Color LEDs are a standard element of many consumer and industrial electronic displays, but engineers need a reliable and affordable method for automating the testing of the LEDs during production. SensoPart Industriesensorik (Pontiac, MI, USA; www.sensopart.com), maker of sensors for industrial applications, recognized this need during the production of its industrial light barriers and photoelectric proximity switches, some of which are equipped with a control panel consisting of a color touch pad panel with seven integrated LEDs.
The operability and correct color of each LED had to be checked visually, and automating the process proved difficult because a traditional color sensor could not detect self-luminous objects. Consequently, the company developed the FA 45 vision sensor to monitor the entire control panel of the proximity switch at once, checking function and color of all LEDs.
Now available on the market, the FA 45 vision sensor incorporates a CCD camera with electronics, white-light LEDs, M12 sensor connector, PLC compatible I/O and data interfaces, and aluminium/plastic housing.
