Radar Sensory Technology
A Reliable Basis for All Solutions: Unique Radar Technology
The core of most of our solutions is our unique iDRR™ Radar Sensor technology. It has been specifically developed to answer the highly demanding requirements of the mining industry. Our sensors neither compromise on robustness nor accuracy, they are easy to install and calibrate and do not require any maintenance. Over the years, we have expanded and further developed our sensors into a multi-purpose solution family that offers real-time filling height information, creates 2D and 3D images of stockpiles, helps to position machinery with an accuracy in the mm area, and measures the speed and volume flow of conveyor belts. All of our solutions can easily be combined to fit your
specific requirements in one modular solution package. To discover the whole range of possibilities of our solutions, click on any of the logos to the right.
To learn more about the underlying indurad radar technology, please go to Technology.
iBelt™
iDome™
iStacker™
iStockpile™
iSilo™
WORLD’S FIRST RADAR BASED BELT VOLUME SCANNER WITH CONTACT FREE SPEED SENSOR
iBelt™ is a cutting edge solution for belt volume measurement that integrates smoothly into any existing infrastructure. Measuring both belt load and (optionally) speed and misalignment with 99% accuracy, it provides accurate information on volume flow, production history, belt alignment, belt occupancy rate and overall efficiency.
How does it work?
Solution Layout: One embedded indurad DualRangeRadar iDRR™ with an inbuilt indurad RadarProcessingUnit iRPU™ is installed above the running belt to measure the volume flow. If wheel encoders or inductive switches are not reliable enough, the velocity of the belt may be monitored by
the contact-free indurad DopplerVelocityRadar iDVR™.
The optimum installation position for the iBelt™ solution is at a height of 1.5 times the belt’s width. Optionally, indurad uses the LinearDynamicRadar iLDR™ on each side of the belt for edge detection, alignment monitoring and freeboard measurement.
Why is it an improvement?
Common Technologies to measure the load of conveyor belts all come with the known disadvantages and limitations: Laser scanners are: Sensitive to dust and weather & Require frequent cleaning and maintenance.
Radiometric measurement devices
- Come with high acquisition costs
- Require radiation protection and registration
Belt scales, as the most common technological approach have
- Static errors such as wear or misalignment and require frequent calibration
- Drift and intermittent errors caused by temperature, belt tension and vibrations, which cannot be calibrated at all
- Difficulties to measure the water content of bulk material in a controlled fashion
Breaking Limitations: The iBelt™ is a contact-free volume scanner providing data on volume, not mass. Today, most bulk measuring processes use mass for control, as for instance belt scales do. The main reason for belt scales being widely used: simply because they have been around for decades! Working with volume and completely contact-less overcomes the drawbacks of these common technologies and brings about the following advantages:
- Single lifetime calibration if mechanical belt structure not changed
- Higher accuracy with less equipment installed
- Contact-free technology allows for simple mechanical installation
- Density may be calculated online in combination with a belt scale
What are the Benefits?
iBelt™ is both a compact and highly flexible solution to fit any belt and any requirements. Based on the award-winning indurad radar sensor technology, it brings the following benefits:
- Fast: installation within one shift, easy calibration
- Intuitive: own iWEB™ Human Machine Interface
- Integrative: connects to all industrial interfaces
- Smart: current + retrospective production
- Reliable: operative under all environmental conditions + on all belts
- Enduring: no maintenance required
- Money-saver: reduce wear, downtime, avoid over/underfilling and cut excessive power consumption
Where is it used?
Industries/Materials: iBelt™ is in use around the world in a wide spectrum of applications. It has proven to provide significant benefits for our customers. iBelt™ is a highly adaptable and worry-free solution for industries that demand reliable and exact information about material flow in their processes on a constant basis:
- Material handling, power plants and steel (coal, ore)
- Mining, stone and soil (rock, sand, gravel)
- Paper and Pulp (wood chips, cellulose)
- Agriculture (soybeans, grains, meal products)
- Chemical industry (fertilizer, salt)
3D VOLUMETRIC ONLINE RADAR INVENTORY CONTROL FOR DOMES, BUNKERS & LARGE CLINKER SILOS
iDome™ is a multiple sensor solution for bulk material storage facilities such as domes or very large silos to create real-time volumetric content information and 3D images of any stockpile.
