Control system for detecting and correcting an imbalance in a conveyor system
A conveyor control system detects imbalances in a multi-drive conveyor belt and institutes a corrective action to rectify the imbalances. A sensor detects imbalances by measuring gaps between consecutive conveyor modules near a drive for the conveyor belt. A controller can initiate an alarm or automatically modify one or more drives to correct a detected imbalance.
1. A method of controlling a conveyor belt, comprising the steps of:
detecting an imbalance in a conveyor belt by measuring a gap between conveying belt modules using a sensor adjacent to an edge of the conveyor belt before a drive contact point to ensure full separation of the conveyor belt modules; and
automatically instituting a corrective action based on a reading from the sensor.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drive comprises a side drive that engages drive elements on the edge of the conveyor belt.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the corrective action comprises adjusting the speed of the drive.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a lighter emitter above the edge of the conveyor belt and a light receiver below the edge of the conveyor belt for detecting the gap between consecutive conveyor belt modules in the conveyor belt.
5. A multi-drive conveyor system, comprising:
a conveyor belt;
a first drive driving the conveyor belt at a first location;
a second drive driving the conveyor belt at a second location; and
a tension sensor adjacent the first drive for detecting a presence or absence of gaps between conveyor belt modules in the conveyor belt near the first drive, wherein an absence of gaps before the first drive indicates an imbalance and a presence of gaps after the first drive indicates an imbalance;
a controller for instituting a corrective action if the tension sensor detects an imbalance in the conveyor belt.
6. The multi-drive conveyor system of claim 5 , wherein the tension sensor comprises a light emitter and a light receiver for detecting gaps between modules in the conveyor belt.
7. The multi-drive conveyor system of claim 5 , wherein the tension sensor is located adjacent to an edge of the first belt at the first drive.
8. The multi-drive conveyor system of claim 5 , wherein the tension sensor measures tension immediately after the conveyor belt exits the first drive.
9. The multi-drive conveyor system of claim 5 , wherein the controller initiates an alarm if the tension sensor detects an imbalance in the conveyor belt.
10. The multi-drive conveyor system of claim 5 , wherein the controller adjusts the speed of one of the first drive and the second drive if the tension sensor detects an imbalance in the conveyor belt.
11. A method of detecting and correcting an imbalance in a multi-drive conveyor system, comprising the steps of:
sensing the presence of a gap between modules in the conveyor belt immediately after exiting a sprocket driving the conveyor belt to determine whether the conveyor belt has properly collapsed; and
adjusting the speed of the sprocket if a gap exists.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of sensing the presence of a gap comprises the step of directing a light beam into an edge of the conveyor belt using a light emitter and receiving the light beam with a receiver if a gap exists.