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US 9,016,458 B2Granted
Bulk-product conveyor with sensor
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorDavid W. Bogle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conveyor belt having a sensor probe extending upward from an outer conveying surface into a mat of bulk products conveyed on the belt. The probe senses a condition of the product mat at a predetermined depth. The probe height above the conveying surface may be fixed or may be adjustable to be positioned at a critical depth within the product mat.
Claims22
A conveyor comprising:
- a carryway;
- a conveyor belt having an outer conveying surface supporting a layer of bulk products and advancing the layer of bulk products along the carryway;
- a sensor mounted in the conveyor belt and having a sensor probe extending into the layer of bulk products above the outer conveying surface of the conveyor belt to detect a condition of the products, the sensor providing sensor signals representing the condition of the products detected by the sensor probe;
- a transmitter mounted in the conveyor belt to transmit the sensor signals to a remote location.
1 more element
A conveyor comprising:
- a carryway;
- a conveyor belt having an outer conveying surface supporting a layer of bulk products and advancing the layer of bulk products along the carryway;
- a sensor mounted in the conveyor belt and having a sensor probe extending into the layer of bulk products above the outer conveying surface of the conveyor belt to detect a condition of the products, the sensor providing sensor signals representing the condition of the products detected by the sensor probe;
- probe-height adjustment means for adjusting the height of the sensor probe above the outer conveying surface.
1 more element
A method for measuring a condition of a mat of products conveyed on a conveyor belt, comprising:
- positioning a sensor probe mounted in a conveyor belt at a selected position within the depth of a mat of products conveyed on a conveying surface of the conveyor belt;
- measuring a condition of the mat of products with the sensor probe;
- transmitting a signal indicative of the condition of the mat of products measured by the sensor probe remotely from the conveyor belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.