SOLAR POWERED AUTOMATIC CONVEYOR SYSTEM

A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Submitted By

PUCHA CHIRANJEEVI (2001301097)

SUDHANSU PRASAD TAHAL (2001301092)
ADITYA KUMAR BEHERA (2121301221)
AJIT BEHERA (2121301223)
UNDER THE ESTEEMED GUIDANCE OF
Dr.PrabhuPrasad Mishra
Dept of Mech. Engineering.

DEPTARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

VIGNAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This work was completed due to the grace of almighty God. We are highly indebted to
God that he has given the strength and encouragement to complete this work and hope his
blessings will continue to be showered on us so that we can achieve the goal of our life.

We avail this opportunity to place our profound gratitude to our guide Dr. PRABHU
PRASAD MISHRA, Department of Mechanical Engineering, for his constant supervision,
inspiration and encouragement, right from the beginning of the project.

We are also grateful to Dr. PRABHU PRASAD MISHRA, HOD, Mechanical

Engineeringfor his help and valuable suggestion in completion of this project.

Finally, we would like to extend my sincere thanks to our parents, my friends and all
those persons who have rendered their valuable help directly or indirectly in the completion
of this project.

PUCHA CHIRANJEEVI (2001301097)

SUDHANSU PRASAD TAHAL (2001301092)
ADITYA KUMAR BEHERA (2121301221)
AJIT BEHERA (2121301223)

Department of Mechanical Engineering

 DECLERATION

We do here by declare that we have under gone a projection “ SOLAR POWERED

AUTOMATIC CONVEYOR SYSTEM” at Vignan Institute of Technology and Management
(VITAM), under the Guidance of Dr. PRABHU PRASAD MISHRADepartment of
MECHANICAL Engineering, and Berhampur

We submit his report in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the B.Tech, in
Department of Mechanical Engineering from Vignan Institute of Technology And Management,
Berhampur. The report is exclusively and comprehensively prepared and conceptualized by us.
The information and data given here in this project are collected during our study from various
sources and it has not been published any where before.

PUCHA CHIRANJEEVI (2001301097)

SUDHANSU PRASAD TAHAL (2001301092)
ADITYA KUMAR BEHERA (2121301221)
AJIT BEHERA (2121301223)
 Abstract

In this project we will make a mechanical set up of conveyer which

will do movement according to the object placed on the belt. If
object is detected on the belt, belt will automatic get start. After
dumping of object it will get stop automatically. It is an energy saving
concept for conveyer system.

In this project we will use an IR Sensor to detect object, and once

object detected, relay will get trip to operate and conveyor will start.
After dumping of object conveyor will stop itself.
 INTRODUCTION

Project Background
Belt Conveyor Systems, in this thesis referred to as BCS, have been

used worldwide for conveying passengers, general cargo and bulk

cargo for about 250 years (Hetzel and Albright,1941). BCS play an

important role in continuous bulk material transport in the mining

industry, on bulk terminals, in cement plants, power plants, chemical

production, and so on. Compared to other transportation modes

often used for the transportation of bulk solid materials, such as

trains or trucks, BCS are the most encouraged means to transport

large volumes rapidly and efficiently through production processes in

areas where roads and railway infrastructures do not exist or are

under-developed. Over the past decades the development of BCS

design technologies has enabled the realization of longer, faster and

more efficient BCS with higher capacity and less environmental

impact (Lodewijks, 2001). The application of BCS has become

widespread not only for in-plant but also for overland transportation.
Figure 1.1 Conventional troughed belt conveyor

One typical layout of BCS is the conventional troughed belt conveyor

(Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2). The length of a belt in such a system may

vary from 10 m to 20,000 m. The velocity can reach up to 9 m/s and

the width can vary from about 0.3 m to 3.2 m. Today’s the highest

capable belt conveyors carry up to 40,000 tons/hour of lignite at the

RWE lignite mines in Germany (Küsel, 2004). A troughed belt

conveyor normally consists of an endless rubber belt reinforced in

the warp or longitudinal direction by a polyester or nylon fabric or

steel cords. The belt is supported along its length by rotating idler
rolls and suspended between pulleys at either end. A drive pulley is

powered to rotate the belt and move the materials on the belt

forward. A tensioning device, also called a take-up, applies pre-

tension on the belt to limit belt sag and to allow drive power

transmission (Figure 1.3). The belt can be stopped by means of an

operational stop utilizing the motors or an emergency stop utilizing

brakes if the BCS has brakes.

