Computer Vision and Magnetic IoT Sensors to Eliminate Chute Clogging and Predict Catastrophic Machinery Breakdowns
Continuous chute clogging detection, wireless vibration/temperature telemetry, and electro-mechanical OEE optimization.
How chute blockages and sudden component failures crush industrial OEE
Moist ore build-up chokes transfer chutes and halts whole processing lines, while unmonitored bearings lead to catastrophic mechanical failures.
Sudden chute and hopper clogging (material build-up)
Sticky or moist bulk material bridges transfer chutes, causing severe overflow, conveyor tripping, and hazardous manual clean-outs.
Emergency corrective repairs with astronomical costs
Unanticipated bearing failures on crushers, mills, and heavy pumps incur replacement costs up to 5x higher than planned preventative overhauls.
Legacy plant machinery with zero electronic telemetry
Most equipment in mature processing plants lacks factory sensorization, and installing conduit cabling is prohibitively costly.
Chute Clogging Detection & Asset Telemetry
Real-time computer vision inside transfer hoppers paired with wireless magnetic IoT sensors on motors and reducers.
Module A: Chute Clogging Identification (WHC Matrices)
Industrial optical cameras continuously auditing transfer chutes, feed hoppers, and crusher screens 24/7.
- Vision algorithms analyzing transfer chutes, WHC 03 Upper/Lower matrices, and grizzly screens.
- Real-time obstruction percentage calculation (e.g. 19%, 60%, 57%, 26%) with automated saturation alarms.
- Console displaying hourly obstruction trends per camera and trigger counts (e.g. 235 alerts/day).
Module B: Plug-and-Play Magnetic IoT Sensor
High-precision wireless telemetry with instant magnetic mounting on equipment bearing housings.
- Continuous Temperature: thermal monitoring of bearings and stator coils with abnormal rise alarms.
- Delta Vibration: triaxial vibration tracking (m/s²) identifying unbalance, looseness, and gear wear.
- Acoustic Volume: calibrated high-frequency microphone detecting abnormal metal rubbing and cavitation.
- Uptime & Productivity: active vs idle runtime logs without tapping into machine control panels.
Module C: Predictive Maintenance & OEE Intelligence
Convergence of physical sensor telemetry and computer vision into an integrated predictive dashboard.
- Wear-curve prediction allowing proactive part replacement prior to catastrophic mechanical failure.
- Dramatic reduction in night-shift emergency calls and significant increase in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
- Data export to enterprise maintenance management software (SAP PM, IBM Maximo, TOTVS).
Chute Obstruction Tracking & Asset Health Trends
Continuous monitoring of clogging percentages per matrix (WHC 03 Upper/Lower) combined with minute-by-minute vibration and thermal logs.
Configurable sampling intervals from 1 to 60 seconds with up to 5-year cloud telemetry retention.
Industrial Magnetic IoT Sensor
Direct neodymium snap-on mount for crushers, motors, and slurry pumps measuring vibration, temperature, and sound.
Optikon Industrial Magnetic Sensor
Zero drilling, zero cabling, and zero downtime required for installation
Featuring industrial-grade neodymium magnets, hard-anodized aluminum enclosure, and sealed electronics engineered for harsh dust and moisture.
- Installed in under 2 minutes per bearing housing or motor
- Ultra-low power design delivering up to 3 years of battery life
- Onboard edge processing computing FFT vibration spectrum locally
Chute Spillage Eliminated and 40% Reduction in Emergency Maintenance Costs
24/7 vision monitoring of transfer chutes WHC 03 combined with magnetic IoT sensors mounted on drive motors.
Operational Challenge
High moisture ore caused an average of 3 weekly severe chute blockage events, each demanding 4 hours of hazardous manual pick-axe cleaning.
Implemented Solution
Cameras installed with optical clogging algorithms configured to trigger automated compressed-air blast valves whenever clogging exceeded 45%.
Field-Verified Results
- 92% drop in transfer chute spillage incidents plant-wide.
- Over 12 hours of monthly downtime recovered, yielding 14,000 t of additional processed ore.
- Crusher bearing fault detected 10 days prior to catastrophic breakdown.
- 100% elimination of hazardous manual clean-outs inside confined chute spaces.
All compliance and progress metrics were directly piped into monthly owner billing and progress acceptance logs.
Frequently Asked Industrial Solutions Questions
Does the magnet detach under heavy crusher vibration?
No. We utilize heavy-duty industrial N52 neodymium magnets capable of resisting acceleration forces up to 20G without shifting.
How do cameras see through dense dust inside chutes?
Our specialized optical enclosures feature air-curtain (air knife) lenses and synchronized strobe lighting that pierces airborne dust clouds.
Can the system trigger external physical actuators?
Yes. The platform provides digital relay outputs and PLC/SCADA integration to fire air cannons or vibrators automatically.
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