US 12,240,706 B2
Conveyor belt thickness measurement systems and methods for detecting changes in conveyor belt thicknesses
Italo Andrade, Belo Horizonte (BR); Henrique Canaverde, Belo Horizonte (BR); Luiz Machado, Belo Horizonte (BR); and Paul Harrison, Kewanee, IL (US)
Assigned to Martin Engineering Company, Neponset, IL (US)
Filed by Martin Engineering Company, Neponset, IL (US)
Filed on Jul. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/872,554.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/245,505, filed on Sep. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0092684 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 43/02 (2006.01); G01B 11/06 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 43/02 (2013.01) [G01B 11/06 (2013.01); B65G 2203/041 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for detecting a defect in a conveyor belt, the method comprising:
emitting a laser including a plurality of laser points from a laser device onto a surface of a conveyor belt;
capturing a plurality of first images of the surface of the conveyor belt by an imaging device during a first cycle of the conveyor belt;
creating a first three-dimensional image of the surface of the conveyor belt during the first cycle based on the plurality of first images captured by the imaging device, each of a plurality of locations of the surface of the conveyor belt in the first three-dimensional image being assigned first position data;
capturing a plurality of second images of the surface of the conveyor belt by the imaging device during a second cycle of the conveyor belt;
creating a second three-dimensional image of the surface of the conveyor belt during the second cycle based on the plurality of second images captured by the imaging device, each of the plurality of locations of the surface of the conveyor belt in the second three-dimensional image being assigned second position data;
determining whether a difference between the first position data and the second position data of one or more of the plurality of locations of the surface of the conveyor belt exceeds a predetermined threshold; and
detecting the defect in response to determining the difference between the first position data and the second position data of one or more of the plurality of locations of the surface of the conveyor belt exceeds the predetermined threshold.