Luminescence Vision Sensor for Inspecting Packaging and Security Seals

Checking the completeness of packaging, detecting package inserts, and inspecting visible and invisible security seals designed to tackle product and brand piracy are typical examples of the applications for which the Inspector I40 LUT from SICK is used. The vision sensor’s integrated UV ring lighting makes objects or labels with fluorescent materials visible, allowing it to cover a wide variety of tasks – particularly in primary and secondary packaging.

Simple connection to a PLC via Ethernet/IP and storage of inspection images on a remote FTP server permit industry-oriented integration in the particular control environment of a packaging machine.

Protection against counterfeits, design optimization, differentiability in the packaging procedure – there are various reasons why packaging and its contents are provided with fluorescent marks that are invisible to the human eye. At the same time, many automated processes call for the objects or marks to be detected regardless of position, orientation and size within the extended area of, for example, a conveyor belt. The Inspector I40 LUT has been specially designed for such 2D tasks. During the inspection, the vision sensor emits invisible short-wave UV light. If invisible luminophores are present within the sensor’s field of view, the UV light excites these fluorescent materials and they light up. The resultant long-wave light in the visible spectrum is detected by the Inspector I40 LUT with image capture, and inspected for the particular product feature. The vision sensor is capable of evaluating the pattern, frequency and differences between luminophore marks within a test window, and can therefore provide statements on quality or for differentiation purposes.

The Inspector I40 LUT offers a high level of flexibility for the solution of the most varied of tasks. Inspection tasks can be individually set up and adapted with the integrated package of software tools. Whereby up to 32 reference objects can be stored, allowing the device to react to frequent product changes – and the corresponding alterations in the inspection scenarios – using a simple switching process, without impairing the availability of the packaging plant. In this way, the Inspector I40 LUT can very flexibly and reliably implement packaging-related requirements regarding quality, security and traceability.

Paper generally contains so-called natural luminophores. When these are excited with UV light they, too, emit light in the visible spectrum. This effect is familiar from white shirts or blouses illuminated with a black-light bulb, e.g. in discotheques. In exactly the same way, the Inspector I40 LUT can examine whether the package insert is present in packets that are still open. Optional color filters can further enhance the effect for better inspection.

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