Need Help - Change sensor to accurately detect box jams

install a small wheel that lightly touch the box and use a sensor to detect if the wheel is turning. Spike wheel with flexible tip would be ideal

What you want to know is:
... If a box is present (current photoeye), is it moving?

OkiePC is spot on for a laser doppler velocimeter, but I'm sure the price kills that idea.

It looks like these boxes are being conveyed on a roller conveyor. What if you remove the drive belt/device for one roller so it becomes an idler roll. Then place a sensing device to detect if that roll is moving or not (thus if the detected box is moving).

Various ways to detect the roll turning like cut some holes in the roll and detect metal/no metal with a prox switch

I agree with Sohwel, that seems like the easiest and cheapest solution to your problem. You can use it in combination with the downstream and upstream switches. So if your conveyor isn't being fed any boxes, then the program ignores the sensor on the spinning wheel.

Could be tricky to program depending on sensor and switch placement.

+1 kekrahulik
Simple proximity with a non driven roller.

gclshortt said:

+1 kekrahulik
Simple proximity with a non driven roller.

Click to expand...

Yes, I agree also. It's a simple and inexpensive solution to the problem.

Axis cameras have a pretty decent partner program where developers do some rather specialized firmware for things like counting people and virtual security barriers. One of these suppliers could likely tweak firmware to identify jams on a conveyor. This isn't a vision system as is typically discussed around here, but seems like it would fit the bill.

https://www.axis.com/en-us/products/camera-applications/application-gallery