Figure 1.2 Cross section of troughed belt conveyor

Figure 1.3 Belt conveyor Assembly

Figure 1.3 shows the principle assembly of the system of a belt

conveyor. The configuration and applied components of the system

can vary based on design requirements. Taking the assembled

elements into account, a belt conveyor can be considered as a

system that consists of a number of components. Such a system is as

reliable as the combined reliability of its components. The

malfunction of one of the components may lead to expensive

downtime if it causes a total shutdown of the system. The downtime

of one of the conveyors in a sequential conveying system may result

in a stop of the production process. Increasing the reliability of the

components of a BCS, and therefore of the BCS itself, is a direct way

to minimize system downtime and to reducethe cost of downtime

for the companies using belt conveyors. Since a BCS cannot be

designed to be 100% reliable and the reliability of BCS components

decreases with aging and when wear occurs, proper maintenance

techniques are required to maintain the reliability of the various

components and the system.

Traditionally, companies using belt conveyors carry out BCS

inspections, which are followed by necessary maintenance activities

such as replacement or reparation of components. This is done to

ensure that the reliability of their system is maintained. Today,

however, satisfactory decisions for operational and maintenance

activities are based on inspection results and can only properly be

made if the personnel carrying out the inspection and maintenance

activities are well-trained and have stayed on the specific area of BCS

for a considerable time. Moreover, today’s BCS inspection only

focuses on the technical condition or the health of special BCS

component(s) such as the drives and transfer stations. The overall

status of BCS can not be assessed if there is no integrated

information derived from the inspection of different BCS

components. Since the 1970’s, condition monitoring has been

employed in BCS operational control to help the inspection

personnel to gather desired information and to understand the

performance of BCS. Condition Monitoring, which is referred to as

CM, is the continuous or periodic measurement and interpretation of

data to indicate the condition of an item to determine the need for

maintenance (Leaney and Sharpe, 1999). CM in the area of BCS deals

with the acquisition of data from human inspectors and sensors and

with taking corrective actions on BCS components that are to fail.

However, CM still relies on considerable human effort and domain

knowledge because CM does not have “the capacity to profit from

experience to go beyond (Zimbardo 1992)” and does not have “the

ability to gain and apply knowledge and skills (Soanes et al., 2001)”.

To overcome operational problems caused by the lack of knowledge

and experience of maintenance personnel, the industry using belt

conveyors requires advanced intelligent monitoring and operational

control systems to simultaneously monitor as many BCS components

as possible in order to represent the entire BCS technical and

operational status. Intelligence here can be defined as the ability to

integrate and interpret the information gathered through sensors in

BCS and further to make maintenance and operational decisions

based on the overall status of BCS.

