Optical sensors improve detection of problematic surfaces, says Omron
Claimed to provide industry-leading detection of black, mirrored and transparent surfaces, the Omron B5W optical sensors have a longer detection distance. They are particularly effective at identifying black, transparent, reflective and other hard to detect services, says the company.
According to Omron, the B5W light convergent reflective (LCR) sensors detect target objects much more reliably than general reflection photo sensors, even those that are often a challenge such as reflective, transparent, diffuse or black surfaces. The sensor’s convergent light beam can be set to trigger on the presence of an object within a tightly specified target area, and ignore any objects in the background or foreground.
They offer enhanced performance compared to the existing B5W-LA devices, and are offered in miniature and super-miniature forms. The miniature B5W-LB2101 and LB2112 are available with analogue or digital outputs with a sensing range of 10 to 55mm for white paper, falling to 10 to 40mm for black. Dimensions are 40 x 8.4 x 15.9mm. The super-miniature B5W-LB1112 is just 26 x 8.4 x 13mm. It offers a sensing distance of 2.0 to 10mm for white paper and 3.0 to 8.0mm for black. All digital devices are offered in light-on and light-off form and are sealed to IP50.
The sensors demonstrate reliable, repeatable detection performance, even when presented with target items of different colours and types of surface including reflective surfaces, the company reports. Applications include detecting transparent cups and glasses in vending machines, diffuse surfaces that scatter incident light like carpets, black surfaces that absorb light and mirrored surfaces and other objects that are often a challenge for traditional sensors. The LCR sensors are for general use to detect target items of various different colours. For example, the B5W can be used in a robot cleaner to detect a step. It can distinguish wood, glass, carpet and other floor surfaces to avoid the risk of the robot falling. The B5W-LB can detect coffee bean levels in drinks machines (low reflectivity) and the detection of paper of all colours including transparent sheets in printers.