How does it work?
Solution Layout: The required number of indurad DualRangeRadar (iDRR™) sensors is installed underneath the dome roof, on a rotary stacker or any other suitable position inside the dome. The indurad RadarProcessingUnit (iRPU™) collects all incoming raw radar data from the iDRR™ units to create the 2D heightmap and 3D model in iWEB™ as well as the PLC telegram.
If rotary stackers are used in the dome, the iStacker™ solution is required as it integrates sensor position changes coming from an absolute rotary encoder.
Why is it an improvement?
Common Technologies to measure the contents of domes all come with a large number of disadvantages and limitations. 1D Radar Solutions
- Are restricted to single-point probes
- Suffer from high latency and low update rates
Ultrasonic Measurement Devices
- Are easily distorted by machine drive noises
- Have problems with dust clouds, changing temperatures or pressure
2D/3D Laser-based solutions
- Do not work in dusty environments due to scattering of laser light
- Have many moving parts and tend to break in high-vibration environments
Other technologies like manual surveying or mathematical models are very limited as well. These issues are addressed in detail at the iStacker™/iStockpile™ solution pages.
Breaking Limitations: iDome™ pushes the limits for level gauge measurement with regard to performance, reliability and accuracy:
- Provides fully reliable 3D visualization and volumetric measurements
- Provides special information like material over feeders etc.
- Allows to work under pressure and temperature changes as they tend to occur in high altitude
- Allows to work in strong metallic environments with cell-based filters for structural steel beams
- Allows to work in snow, dust, rain and fog where optical and acoustic sensors fail
- Maintenance-free: put up and forget
What are the Benefits?
iDome™ gives you full control of the inventory of your dome, providing real-time information and 3D images in the indurad iWEB™ interface. Both for operator assistance or full automation, iDome™ is the ultimate answer, as it combines highest reliability with best user friendliness:
- 3D Model of filling volume and dome shape
- Color-coded 2D height map
- Areas for overfill protection user- selectable by drag & drop when there are multiple inlets or outlets
- No more cost-intensive and dangerous manual stockpile surveying
- Integrates easily into any SCADA/PLC/MES system
- No cleansing, no maintenance required
Where is it used?
Industries/Materials: iDome™ is installed in customer sites around the world in a wide spectrum of domes of different sizes. iDome™ is a highly reliable and worry-free volumetric measurement solution for industries that demand exact and permanently up-to-date information about the contents in their storage facilities for quick reaction times:
- Material handling, power plants and steel (coal, ore)
- Cement (clinker)
- Mining, stone and soil (rock, sand, gravel)
- Chemical industry (fertilizer, salt)
- Agriculture (soybeans, grains, meal products))
3D INVENTORY CONTROL, COLLISION AVOIDANCE AND POSITIONING SOLUTION FOR STACKERS
For stackers of all sizes: Real-time inventory scans and full 3D visualization of the entire stockyard. Additionally, iStacker™ provides stacking assistance as well as stockpile management and automation tools in order to stack homogeneous stockpiles or mix/blend materials. iStacker™ is the ultimate and highly endurable answer for advanced material handling under all environmental conditions.
How does it work?
Solution Layout: Several indurad DualRangeRadar (iDRR™) sensors are installed at the boom tip of the stacker. Their primary function is to measure the surface of the stockpile underneath, which provides the data for the highly precise volumetric measurement and the 3D graphics of the stacked material.
The position of the stacker along the rails is permanently monitored by the indurad LinearDynamicRadar (iLDR™), which may be combined with luff/slew encoders or RTK L1L2 D-GPS measurement devices. The indurad RadarProcessingUnit (iRPU™) handles all sensors and processes the incoming raw radar data.
How does it work?
Solution Layout: Several indurad DualRangeRadar (iDRR™) sensors are installed at the boom tip of the stacker. Their primary function is to measure the surface of the stockpile underneath, which provides the data for the highly precise volumetric measurement and the 3D graphics of the stacked material.