Belt Conveyors are used in self-unloading bulk freighters and in live

bottom trucks. Conveyor technology is also usedin
conveyor transport such as moving sidewalks or, escalators as well as
on manymanufacturing assembly lines. Stores often have conveyor
belts at the check-outcounter to move shopping items. Ski areas also
use conveyor belts to transport skiersup the hill. A wide variety of
related conveying machines are available, different asregards
principle of operation, means and direction of conveyance, including
vibratingscrew conveyors, pneumatic conveyors, the moving floor
system, which usesreciprocating slats to move cargo, and roller
conveyor system, which uses a series of powered rollers to convey
boxes or pallets.Conveyors are used as components inautomated
distribution and warehousing. In combination with computer
controlled pallet handling equipment this allows for more efficient
retail, wholesale, andmanufacturing distribution. It is considered a
labor saving system that allows largevolumes to move rapidly
through a process, allowing companies to ship or receivehigher
volumes with smaller storage space and with less labor expense.
Rubber Conveyor Belts are commonly used to convey items with
irregular bottom surfaces,small items that would fall in between
rollers (e.g. a sushi conveyor bar), or bags of product that would sag
between rollers. Belt conveyors are generally fairly similar in
construction consisting of a metal frame with rollers at either end of
a flat metal bed. The rollers allow weight to be conveyed as they
reduce the amount of frictiongenerated from the heavier loading on
the belting. Belt conveyors can now bemanufactured with curved
sections which use tapered rollers and curved belting toconvey
products around a corner. These conveyor systemsare commonly
used in postal sorting offices and airport baggage handling
systems.Belt conveyors are the most commonly used powered
conveyors because theyare the most versatile and the least
expensive. Product is conveyed directly on the beltso both regular
and irregular shaped objects, large or small, light and heavy,
can
bet r a n s p o r t e d s u c c e s s f u l l y . T h e s e c o n v e y o r s s h o u l d u s
e o n l y t h e h i g h e s t q u a l i t y premium belting products,
which reduces belt stretch and results in less maintenancefor tension
adjustments. Belt conveyors can be used to transport product in a
straightline or through changes in elevation or direction. In certain
applications they can also be used for static accumulation or
cartons.2
This whole system is operated by motion sensor, motor and
circuitdesigninour project we use motion sensor to sense the mat
erial at which position and it gives the signal towards
the controller .The EMBEDDED SYSTEM of our project depends onthe
number of input output module and analog signal .We select
embedded system in our project, because Programmable Logic
Controller, popularly known as embedded system
is a tool. It is theimagination that limits it'sscope.Currently it is
abundantly used in process control
andmachinecontrol.Withi n c r e a s e d a p p l i c a t i o n s p r i c e s
shall come down and that will further boost it'sa
pplication.EMBEDDED SYSTEM basically a low current device
so usually electronic faculty peoplecan handle it or design
the EMBEDDED SYSTEM, but coming to application,
i.e.salesandmarketing,m o s t l y i t i s u s e s i n h i g h e l e c t r i
c n e t w o r k s y s t e m , s o a e l e c t r i c a l k n o w l e d g e i s ess
ential.T h e E M B E D D E D S Y S T E M i s u s e r f r i e n d l y d i g i t a l l y , o
p e r a t i n g e l e c t r o n i c d e v i c e t h a t u s e s programmable memor
y for internal storage of instruction that implement specificfunction,
such as logic sequence, timing, counting to control machine
and process. The EMBEDDED SYSTEM signal can be use for
start and stop motor .Therefore we use here dcmotor that
operated at 12(v)/24(v) DC supply .The voltage depend upon
speed require for the process .This conventional method of
conveyor control is further mobilized by use of dimmers. They
were better option in the case of on off control they can beoperated
in full load condition also. But the main problem with them
is stoppage of conveyors . the pneumatic stoppers were used
which did not stop the belts completely but use to stop materials on
it. This leads to wear and tear of the belts as well
as the product also the rejection ratio is increased.Computerized con
veyor belt system isused. In this the control of these belts is
achieved by the use of the pc interface and embedded
system based. These lead to better option of conveyor control in tod
ay’s industrialenvironment. It is very difficult for those to
maintain them at constant or throughvariablespeeds .Recently
single shop conveyor belt systems are modified to becomemultiple
type i.e instead of single conveyor multiple conveyors are
usedinseries, parallel and speed is controlled using remote monitor
ing. Also the recent trend is3
emerging towards controlling the speed of these conveyors
by the use of computer technology. Conveyors are used in a
broad range of industries and applications tom o v e
packaged goods, assemblies, process byproducts, or
a n y m a t e r i a l f r o m o n e place to another. A process designer will ty
pically look for opportunities to use theforce of gravity to accomplish
product movement. Electric motors are commonly usedwhen gravity
cannot be employed or when the speed of a gravitational fall needs
to becontrolled.Airports, mines, cement plants, distribution facilities,
assembly, and food processing plants all utilize conveyors. Conveyors
are typically constant torque loads, meaningthe required torque to
drive a conveyor is independent of speed. A fixed amount of torque
is also required to overcome the frictional, or machine drag, portion
of the totalload. Conveyors can have nominal amounts of friction and
machine inertia for whichto compensate. Material flowing over the
belt may be weighed in transit using a beltweigher .
 Components USEDIR SENSORS

DEFINITION

IR stands for “Infra Red”. Infrared detectors/sensors are transducers of

radiant energy.IR Sensor is a sensor that sends and detects IR
Radiation/Signals. Infrared radiation is the portion of electromagnetic
spectrum having wavelengths longer than visible light wavelengths, but
smaller than microwaves, i.e., the region roughly from 0.75µm to 1000 µm
is the infrared region. Infrared waves are invisible to human eyes. The
wavelength region of 0.75µm to 3 µm is called near infrared, the region
from 3 µm to 6 µm is called mid infrared and the region higher than 6 µm is
called far infrared. (The demarcations are not rigid; regions are defined
differently by many).

