Contrinex is a global leader for sensors and systems in the most challenging operating conditions. Our innovation strategy constantly delivers state-of-the-art solutions for the toughest jobs in industry. One of our most recent developments has been selected as a finalist by the jury of the Innovation Prize 2014 of the Canton of Fribourg (Switzerland). Winners will be announced on 19th November.
The project concerns a sensor for the difficult task of detecting transparent objects. Many sensor solutions are available on the market, but none of them are ideal. The problem is the low reduction of light intensity when transmitted through transparent targets (typically less than 10 %). For sensors, this all too often means lower reliability and greater vulnerability to interference. Even splashes of liquid on the sensing face, unavoidable in some processes, can seriously impair sensing performance. To compensate, conventional sensors require constant fine adjustment and complex algorithms.
Contrinex has patented a revolutionary new approach to this problem. It combines the latest UV LEDs with high tech polarization and reflector materials in a solution that is much more reliable than existing techniques. Whatever the production cycle, no fine adjustment of sensing thresholds is required and splashes of liquid on the sensing face present no problem. This is because, when the emitter is a UV LED, the variation in light intensity in the presence of a transparent object will be greater than 80 %, even for clear glass, PET or PE objects.
Contrinex’s new photoelectric sensor technology will bring advantages to a wide range of industrial processes, especially in the food, pharmaceutical and packaging industries. Customers will improve reliability and flexibility in many tasks, in particular filling glass or plastic bottles, packaging items in plastic and detecting clear packaging film. Costly system adjustment time will also be reduced.