predetermined defect having the identified size is present. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The monitoring system for a conveyor belt according to claim 5, wherein the change over time of the identified size of the predetermined defect is displayed on the monitor in response to an instruction from the input unit.