Machine Learning Techniques for Improving Multiclass Anomaly Detection on Conveyor Belts

Industrial conveyor belt systems are an efficient means of transport due to their adaptability and extension. Nonetheless, such systems are prone to various failures, including but not limited to: idler anomalies; belt tears; and pin misalignment which can cause significant disruptions in the production process. Preemptive maintenance and health monitoring of these conveyor belts is a common practice for avoiding these failures, but a challenging task due to the rarity of comprehensive anomaly detection datasets in the area, with current works aimed at evaluating the belt's immediate condition at fixed points. This study addresses this research gap by comparing multiple machine learning techniques, such as a proposed Hybrid Neural Network (HNN) tailored for classification of multiple anomaly classes, as well as machine learning approaches for time series based on feature extraction, Catch22, Minirocket Arsenal, and Time Series Forest. Our proposed HNN architecture performed better in classifying and distinguishing between different types of anomalies, with an accuracy of 95.55%. The obtained results suggest a promising approach for the area of predictive maintenance for industrial conveyor systems, as well as gives insights on possible improvements on the model and future research.