Contour sensor for monitoring conveyor belt utilisation

The Contour2D sensor system from Pepperl + Fuchs enables optimally efficient detection of conveyor belt utilisation. The company says it is the only system on the market to require just one LiDAR sensor to do this.

The performance characteristics of the R2000 LiDAR sensor and an intelligent algorithm ensure reliable shadow correction. Minimal installation effort and quick, straightforward, three-step commissioning round off this highly economical solution.

To distribute packages on a conveyor belt as efficiently and evenly as possible for transport to the downstream station, the conveyor belt’s current utilisation must be detected reliably. Pepperl + Fuchs claims the Contour2D sensor system is the most efficient solution for this on the market, comprising a single LiDAR sensor mounted centrally above the conveyor belt.

The central position of the sensor means that it detects shadows of packages on the conveyor belt, which would ordinarily distort the measurement results of the system. However, the high angular resolution of the R2000 2-D LiDAR sensor combined with an intelligent algorithm makes corrections for these shadows. The sensor system’s ‘Multi Scan Evaluation Unit’ (MSEU) takes care of running the algorithm and the further processing of the raw data from the LiDAR sensor.

Since there are only two components (sensor and MSEU) to install, the Contour2D has very low hardware costs and minimal installation effort. Unlike conventional systems, there is no need for time-consuming configuration to align several sensors with each other. And since only a single sensor is mounted centrally above the conveyor belt, installation requires no major adjustments to the conveyor belt. Therefore, even existing plants can be retrofitted easily.