Detecting Product Jam On Conveyor

please give photo or nice description.
the jam is where the product is placed on the belt, so whenever too much you have jam.

Helliana said:

It depends on where you place your laser. If there is a jam in one place, the conveyor will be empty pass the jam. You may have to use multiple sensor to develop a system that will work.

I have never seen your facility, so I have no clue how your conveyors are configured or anything about your product. Just trying to throw some ideas around and see if anything sticks.

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This, if you can't create and maintain gaps.

If upstream in continuously detecting and downsteam is not then you have a jam.

PeterW said:

This, if you can't create and maintain gaps.

If upstream in continuously detecting and downsteam is not then you have a jam.

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Agree with PeterW and Helliana.

If you can not create gaps, then mount photoeyes on side of conveyor. You can use diffuse or retroreflective (if needed - but I would prefer diffuse) and set up some timers that shows the case should be at the next set in xx time. If not, then there is a jam. As long as cases are flowing, the timer never times out.

You can use inexpensive photoeyes and you won't need a bunch, although the more you have the quicker you can detect a jam.

Nethop said:

A Beta Laser Mike non contact laser speed encoder could measure product speed. Compare that to belt speed. No idea on price.

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I prefer the Proton ones better, plus they are cheaper. They run around $8k+

bright676 said:

What about fixing the problem that causes the jam?

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+1

Cure the disease...not the symptom!

OP, please tell us why the product jams occur.

The Plc Kid said:

Sounds like a vision sensor would be a better fit.

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I agree... forget the photo eyes you will be fighting them forever, just install a camera and be done with it, then you dont need gaps between the products

Hi

If the box has a barcode maybe this could be used to check that the boxes are passing.
Another is use the encoder with a wheel and mount it on a spring,
The wheel could touch the boxes as they are passing and then you could detect jams


Donnchadh

geniusintraining said:

I agree... forget the photo eyes you will be fighting them forever, just install a camera and be done with it, then you dont need gaps between the products

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wow, wonder how many conveyors they have and how many vision systems they will need. Whats the cost of a vision system compared to a sensor.

Why use sensors that are used in millions of conveyor systems throughout the world when you can install camera's on each and every conveyor.

I must buy shares in vision system companies before this gets out.

silva.foxx said:

+1

Cure the disease...not the symptom!

OP, please tell us why the product jams occur.

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Easier said than done, having worked many years in canning industries and baggage handling that's a pipe dream.

A camera is posibly the best answer - What shape is the product
- what is the position on the belt.
I am thinking of Background suppression sensor which could see the gap (curve to curve)
If the product is cylindrical in shape

PeterW said:

wow, wonder how many conveyors they have and how many vision systems they will need. Whats the cost of a vision system compared to a sensor.

Why use sensors that are used in millions of conveyor systems throughout the world when you can install camera's on each and every conveyor.

I must buy shares in vision system companies before this gets out.

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From the sounds of it they are having issues.... yes I am a problem solver, camera's are cheap compared to down time and my time, if I have to go back to a problem a second time then it needs to be fixed

Its also called technology, some times you need to move away from old things that you are used to and learn new things, just like we move away from relay logic and started using these things we call PLC's

PeterW said:

Easier said than done, having worked many years in canning industries and baggage handling that's a pipe dream.

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Pipe dream... but not unrealistic. This may not be as complex as baggage handling... as for tins, I experienced a bottling plant for a large percentage of my working time so far. Pressureless conveyor systems spring to mind (Procon)!

Re-reading the OP a gapping issue is highlighted and as has been suggested already a metering method could be the solution.

All good
BUT
Wait until we know what the product is or what shape it is ???
Cameras, Lasers, PE's
lets wait

- The right sensor for the task at hand $4000 for a type of camera or $200 for the correct sensor

It is not necessary to know the product size, shape, weight, colour, ethnic origin, or religious views.... nor do you need to read barcodes, pieces of reflective tape, or anything else "attached" to the product.

OP wants to detect a "jam" of products on a conveyor system...

Seems to me he needs at least two sensing locations, assuming the "jam" always occurs at the same place. If it doesn't he needs more sensing locations.

It really is simple - if the product stops flowing because of a jam, there will be somewhere where product is detected (photo-cell or proxy), and somewhere downstream where it isn't.

A simple combination of suitable sensors and timers in the logic should be able to detect that things have stopped moving, even with no gaps in the product..

Having said that, I have to agree with fixing the problem, not the result. Find out where jams occur and try to deal with them mechanically, software cannot "cure" the jamming, only detect it.

Jamming is almost always caused by mechanical deficiency, not by control software. Jam detection should always be added anyway, even with a mechanical system that appears to run flawlessly, you have to play the "what if" game when programming the control system.

daba said:

...
It really is simple - if the product stops flowing because of a jam, there will be somewhere where product is detected (photo-cell or proxy), and somewhere downstream where it isn't.


...

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He did not say, if that "jam" is becouse of downstream equipment. In that case there is no place in conveoyr where there is no product.

It really is not that simple.

PS. I see how everyone reflects their own working enviroment and types of conveyor systems & jam types to this question. Do you?