Conveyor belt cross-stream sampling system and associated method

A system for taking a cross-stream increment of bulk material carried along a moving conveyor belt comprising:

• a sampler including an upstream side having a surface facing generally upstream of the flow of bulk material along the moving conveyor belt;
• means for supporting the sampler generally above the conveyor belt;
• means for moving the sampler across the conveyor belt at substantially a right angle with respect to the direction of movement of bulk material flow so that when operatively moved across the belt, the sampler passes through the bulk material in a manner segregating and removing a cross-stream increment of bulk material from the belt;
• and
• means associated with said sampler support means and positioned upstream of the sampler for limiting the buildup of bulk material against the upstream side surface of the sampler when the sampler is positioned within the flow of the bulk material so that when bulk material has built up against the upstream side surface of the sampler by a predetermined amount, additional bulk material buildup is intercepted by said limiting means.

A system for taking a cross-stream increment of bulk material moving along a conveyor belt comprising;

• a sampler;
• means for supporting the sampler for rotation about an axis so that when rotated, the sampler moves across the conveyor belt at substantially a right angle with respect to the direction of movement of bulk material flow and passes through the bulk material in a manner segregating and removing a cross-stream increment of bulk material from the belt;
• means for rotating the sampler about its rotation axis so that during a pass of the sampler through the material, the sampler enters the bulk material at one side of the belt corresponding to an entry-side of the belt and exits the bulk material at the other side of the belt corresponding to an eject-side of the belt;
• collection mean for collecting the cross-stream increment removed from the belt by the sampler and having an opening positioned adjacent the eject-side of the belt for receiving the cross-stream increment of bulk material removed from the belt by the sampler;
• control means associated with said rotating means for halting the rotation of said sampler and disposing said sampler in a parked position adjacent the eject-side of the belt upon completion of an increment-collecting cycle so that ingress of bulk material into the collection means opening from the belt between increment-collecting cycles is restricted by the sampler;
• and
• skirt means disposed adjacent said eject-side of the belt and including spaced-apart panels extending generally upwardly from the belt to define said opening therebetween for accommodating passage of the sampler therethrough during an increment-collecting cycle, said panels cooperating with said sampler when said sampler is in its parked position to restrict entry of bulk material into said opening when said sampler is in said parked position.

A system for taking a cross-stream increment of bulk material carried on a moving conveyor belt comprising:

• a sampler;
• means for supporting the sampler for rotation about an axis so that when rotated, the sampler moves across the conveyor belt at substantially a right angle with respect to the direction of movement of the material flow and passes through the bulk material in a manner segregating and removing a cross-stream increment of bulk material from the belt;
• means for rotating the sampler about its rotation axis so that during a pass of the sampler through the material, the sampler enters the bulk material at one side of the belt corresponding to an entry-side of the belt and exits the bulk material at the other side of the belt corresponding to an eject-side of the belt;
• said sampler including an upstream side oriented generally perpendicular to the flow of bulk material on the belt, a downstream side and a back plate joining the upstream and downstream sides and oriented substantially perpendicular to the upstream side, each of said upstream and downstream sides including a leading edge for entering the bulk in advance of the remainder of the upstream and downstream sides and the back plate and wherein the leading edges of the upstream and downstream sides are contained generally in a plane oriented substantially parallel to the back plate so that the upstream side provides the entire surface area of said sampler projected upstream of the bulk material flow, said downstream side joined to said back plate so as to define an acute interior angle therewith so that for a preselected sample-accepting capacity of said sampler at a predetermined spacing between said leading edge of said upstream and downstream side plates, the upstream projected area of said sampler is relatively small as compared to a sampler wherein said upstream and downstream sides are parallel;
• means associated with the said sampler support means and positioned upstream of the sampler for limiting the buildup of bulk material against the upstream side surface of the sampler in excess of a predetermined amount when the sampler is positioned within the flow of the bulk material;
• collection means for collecting the cross-stream increment removed from the belt by the sampler and having an opening positioned adjacent the eject-side of the belt for receiving the cross-stream increment of bulk material removed from the belt by the sampler;
• and
• control means associated with said rotating means for halting the rotation of said sampler and disposing said sampler in a parked position adjacent the eject-side of the belt upon completion of an increment collection cycle so that ingress of bulk material into the collection means opening from the belt between increment collection cycles is restricted by the sampler.