 “Visible”: 0.3 – 1.0 μm;

 Near-IR: 1.0 – 5.2 μm;
 Mid-IR : 8 – 25 μm;
 Far-IR: 25 – 1000 μm; airborne, space
TYPES OF IR SENSORS:

1. Active IR Sensors:
Active IR Sensors are the type of IR Sensors that employs an IR source
& IR detectors (emitter & receiver).They operate by transmitting energy
from either a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode. A phototransistor is
used as an active IR detector. In these types of IR sensors, the LED or laser
diode illuminates the target, and the reflected energy is focused onto a
detector. Photoelectric cells, Photodiode or phototransistors are generally
used as detectors. The measured data is then processed using various
signal-processing algorithms to extract the desired information.
Active IR detectors provide count, presence, speed, and occupancy
data in both night and day operation.
2. Passive IR Sensors:
These are basically IR detectors; they don’t use any IR source. These
form the major class of IR sensors/detectors.
A passive infrared system detects energy emitted by objects in the field
of view and may use signal-processing algorithms to extract the desired
information. It does not emit any energy of its own for the purposes of
detection. Passive infrared systems can detect presence, occupancy, and
count.

Type of IR Sensor required in the project

Active IR Sensors- Reflectance Sensors
This type of sensors house both an IR source and an IR detector in a
single housing in such a way that light from emitter LED bounces off an
external object and is reflected into a detector. Amount of light reflected
into the detector depends upon the reflectivity of the surface.
 This principle is used in intrusion detection, object detection (measure
the presence of an object in the sensor’s FOV), barcode decoding, and
surface feature detection (detecting features painted, taped, or otherwise
marked onto the floor), wall tracking (detecting distance from the wall),
etc.
It can also be used to scan a defined area; the transmitter emits a beam
of light into the scan zone, the reflected light is used to detect a change in
the reflected light thereby scanning the desired zone.
It consist of a pair of IR sensors –
-Transmitter
- Receiver
The transmitter transmits the IR signals & the receiver receives the ir signal.
 IR TRANSMITTER

IR RECEIVER
Transmitter:
 Transmitter = LED (Light Emitting Diode)

 It is similar to normal LEDs but emit infra-red light its glow can be seen
with a digital camera or mobile phone camera.
Receiver:
 Receiver = Photodiode/IR Transistor.

 A photodiode is a diode that conducts only when light falls on it

WORKING PRINCIPLE
CONNECTIONS

APPLICATIONS:

 Robotics – Line follower, Obstacle detector, Edge detector

 Vehicle crash detection
 Speed measurement of motors
 Space expeditions applications
 Military Applications
 General uses as in Shop Door sensor, Anti-theft alarm, Appliance control
system
RELAY

A relay is an electrically operated switch. Current flowing through the coil of

the relay creates a magnetic field which attracts a lever and changes the switch
contacts. The coil current can be on or off so relays have two switch positions
and they are double throw (changeover) switches.

Relays allow one circuit to switch a second circuit which can be completely
separate from the first. For example a low voltage battery circuit can use a relay
to switch a 230V AC mains circuit. There is no electrical connection inside the
relay between the two circuits; the link is magnetic and mechanical.

The coil of a relay passes a relatively large current, typically 30mA for a 12V
relay, but it can be as much as 100mA for relays designed to operate from lower
voltages. Most ICs (chips) cannot provide this current and a transistor is usually
used to amplify the small IC current to the larger value required for the relay
coil. The maximum output current for the popular 555 timer IC is 200mA so
these devices can supply relay coils directly without amplification.

Relays are usually SPDT or DPDT but they can have many more sets of switch
contacts, for example relays with 4 sets of changeover contacts are readily
available. For further information about switch contacts and the terms used to
describe them please see the page on switches.

