Application Note: Transparent Bottle Detection in a Washdown Environment

Transparent Bottle Detection

This application involves regulating conveyor line pressure by monitoring clear bottles. 

When bottles on a conveyor touch and move together, the conveyor's force multiplies by the number of bottles, creating line pressure. The stored energy in the line pressure can cause product damage and loss, which means additional costs and delays. Regulating line pressure on beverage filling lines is critical. A sensor that can identify transparent or shiny objects and transmit a signal to the control when they amass is required. So that more containers can be added upstream till the bottles flow again.

The Q4X laser clear object detection sensor from Banner Engineering can detect clear objects without using a reflector. For reliable detection of challenging targets such as bottles and cans, it decides on the presence of a target based on both distance and intensity. By removing a reflector from a washdown area, you are also releasing a potential point of failure. The sensor has built-in on/off delays that ignore passing bottles while sending a signal if a bottle is still present or accumulation occurs. 

The Q4X COD laser sensor can detect a broader range of transparent objects and is built with sealed IP69K-rated stainless steel housing, making it an ideal choice for the beverage industry.

Banner is the leading manufacturer of photoelectric devices, machine safety devices, vision sensors, and wireless I/O systems. For more information about Banner products in Utah, Western Wyoming, Idaho, Northern Nevada, Colorado, Eastern Wyoming, and Montana, contact Process Technology, Inc. Call 801-264-1114 or visit https://process-tech.com.