Germany-based tire manufacturer Continental has launched its new Conti Load Sense monitoring system, designed for conveyor belt systems during gravel extraction.

The company said the technology is based on 2D radar technology and can increase output by up to 100,000 tonnes annually.

Additionally, the Conti Load Sense is connected to the Conti Cloud system. The company said the technology could record and process data in a "visually appealing way for the end customer" via online service portals.

By using 2D radar and ultrasonic technologies, the system scans the material and conveyor belt from different angles to determine the position of the load and the belt.

According to Continental, this accurately calculates the volume of the conveyed material.

Patrick Raffler, Head of Digital Solutions, Conveying, at Continental, said: "The risk of spilling material is determined by monitoring the belt edge position in relation to the profile of the material.

"The load center of gravity on the belt, as well as load distribution, is monitored 24/7 along the entire conveyor length.

"Data correlation is used to calculate volume flow, monitor overrun and belt skew.

"Belt speed is measured to track belt and load position along the entire length of the conveyor."

Furthermore, Raffler said the technology enables plants to run more economically due to the automatic material detection and requires less maintenance than previous designs.