BALL COUNTER
Need / Demand
There was a need to create an operational control loop for the SAG ball mill. The fundamental point for control is the quantification and classification according to the diameter of the grinding media inserted into the mill through a belt conveyor.
The process is important for several factors, including avoiding excessive wear on the mill lining, avoiding material contamination, performing a stock calculation based on passed balls, in order to also calculate how many new elements should be inserted.
Development / Solution:
LLK has developed an analysis system using a computer vision algorithm using image triangulation capable of counting the balls (grinding elements) and a dimensional analysis classifying the balls according to their diameter, 2”, 2.5” and 3”, transmitting the data in Profibus DP, and can also be transmitted in the main industry communication protocols.
Results
This solution for measuring moving objects, transported on conveyor belts or similar, using artificial vision, generated a new product for the market called Ball Counter, made available in our portfolio in 2016. The system is fully operational and received a certificate of approval from Vale . This concept can be applied to other types of material transported on belts, including boxes, bottles, fruit and anything that can be counted and sorted by size or color.
