Moving belt sensor

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In accordance with the present invention, a detection system is provided and is configured to have a transmitter capable of inductively interacting with a hidden object, and a multiplicity of field receivers or detectors responsive to a change in a field, which is generated by the transmitter, and mounted to a belt displaceable in a proximity to the hidden object.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the detection system of the present invention is based on the electromagnetic principles, whereas another aspect of the system of the present invention is concerned with the detection system being based on the acoustic principles.
Common to both implementations of the systems of the present invention are time requirements for dwelling by a sensor over a hidden object or target to extract detection or classification information.
Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention is a detection system comprising an array of linearly positioned detectors installed in a closed loop track of a moving vehicle.
One of the advantages of such a configuration is that the speed of the vehicle is not governed by the detector response time, but depends primarily on the size of the detector array.
A further advantage of the detection system of the present invention relates to the improved efficiency of the system thereby meeting the mission requirements imposed by, for example, the U.
S.
Army.
Yet another advantage of the detection system of the present invention is that a metal or acoustic detector is juxtaposed with a hidden object for a relatively long dwell time, which leads to more reliable classification of the detected objects.
Yet another advantage is that a more precise position of the hidden object is determined and not distorted due to the time constant of the detector.
Another embodiment of the present invention comprises incorporation of the detection system in a conveying assembly transporting material to be free from foreign objects.
Similarly to the demining application of the inventive system, a series of detectors is coupled to a closed-loop conveyor located adjacent to the conveying assembly