Transparent! So what?

Detect transparent objects extremely reliably regardless of their shape or material thickness? This is no problem for the new OR270478 optical sensor system (retro-reflective sensor) from ipf electronic.

The decisive reason: the system, consisting of an optical sensor and a reflector, works with extremely short-wave polarized UV light. For comparison: while the visible red light or infrared light of conventional optical sensors has a wavelength of around 700nm or 880nm, the OR270478 has a wavelength of just 275nm. For physical reasons, the sensor's short-wave UV light cannot penetrate even transparent materials that are otherwise difficult to detect. Corresponding objects therefore no longer have the property of transparency for the novelty, but are rather detected as non-transparent objects. The high transmittance of transparent objects for visible radiation and the associated challenges for conventional optical sensors (e.g. low switching threshold and therefore high sensitivity to soiling) have no relevance for the OR270478.

In contrast, the new solution from ipf electronic does not require high sensitivity to determine a clear switching threshold, meaning that even dirt, water droplets or ageing do not affect the proper function of the sensor. There is also no need for multiple switching to detect the same object. The OR270478 in degree of protection IP67 achieves a distance range of 40 to 1,200mm to the reflector and has a high switching frequency of ≤ 1kHz.

Equipped with an IO-Link interface, the new solution also enables easy integration into Industrial Ethernet. Potential fields of application for the OR270478 can be found in a wide range of applications, e.g. position sensing of glass or PET bottles in the beverage industry, position monitoring of glass panes, detection of transparent plastic containers on conveyor belts, recognition of transparent packaging or safety films, and much more.