Status and prospect of intelligent key technologies of belt conveyor

As the key equipment of the coal transportation system, the intelligence of the belt conveyor is crucial to the safe and efficient transportation of coal mines. And it is of great significance to improve the safety level of coal mines and ensure a stable supply of coal. Driven by the new technological revolution, the field of belt conveyor intelligence is in the stage of accelerated development. Key intelligent technologies such as information system platforms, intelligent control, measurement and sensing have made continuous progress, showing a trend of multi-point breakthroughs and all-around development. However, the relevant technologies are mostly applied experimentally in coal mining enterprises and have not been widely promoted. This paper reviews the research and development trend of key technologies for intelligent belt conveyors in recent years and summarizes the problems encountered in engineering applications. First, the authors give an overview of the development of belt conveyor intellectualization, focusing on the technical characteristics of belt conveyors with different carrying types and the technical requirements for intelligent development. Then, the key technical problems that need to be solved for idler belt conveyor intelligence are pointed out. The current research status of four key directions, such as energy saving technology of belt conveyors, coal flow sensing technology, health status monitoring technology, and safety assurance technology, is introduced. The article analyzes the application of computer vision, big data analysis, intelligent control, and decision-making technologies in engineering, and discusses the existing problems and future development trends. Finally, the development suggestions for belt conveyors are proposed from the perspective of intelligent monitoring and control research, combined with the analysis of related technology research results at home and abroad. The future research directions of intelligent key technologies such as non-contact coal flow intelligent sensing of belt conveyors, transparent conveying based on multi-source information fusion, frequency conversion and energy-saving control, and virtual reality are discussed.