Belt conveyor speed detection based on fiber-optic Sagnac interferometer vibration sensor

Abstract

With their long transportation distance and high productivity, belt conveyors are characterized as the main equipment for bulk material transportation in coal mines and other key industries. However, its speed detection method has always been an engineering challenge under harsh working conditions. In this work, the elastic-optical effect of the polarization-maintaining fiber is used to design a fiber ring laser vibration sensing system based on a fiber-optic Sagnac interferometer vibration sensor and its packaging structure. The vibration detection is achieved by detecting the change in optical power at the working wavelength, and the belt conveyor speed measurement is completed by detecting the vibration frequency. With such a method, the belt conveyor speed measurement obtained a relative error of less than 1.88%. The proposed method bears the characteristics of anti-electromagnetic interference, intrinsic explosion-proof, and adapts to the harsh smoke and dust working environment, which has a wide range of application prospects in the fields of engineering, machinery, security, etc.