With a reputation for high-quality sensor technology, SICK Australia continues to innovate cutting-edge solutions that benefit food and beverage manufacturers.
Recently, SICK showcased two of its latest solutions at CeMAT Australia – the Logistics Lector Array and the Ident Gate System.
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY WITH THE LOGISTICS LECTOR ARRAY
The Logistics Lector Array is part of SICK’s product line aimed at improving efficiency in warehouse and distribution environments.
The Lector Array is used for reading and interpreting barcodes and other types of codes. It’s often employed in automated sorting systems, conveyor systems, and other settings where quick and accurate data capture is crucial.
This sensor array features multiple scanning units that work together to read codes from various angles and distances, ensuring reliable and fast identification of items.
“The Logistics Electric Array Electric System is made up of what we call a matrix camera device,” says John Butera, Sales Manager, SICK Australia.
“Inside, the system features a high-resolution matrix camera with its own illuminating LED lighting and the camera technology comes with AI-Based decoding to provide quick, precise identification of the relevant code region. Using super- resolution, the system read poor quality barcodes better than a traditional laser scanner.
STREAMLINING OPERATIONS WITH THE LECTOR ARRAY
The array helps streamline operations by enabling accurate tracking of inventory, enhancing sorting accuracy, and reducing manual handling. It’s useful in high- throughput environments where speed and precision are critical.
“It’s a segmentation process, which is to say it’s able to differentiate the difference between the barcode itself and other noise such as other writing on the label,” explains John.
“If you’ve got a label that’s got a lot of text information and it has a barcode, it just hones straight onto the barcode. It’s able to filter out a lot of noise that’s generally caused by text information around the barcode.”
The Lector Array has onboard AI segmentation processes that can highlight a barcode from other text information.
The camera’s wider field of view also presents added advantages for users, particularly around cost throughput.
“In other words, when you’re looking at a complete camera tunnel, it reduces the number of scanners that you need to cover a large area, which saves on costs,” adds John.
IMPROVED SPEED AND ACCURACY
Whereas older versions may not have had the same field of view, the updated system allows for fewer scanners and speeds up the process, maintaining high throughput levels.
“On top of this, a particular matrix camera can handle speeds of three and a half meters per second,” says John.
“Back in the day, typical camera technology in this space was always around that two metre per second mark. If you’ve got high-speed requirements, this solution can meet those demands.”
In older versions, this process had the potential to slow down the decoder, but with the improved decoder, it quickly and reliably differentiates between a barcode and text information.
“Hence, the decoding process is much higher, much quicker, and so the efficiencies come from reading those barcodes fairly quickly,” adds John.
“It’s an important part of the Logistics Lector Array, to have improved decoding capabilities through those methods.”
Overcoming challenges with advanced technology
Several factors can impact the readability of a barcode, from light contrast to rubbing on the label itself. This new technology mitigates the issues this creates.
“The Lector Array’s imaging processor is an improved one, with the ability to see the differences between the poor-quality barcodes versus the good ones,” says John.
“That’s probably the main thing to highlight out of the camera, being an image device, and it’s dependent on what it sees.”
The Lector Array also has onboard processes that can highlight a barcode from other text information in that area, on top of being relatively easy to use.
“The set-up process, or AI Integration, is very easy to do. You don’t have to be a scientist to set it up successfully because it’s got a lot of intuitive self-teaching capabilities and functionality involved,” adds John.
THE IDENT GATE SYSTEM AT CEMAT
Meanwhile, the Ident Gate System was also a hit at CeMAT. The Ident Gate System from SICK is designed for automated identification and tracking in logistics and industrial applications.
It’s specifically tailored for managing and optimising processes related to the sorting and tracking of items, such as parcels or pallets, within distribution centres or production lines.
“Basically, the Ident Gate System has two columns and is able to read RFID tags, along with reading barcodes,” says John.
“The system has multiple technologies on board, and in the one that we had at CeMAT we were demonstrating that it’s a device that allows you to validate what’s going out of the warehouse into the truck is accurate.”
RFID AND BARCODE READING CAPABILITIES
The Ident Gate System also has the capability to simultaneously read multiple RFID tags.
“And it completes those tags all at once as you traverse this device through the warehouse to the truck loading area. If there’s an incorrect item in there, it picks that up as well,” explains John.
“In other words, if you’ve got products that aren’t supposed to go out, it’s able to capture that as well. It has the best of both worlds. It has the RFID reader, and it also has the electric cameras as well.”
SMART SENSOR TECHNOLOGY FOR IMPROVED TRACKING
The system also has smart sensor technology on board, which can detect the direction of travel.
“That way it knows that the object is going through one area, through to the other area, and it can see that detection, validating it as it does,” says John.
“Essentially it acts as an identification gate that detects the objects that are running through. It gives you an added layer of product security, along with savings because it’s able to track and validate the product quickly and reliably.”
INNOVATION THROUGH CUSTOMER-CENTRIC R&D
Both the Ident Gate System and the Logistics Lector Array came about like all of SICK’s solutions, through research and development based on learnings from supporting customers.
“A lot of our products are along those sorts of lines. We aim to be innovative, and our customers support that innovative approach,” explains John.
SCALABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY
The scalability and flexibility of the Ident Gate System was another key selling point for the solution at CeMAT.
“When you think about the scalability, obviously it’s to deal with higher throughputs. It gives you the ability to adapt accordingly,” says John. “
We made sure the solution was easily scalable to meet the diverse needs of different customers.”
Integration with ERP systems, its role in inventory management is another important aspect of the solution.
“Because when you’re bringing products into your environment, you want to embed that into your inventory as well,” says John. “In other words, we can interface this to most ERP systems that are out there.”
To learn more about the Logistics Lector Array and Ident Gate System, visit here