Today, with the wave of intelligent manufacturing and logistics automation sweeping across the country, automatic sorting systems are no longer a new term. From express sorting to parts screening, from e-commerce warehousing to factory production lines, sorting systems are gradually moving towards high speed, high efficiency and high precision. In this huge intelligent sorting system, a core technology is playing the role of “precise judge” – that is, high-precision measurement grating sensors.
It is not as eye-catching as a robotic arm, nor as intelligent as a control system, but it undertakes the “visual entrance” task of the entire sorting system. Without its accurate recognition, there will be no efficient execution of subsequent sorting. Today, let’s talk in depth about this underestimated “intelligent goalkeeper” and how to make the automatic sorting system see more clearly and move more accurately.
What is a grating sensor? How precise is it?
A grating sensor is a precision measuring device that works based on the principles of optical interference and photoelectric conversion. It is often used in application scenarios such as position detection, size recognition and speed analysis. Its core structure consists of a group of transmitters and receivers, with dense grating stripes formed by a transparent or reflective grating plate with fine lines in the middle. When an object passes through the sensing area, it blocks the light beam, generating an accurate blockage signal.
By measuring the time, quantity, and order in which the light beam is cut, the system can “read” the size, position, and even shape of the object. This non-contact, ultra-fast, micron-level precision recognition method is particularly suitable for use in sorting systems that require extremely high speed and precision.
For automatic sorting, what problems does it solve?
Traditional sorting systems often rely on image recognition, weight sensors, or manual sorting, exposing the following difficulties under the demand for high efficiency:
Inaccurate size judgment
Video recognition is disturbed by light, and mechanical measurement has contact friction errors.
Speed cannot keep up
Taking pictures, processing, and sorting take time, and efficiency often becomes a bottleneck.
Complex structure and high maintenance cost
The multi-sensor collaborative solution increases the complexity of the system and makes later maintenance difficult.
After the introduction of high-precision grating sensors, these problems were solved one by one.
First of all, it has non-contact and fast reading capabilities, and can read the width, height, and even outer contour features of objects in milliseconds even on high-speed transmission lines. Secondly, it supports micron-level measurement accuracy, can accurately determine the size difference of parts, and thus distinguish products of different specifications and models. More importantly, it has a simple structure, strong anti-interference ability, plug-and-play, and almost no calibration is required, which greatly reduces the system maintenance cost.
A typical application scenario: automatic screening of industrial parts
Taking the parts sorting line of a manufacturing company as an example, more than 200 aluminum parts of similar size pass through the conveyor belt every minute. It is difficult to complete accurate identification without slowing down in the traditional way. The introduction of high-precision grating sensors has become a turning point in the entire process.
Only a pair of measuring gratings needs to be arranged in the middle of the transmission line. When the parts pass by, the system obtains their width and height data in real time, and then matches the database for model identification. Through this precise judgment, the sorting arm can complete efficient classification at the end according to the sensor signal.
What is the effect? The system recognition accuracy error is less than ±0.05mm, the overall efficiency is improved by more than 30%, and the error rate is close to zero.
Not just measurement, but also a kind of “intelligent judgment”
It is worth mentioning that with the integration of AI algorithms and edge computing, modern grating sensors are no longer just “rulers”, but more like a “smart eye” that can think.
Many high-end grating sensors support built-in computing units, which can automatically identify whether the object is deformed, missing corners, with holes and other structural differences according to the occlusion pattern. In some scenarios, even complex screening tasks can be completed without additional recognition modules.
For example, in fine industries such as food processing and pharmaceutical packaging, by adjusting the grating density and algorithm model, the system can determine whether the packaging is complete and whether the bottle mouth is closed, thereby eliminating defective products. This collaborative ability based on “light + data” is allowing traditional sorting lines to evolve from “mechanical execution” to “intelligent identification”.
The “first threshold” of intelligent sorting is handed over to grating sensors
The essence of automated sorting is to enable the system to have the dual capabilities of “judgment” and “execution”. And judgment begins with perception. Grating sensors are the first step to give machines “perception of size and shape”.
In the future, driven by Industry 4.0 and smart logistics, high-precision grating sensors will continue to deepen their integration with artificial intelligence, image processing, automatic control and other systems, becoming an indispensable component of more intelligent production lines.
It is not the most dazzling star, but it is the “pioneer” of the entire intelligent manufacturing system. Accumulating wisdom from micron measurement and illuminating efficiency from a beam of light, it is making automatic sorting faster, more accurate and smarter
