FAQ about conveyor
Smart roller monitoring system

Vayeron® recommends every roller has a Smart-Idler® module as the network will be more robust with multiple paths of redundancy. It also means every roller is being monitored, ensuring all deterioration will be detected. However, the conveyor Smart roller monitoring system can still operate successfully when implemented in localised areas.

The Gateway aggregates all information from the network of Smart rollers. Each Gateway communicates with up to 5000 Smart Rollers using 433MHz radio. The Smart Rollers mesh network the data down the conveyor to the Gateway. Architecture of the Smart roller system is described below.

Approved conveyor roller manufacturers are responsible for the installation of the Smart-Idler® in the rollers. Vayeron® provides 24/7 technical support to ensure successful installation.

This is captured at the time of field commissioning the roller in the conveyor using the Vayeron® Field Commissioning Application. The data is synced with the server at this point.

Vayeron® Smart-Idlers® measure the following:

• On-board vibration analysis
• Indicative shell wear and carry back build up analysis of roller tube
• Temperature of both bearings
• RPM
• Rotation count
• Belt skipping events
• Radio Signal Strength

Yes, Vayeron® can make the data available via REST API for integration into other systems.

The Vayeron® system reports to a default cloud-based platform, however, Vayeron® has built an enormous amount of flexibility into the technology. Vayeron® can send data to the site PLC for SCADA integration, or into other third-party software platforms. Ultimately, the customer pays for the ‘data access’, rather than the platform Vayeron® provides. The Vayeron® Field Commissioning Application is required to commission smart rollers within a conveyor. This application can be installed on any Android OS barcode scanner or camera enabled device such as a phone or tablet.

Characterisation of the data happens automatically, however, the end-user can set threshold limits for alarms as required.

The Smart-Idler® module is designed to last 10+ years. This is well beyond the average life expectancy of a conveyor roller (~3-5 years). In the best-case scenario, in clean laboratory conditions, a quality conveyor roller bearing should achieve approximately 80,000 hours of operation. Even with this design requirement, the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA) indicates that 10% of all bearings will fail early during their design life, which is a compelling reason why the Smart-Idler® should be used as a safety-net sub-component of a conveyor roller.

The Smart-Idler® module is capable of accurately detecting RPM-based shell wear deterioration and Stage 2 bearing defects from vibration analysis frequency progression. This provides months of warning before catastrophic failure, so conveyor roller maintenance can be arranged during a scheduled downtime period. Smart-Idler® also detects roller bearing failure by sensing temperature. This means that all modes of conveyor roller bearing failure can be detected and tracked as the condition worsens. The severity of the failure can be escalated in the reporting software for urgent attention.

The redundancy comes from the many different Smart rollers in the network and paths that the radio packet can take to get through the system. Typically, if one was to fail it wouldn’t be an issue, provided there are other Smart rollers near.

It is not necessary to tune the Smart-Idler® as it automatically conducts conveyor roller condition monitoring and analysis in all conveyor roller applications.

There is no EMF interference with other instruments. The Smart-Idler® module is housed in a Faraday cage within the roller. Further, under FCC part 15, the 433MHz ISM band can be used if the power output is equal or less than 10mW. It operates over a low duty cycle and is expected to accept interference from other devices.

Each Gateway can detect up to 5,000 Smart rollers on a single network. The Smart Rollers establish a network along the conveyor and ‘daisy-chain’ the information back to the Gateway.

Yes, however if the barcode has been destroyed, you will need to manually update the system and reassign the roller to its new position within the conveyor. Vayeron® can assist with this.

Each roller has a unique ID which is transmitted inside the radio packet so the information is matched to the roller.

The stator component can be easily salvaged and recycled but Vayeron® has never assessed the unit economics of doing so. Due to the low-price point of the Smart-Idler® module, the labour required to strip them from the rollers and re-install in new rollers with the manufacturer will out-weigh the cost of purchasing new rollers.

Not all sizes of idlers are supported. Please contact our representative for more information

The roller manufacturer is responsible for the guarantee of its bearings and other roller components. The final Smart Roller is simply a roller integrated with Vayeron® technology.

The Smart-Idler® has 100% sealing. It is fully encapsulated and the electronics are over moulded.

Manufacturers can be approved to integrate Vayeron® products. To evaluate suitability, Vayeron® offers a specified roller integration evaluation process to qualify a manufacturer’s proposed Smart Roller design.

This should not occur if a Smart-Idler® approved manufacturer follows the manufacturing guidelines.