Scraper conveyor shape sensing technology based on orthogonal optical fiber strain

Abstract

Intelligent perception of a scraper conveyor straightness and attitude monitoring of mechanical supporting equipment in the stope have practical and theoretical values for mining. This study proposed an optical fiber curvature sensor and a scraper conveyor’s curve reconstruction method. The optical fiber curvature sensor comprises the fiber grating strain sensing optical cables, the flexible substrate, and the packaging material. The coordinate positions of each monitoring point are obtained through the strain–curvature conversion relationship and the slope recurrence algorithm, and then the reconstruction curve is obtained by fitting. The finite element simulation verifies the feasibility of the curve reconstruction method used for the deformation monitoring via optical fiber curvature sensors. The reconstruction error analysis results show that the root mean square error of reconstructions for two kinds of 2D plane bending and 3D space bending are 2.98%, 1.89%, and 3.13%, respectively. Their mean absolute errors are 8.9, 3.56, and 9.82 mm, respectively, verifying the feasibility and high accuracy of the proposed curve reconstruction equation. The research results provide a theoretical basis for the shape perception and straightening control of scraper conveyors in the intelligent working surface.