Sweet success for novel colour sensor
An
Optek Technology product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 3, 2005
Novel high resolution colour sensor technology promises to bring a new level of accuracy to automated colour selection/detection.
Providing design engineers with the means to electronically detect colour differences in liquids or solids, TT Electronics Optek Technology has developed a high resolution colour sensor technology that promises to bring a new level of accuracy to automated colour selection/detection.
Introduced at the 2005 Sensors Expo in Chicago, the colour sensor assembly was incorporated into an active display that automatically sorted "M and M" candies by colour as they were fed down a tube.
Optek's colour sensor assembly combines a white LED with a reflective colour sensor chip in a miniature plastic housing less than one quarter of a cubic inch.
The white LED (self-correcting to minimise the effect of nonuniform ambient light sources) is used to illuminate the surface of the object or liquid being sensed, while the colour sensor chip measures the HSL value (hue, saturation, luminance) of the light reflected from that surface.
By processing this value through a programmable algorithm, the sensor has the ability to distinguish between several different colours and intensities.
"Our colour sensor gives design engineers the ability to reliably sort or match items by colour with the use of automated equipment", said Steve Coble, Engineering Manager for Optek Technology.
"The sensor's ability to distinguish colours can be enhanced by advanced signal processing electronics that can be incorporated into the assembly that can further analyse the sensor's digital output".
According to Coble, the new colour sensor technology extends the range of Optek's sensing capability to encompass the visible spectrum, as a natural extension of the company's work with infrared sensor technologies.
"Our ability to offer customers a packaged or custom assembly to automatically sense colour means that we can help them with a wider range of applications", he added.
Some other applications where the colour sensor is being implemented include pill sorting machinery in pharmaceutical applications, ink and/or paper colour detection for office machines, colour printer calibration sensors, as well as colour-match sensing in paint, textile and cosmetic manufacturing.
The sensor is also being used by an appliance manufacturer to differentiate between different flavors of coffee and/or hot drinks by identifying the colour of a ring on the coffee filter pack.
In its initial design, the sensor assembly housing is approximately 27 x 17.
x 6.6mm with a 457mm wiring harness, making it small enough to be incorporated into almost any application.
Pricing and lead times for the colour sensor technology will be determined by each application's requirements (as a custom assembly).
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact Optek Technology
Related Stories
- Dytran's 3224A3 measures vibration in tight spaces
- OCR Reader reads 100 characters per scan
- OP sensors precisely detect parts
- Ozone sensor provides drift-free measurement
- LMS 100 laser sensors avoid false signals
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
