Simultaneous measurement of conveyor belt speed and vibration using an electrostatic sensor array

Accurate and reliable measurement of conveyor belt speed and vibration is of great importance in a variety of production and manufacturing industries. This paper presents the design, implementation and experimental assessment of an electrostatic sensor array for simultaneous measurement of conveyor belt speed and vibration in an on-line, continuous and non-contact manner. The sensor array is arranged in a 2×3 matrix, with the belt running between two rows, each having three identical sensing elements. The three signals in a row are cross-correlated for speed calculation and the results are fused to give accurate measurement. The dominant vibration mode of the belt is identified by analyzing the spectra of the sensor signals in a column. Experiments conducted on a purpose-built test rig show that the system can measure belt speed with relative error less than ±1.25% over the range of 2 to 10 m/s. Both the dominant vibration frequency and amplitude increase with the belt speed, but the amplitude will saturate when the belt stretch limit is reached at a higher belt speed.