Most relays are designed for PCB mounting but you can solder wires directly to
the pins providing you take care to avoid melting the plastic case of the relay.

The supplier's catalogue should show you the relay's connections. The coil will
be obvious and it may be connected either way round. Relay coils produce brief
high voltage 'spikes' when they are switched off and this can destroy transistors
and ICs in the circuit. To prevent damage you must connect a protection diode
across the relay coil.

The animated picture shows a working relay with its coil and switch contacts.
You can see a lever on the left being attracted by magnetism when the coil is
switched on. This lever moves the switch contacts. There is one set of contacts
(SPDT) in the foreground and another behind them, making the relay DPDT.

The relay's switch connections are usually labeled COM, NC and NO:
  COM = Common, always connect to this, it is the moving part of the
switch.
 NC = Normally Closed, COM is connected to this when the relay coil is
off.
 NO = Normally Open, COM is connected to this when the relay coil is
on.
 Connect to COM and NO if you want the switched circuit to be on when the
relay coil is on.
 Connect to COM and NC if you want the switched circuit to be on when the
relay coil is off.

Protection diodes for relays

Transistors and ICs must be protected from the brief high voltage produced
when a relay coil is switched off. The diagram shows how a signal diode (e.g.
1N4148) is connected 'backwards' across the relay coil to provide this
protection.
Current flowing through a relay coil creates a magnetic field which collapses
suddenly when the current is switched off. The sudden collapse of the magnetic
field induces a brief high voltage across the relay coil which is very likely to
damage transistors and ICs. The protection diode allows the induced voltage to
drive a brief current through the coil (and diode) so the magnetic field dies away

quickly rather than instantly. This prevents the induced voltage becoming high
enough to cause damage to transistors and ICs.
Relays and transistors compared

Like relays, transistors can be used as an electrically operated switch. For

switching small DC currents (< 1A) at low voltage they are usually a better
choice than a relay. However transistors cannot switch AC or high voltages
(such as mains electricity) and they are not usually a good choice for switching
large currents (> 5A). In these cases a relay will be needed, but note that a low
power transistor may still be needed to switch the current for the relay's coil!
The main advantages and disadvantages of relays are listed below:

Advantages of relays:

 Relays can switch AC and DC, transistors can only switch DC.
 Relays can switch high voltages, transistors cannot.
 Relays are a better choice for switching large currents (> 5A).
 Relays can switch many contacts at once.

Disadvantages of relays:

 Relays are bulkier than transistors for switching small currents.

 Relays cannot switch rapidly (except reed relays), transistors can switch
many times per second.
 Relays use more power due to the current flowing through their coil.
 Relays require more current than many ICs can provide, so a low power
transistor may be needed to switch the current for the relay's coil.
 Advantage:

 Energy Saving Concept

 Solar Energy Compatible
 Hybrid System for both solar and grid

Limitation: Grid Dependency

Diagram:
Conclusion & Future Scope:

It can be developed as automated. Whenever an object will be placed on its

belt, it will start moving. It can be done by using sensor and controller.
 Refrences:
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upravleniya-cptr-drobilnojj-fabriki

2. Volotkovsky S.A., Fursov V. D.1960.: Conveyor belt line control

automation in ore mines and quarries, Izvestiyavuzov. Journal of Mining
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3. Kolesnik V.V., Korobtsov A.A., 1993. Continuous flow process technology,

as automatic control object,Automatic adaptive control systems, №1, pp.
70-77.

4. Golubenko A., Marchenko D., 2008.: Features of diagrams of phases and

anomaly of structures of dynamic systems during degradation of their
properties.TEKA Commission of motorization and PowerIndustry in
Agriculture, №8, V.III, pp. 77-81.
5. RapoportE.Ya., 2003.: Structural Modeling of Distributed-Parameter
Objects and Control Systems,VysshayaShkola, Moscow, 299p.

6. Volotkovsky V.S., 1976.: Application and wearing of conveyor belt on

long-haul installations, Treatise of Institute of Mining Engineering: Ministry
of Iron and Steel Industry SSSR, Publ. 50, Sverlovsk, pp.70-76.