Real-time belt tension sensing system

A belt tension sensing system comprising:

• a pressure sensor;
• a control circuit in electronic communication with said pressure sensor;
• and
• an engagement assembly comprising:
• an idle roller configured to remain in contact with a belt while the belt is being driven in a drive direction;
• and
• a roller link comprising a proximal end coupled to said idle roller, and a distal end coupled to said pressure sensor;
• wherein while the belt is being driven in the drive direction, said idle roller and said roller link are urged by the belt to move in a slack direction that is substantially perpendicular to said drive direction;
• wherein said pressure sensor is configured to bias said engagement assembly towards the belt in the slack direction;
• wherein said pressure sensor is adapted to produce a continuous slack data string comprising a plurality of slack position signals, each of said slack position signals based on a position of a portion of said engagement assembly in the slack direction;
• wherein said slack data string is continuously transmitted by said pressure sensor to said control circuit;
• and
• wherein said control circuit is adapted to continuously interpret said slack data string to produce a continuous tension measurement data string comprising a plurality of tension measurements.

A method for sensing tension in a belt while the belt is being driven in a conveyance system, said method comprising:

• positioning an engagement assembly in relation to the belt such that an idle roller of the engagement assembly remains in contact with the belt as the belt is driven in a drive direction, wherein the engagement assembly further comprises a stationary fixed end and a roller link coupled to said idle roller, and wherein said idle roller and said roller link are constrained by said fixed end to only move in a slack direction that is substantially perpendicular to the drive direction;
• producing a plurality of slack position signals with a pressure sensor that is coupled to the idle roller, the slack position signals based on a position of a portion of the engagement assembly in the slack direction, the belt urging the portion of the engagement assembly to change position in the slack direction as the belt is driven;
• transmitting the slack position signals to a control circuit;
• calculating the tension of the belt with the control circuit based on the slack position signals;
• and
• using a resilient member to bias the idle roller towards the belt in the slack direction.