The position of the stacker along the rails is permanently monitored by the indurad LinearDynamicRadar (iLDR™), which may be combined with luff/slew encoders or RTK L1L2 D-GPS measurement devices. The indurad RadarProcessingUnit (iRPU™) handles all sensors and processes the incoming raw radar data.
Why is it an improvement?
Common Technologies are often inaccurate (e.g. 1D level probes), unreliable (like lasers or ultrasonic devices), or rarely up to date (for instance manual surveying results). As 1D probes (e.g. ultrasonic devices) generally are highly unsuited, this technology is not addressed here but within the iSilo™/iDome™ solution. Lasers:
- Have issues with dark materials, such as black coal
- Black color means no light is reflected, so consequently no laser is reflected too
- Are sensitive to dust
- Require permanent cleaning and maintenance
Computer Models:
- Integration errors by summing up over time inflow and outflow from belt scales etc.
- Errors from the assumed angle of repose (changes with water content, particle size etc.)
- Manual manipulation of the stockpile with dozers or loaders
- Stockpile slump at steep slopes cut by a reclaimer
Manual Surveying
- Typically updated only once a month
- Surveyors need to access potentially unsafe locations
- Requires special skilled staff
- Large potential error chain from surveying, data conversion and human communication
- Downtime for measurement
Breaking Limitations: iStacker™ is the first technical solution to bundle functions for machine control, machine automation, volumetric measurement, real-time reclaiming analysis (Bench Edge Height Estimation, Predictive Volume Estimation etc.), maintenance, safety and management in one solution. It allows for:
- Exact inventory information at all times
- Exact tracking of material on the stockyard
- Integration of dozer operations by position broadcast
- Automatic/operator-assisted stacking methods: cone stacking, windrow stacking, chevron stacking, strata stacking, block stacking
- Easy to install, no maintenance
What are the Benefits?
iStacker™ measures various process facets of the ongoing stacking process live and with highest precision. This allows to feed the PLC/SCADA/MES system with live information and permanently updated 3D inventory data.
- Online 3D volumetric measurement
- Long travel control based on volumetric flow instead of mass flow provides smooth stockpile surface and better utilization of the stockyard
- Increased productivity, uptime and process control
- Minimizing dust generation by Dump Height Control
- High accuracy under all environmental conditions at any time during all operations
- Easy integration into existing PLC/SCADA/MES solutions
iStockpile™ provides several supportive features that combine highly precise volumetric measurement and positioning functions in one single solution. iStockpile™ is the ultimate and highly endurable answer both for full tripper car automation, scraper/reclaimer automation and highly reliable operator support in difficult or unhealthy surroundings.
How does it work?
Solution Layout: Several indurad DualRangeRadar (iDRR™) sensors are mounted onto one or more tripper cars, a scraper portal or an overhead gantry crane in the stockpile facilities in order to scan the surface of the bulk material below. The position of the tripper car is permanently tracked by the indurad LinearDynamicRadar (iLDR™) with highest precision. Both types of information (bulk
material profile and position) are then fused by the indurad RadarProcessingUnit (iRPU™) in order to create real-time volumetric information and permanently updated 3D images of the bulk material.
Why is it an improvement?
Common Technologies are often inaccurate (e.g. 1D level probes), unreliable (like lasers or ultrasonic devices), or rarely up to date (for instance manual surveying results). As 1D probes (e.g. ultrasonic devices) generally are very unsuited, this technology is not addressed here (Please see iSilo™/iDome™ for more on ultrasonic). Lasers:
- Have issues with dark materials, such as black coal
- Black color means no light is reflected, so consequently no laser is reflected too
- Are sensitive to dust
- Require permanent cleaning and maintenance
Computer Models:
- Integration errors by summing up inflow and outflow from belt scales over time etc.
- Errors from the assumed angle of repose (changes with water content, particle size etc.) and uncontrolled surface according to stacking/drawing process
- Manual manipulation of the stockpile with dozers or loaders
- Stockpile slump at steep slopes cut by a reclaimer
Manual Surveying
- Typically updated only once a month
- Surveyor need to access potentially unsafe locations
- Requires special skilled staff
- Large potential error chain from surveying, data conversion and human communication
- Downtime for measurement
Breaking Limitations by providing real-time accurate 3D models and precise volume measurements of the entire pile independent of all environmental conditions during full operation.
