Laser triangulation measurement of the level in a coal silo

Laser triangulation theory was used to develop a novel contact-free method for measuring the coal level in a silo under harsh environmental conditions found in coal mines, such as the presence of dense dust, high humidity, and low illumination. A laser source and a camera were mounted at the top of the silo. The laser spot projected into the silo was imaged by the camera. The pinhole imaging principle allows the level to be found from the lateral shift of the spot image on the sensor. A pre-calibrated look-up table of the coal depth versus spot position was used to obtain the depth. The measurement accuracy depends on the step size used during pre-calibration. The actual application of a device designed according to these principles shows that it is easy to implement. The detection of the coal level in a silo at the low illumination level found in coal mines is demonstrated.