A Computer Vision Based Conveyor Deviation Detection System

Abstract

The monitoring of conveyor belt deviation based on computer vision is the research topic of this paper. A belt conveyor system equipped with cameras and a laser generator is used as the test apparatus. Two kinds of conveyor condition monitoring algorithms are developed, applied and compared in this paper. Method 1 is to extract the edges of the conveyor belt based on the methods of edge detection and line fitting, and an analysis method is proposed to quickly determine whether the conveyor belt is off course. This method simplifies the information processing process after edge line extraction and realizes the fast and effective state detection of the conveyor belt. A conveyor belt deviation detection system was built in Method 2 with the aid of laser technology and the Labview platform. The result of deviation detection was more accurate and reliable with the addition of the laser line. It is observed that both methods can perform well for belt deviation detection, especially Method 2 that resulted in higher reliability and accuracy with faster processing speed. It provides new ideas for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the conveyor.