Patent ID: 7540374

Claim:
A conveyor system comprising: a conveyor line; a conveyor chain movable along said conveyor line, said conveyor chain comprising a plurality of center links, a plurality of side links and a plurality of chain pins that connect respective side and center links together; a first sensing device positioned at said conveyor line and directed toward said conveyor chain, said first sensing device sensing the presence of a first chain portion of said conveyor chain as said conveyor chain moves along said conveyor line; a second sensing device positioned at said conveyor line and directed generally toward said conveyor chain, said second sensing device sensing a second chain portion of said conveyor chain as said conveyor chain moves along said conveyor line, wherein said second sensing device is triggered to sense said second chain portion in response to an indication of said first sensing device sensing presence of said first chain portion; and a controller operable to determine a degree of wear in a section of chain extending between said first and second chain portions in response to an output of said first sensing device indicative of said first sensing device sensing said first chain portion of said conveyor chain and an output of said second sensing device indicative of said second sensing device sensing said second chain portion of said conveyor chain.