how could i make (cheaply) some kind of device to count tongue depressors moving along a small conveyor belt?
4
answers
|
Answer it!
|
Mar 4, 2009. 11:45 PMSpaceShipOne
says:
You could set up some sort of infrared beam that would be tripped each time the tongue depressor passed through. This depends on how they are oriented on the belt. Another idea is to somehow detect the depressor falling into the collection container, via a switch depressor hit large toggle) or again the beam.
Any beam so long as it contrasts the colour of the belt. This idea is best for non-contact. You could run the belt really fast, and use a wind-speed calculator (Anemometer) to figure how many 'puffs' of air came off the sticks Set up a webcam, and there is software that can identify shapes and act upon seeing certain things. Hire a minimum wage person from 3rd world country to count them ...theres a hundred ways of counting them, if you go a little too rube goldberg.
The rate of movement should be governed by the output of the machine making them, which I guess will be running at a constant speed - Is the output not steady? Otherwise you could count how many packs / boxes the line is turning out in an hour? L
Mar 4, 2009. 11:33 PMkelna
says:
If you just need to count the number of tongue depressors you could weigh one and then divide the weight of all of them by the weight of just one (this is assuming that the tongue depressors are all the same) oh and remember to zero out the scale first
 |
