New camera sensor detects product codes and so aids compliance with traceability rules

Citation

(2005), "New camera sensor detects product codes and so aids compliance with traceability rules", Sensor Review, Vol. 25 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2005.08725cad.001

New camera sensor detects product codes and so aids compliance with traceability rules

New camera sensor detects product codes and so aids compliance with traceability rules

Keywords: Image sensors, Cameras

The new DCI 10 Camera Sensor from SICK has been designed to detect and inspect codes including sell-by and use- by dates, lot codes and batch numbers printed on products and packaging (Plate 1).

Plate 1

This easy to use vision sensor detects the presence and checks the quality of printed codes, ensuring products do not leave the factory without a correct and legible label. This saves the time and money associated with recalling products, avoids potential fines and ensures the customer specification is always met.

From next year, the DCI 10 will also help food processors and manufacturers meet stringent new legislation requiring “one up, one down” traceability of all products and ingredients. Under new European Union rules coming into force on 1 January 2005, all companies involved at any stage of food production must be able to provide full traceability of products taken from suppliers and provided to customers.

Ensuring lot numbers are applied correctly onto products and packaging before they are shipped will become a mandatory requirement, and the DCI 10 is ideal for ensuring the lot code is present and legible. This new requirement is in addition to existing legislation requiring most food to carry a “best before” or “use-by” date.

Unlike the nutritional and other information that also has to be included on food labels, lot codes and consume-by dates are usually applied as labels or printed directly on to the product on the production line just before packing. Products that are missing this vital information need to be identified and the codes applied before they leave the line.

The DCI 10 integrates optics and light source into a single package, making it simple to install onto a production line. Set up is also quick and easy, using a keypad and display that shows an image of the required code. This enables the operator to see immediately if reflections or a poor quality background could interfere with the sensor's operation.

With four switched outputs and the ability to learn how many dark pixels should be in each area, the DCI 10 can do more than just detect the presence of a code. Two outputs can be used to trigger alarms to warn the operator when pre-set threshold values are being approached. This feature can be used to indicate, for example, when a printer is running out of ink or if the positioning of a label is incorrect, stopping the line before product is despatched with the code missing, faint or misplaced.

SICK has achieved this high level of intelligence by combining a 320 × 320 pixel 2D image recorder with a high speed signal processor. The decision on whether the printed code or label is within acceptable limits is made by comparing the pixel sum of the stored object pattern with that of the detected object.

The DCI 10 is also suitable for detecting the presence or absence of a wide range of components in all types of manufacturing industry, helping to improve machinery productivity and product quality.

The versatile DCI 10 camera sensor offers many of the advantages of sophisticated vision systems in a “plug and play” package that is easy to install and can be set up in minutes.

For more information, please contact: Ann Attridge or Andrea Hornby, Erwin Sick Ltd, Waldkirch House, 39 Hedley Road, ST ALBANS, Hertfordshire ALl 5BN. Tel: 01727 831121; Fax: 01727 856767; E-mail: info@sick.co.uk; web site: www.sick.co.uk