Scanning distance sensors for shelf occupied monitoring

Traditional sensor solutions are only able to recognise if a compartment is occupied or not. However, with rotoScan ROD-4, information is gained both from the surface and in-depth, which reveals the width and position of stored objects and also any free space which is still available. In the field of warehousing technology, for example, these distance sensors which can scan wide areas are already used for checking projecting lengths or when loading pallets. Using a rotating mirror, a bundled light beam is deflected and covers a semicircular area of 190° with a maximum radius of 50 metres. The angular resolution is 0.36°. The technique used in the system is that of pulse propagation measurement. Individual light pulses are sent at short intervals (25 scans/s). The distance to the object which has reflected the light can be calculated from the time difference between transmitting and receiving a light pulse. Evaluation and analysis are carried out independently of the type of surface involved. The resolution of the measured value is 5 mm. The measured values determined by the rotoScan ROD-4 are transferred onto a higher-level control system by means of the RS232/RS422 interface, and the control system interprets the values and then decides on the possibility of storage.