- indurad 3D radar outperforms other systems in precision and reliability
- Provides a solid data base for production execution and inventory management
- Feeder control optionally available
- Tripper car speed and position control by volume flow
- Material quality tracking
What are the Benefits?
The system provides reliable real-time measurements that form the basis of any kind of inventory control, remote operation or automation of stockpiles.
- Exact inventory control at any time
- Exact height information of the stockpile at any place
- Exact positioning of tripper car, scraper, reclaimer, gantry
- FIFO Stockpile Management for sticky material such as sulfur, salt, steam coal
- High precision and high reliability
- Basis for remote control and automation
Where is it used?
Industries/Materials: The iStockpile™ solution is used in many industries from mining operations via power production and cement companies to the petrochemical industry. It can be employed wherever bulk material is stocked and stockyards are operated by tripper cars:
- Copper (primary crushed ore)
- Copper (secondary crushed ore)
- Copper (concentrate)
- Coal stockpiles
- Cement raw mix blending stockpiles
- Sulfur and salt (incl. first-in- first-out operations)
3D SILO VOLUMETRIC & PROFILE DETECTION SOLUTION FOR DELICATE PROCESSES
iSilo™ is perfectly suited for monitoring small to average-sized silos. Based on the award-winning indurad iDRR™ sensor technology, iSilo™ provides real-time information on filling height, 2D/3D illustrations of the silo contents and complete production history on a reliable basis. The several inflow and outflow points of this solution have proven to be an especially helpful feature. In opposition to the iDome™ Solution, iSilo™ is based on a single iDRR™ Sensor.
How does it work?
Solution Layout: One indurad DualRangeRadar (iDRR™) sensor is installed underneath the silo roof. The sensor is connected to the indurad RadarProcessingUnit (iRPU™), which is installed nearby and creates the volumetric information and 3D images of the silo contents.
Why is it an improvement?
Common Technologies to measure the contents of silos all come with a huge number of disadvantages and limitations: 1D Level Gauge Radars
- Are restricted to single-point probes
- Automatically assume the surface to be flat
- Are difficult to adjust mechanically on the roof
Ultrasonic measurement devices
- Are easily distorted by machine drive noises
- Have problems with dust clouds, changing temperatures or pressure
Breaking Limitations: iSilo™ pushes the limits for level gauge measurement with
regard to information, performance, reliability and accuracy:
- Provides critical information as multiple area specific min and max set points
- Provides information about dead material at walls to prevent collapse and ratholes
- Allows to work under pressure and temperature changes as present in high altitude
- Allows to work in strong metallic environments with cell-based filters for structural steel beams
- Flat polycarbonate sensor window with anti-stick surface coating leaves no corner for mud buildup
- IECEx / ATEX approval for Zone 21, 22 dust ex as well as M2 in UG Coal Mining
What are the Benefits?
Based on the award-winning indurad radar sensor technology, iSilo™ allows for high-precision real-time measurements in silos even in high dust concentration levels, during extreme temperature fluctuations and all other environmental factors commonly encountered in silo environments. It provides:
- Remote commissioning instead of spending nights on the silo roof
- Real-time filling height information
- Automatic selection of input/output gates
- Prevention against silo downtime
- 3D illustrations of silo contents (liquid and solid fillings)
- Highly dynamic scanning cycles of 15 scans/second
- High/low temperature proof for monitoring dangerous materials such as clinker
Where is it used?
Industries/Materials: iSilo™ is installed in customer sites around the world in a wide spectrum of silos with varying contents. iSilo™ is a highly reliable and worry-free volumetric measurement solution for industries that demand exact and permanently up-to- date information about the development of the contents in their storage facilities for quick reaction times:
- Material handling, power plants and steel (coal, ore)
- Mining, stone and soil (rock, sand, gravel)
- Chemical industry (fertilizer, salt)
- Agriculture (soybeans, grains, meal products)