ATIR SWITCH - Application note0 pages

Adaptative Threshold InfraRed (ATIR) Switch
by New Infrared Technologies
lows detecting hot objects of temperatures as low as 200 ºC even using very
narrow eld of views and very short
time constants. The optics included in
the ATIR switch has a very narrow eld
of view of 0.35 deg (170:1) which provides a wide range of installing distances
ranging from 0.5 m (spot size 3x3 mm)
to 5 m (spot size 30x30 mm) depending on the environmental conditions and
applications (other optics are available).
Focal length is adjustable easily in order
to collect the maximum amount of radiation for low temperature / low emissivity applications.
Left: The ATIR Switch in its current appearance.
New Infrared Technologies launches the outstanding IR Switch ATIR with adaptative threshold (Hot Objects Detector). The device has unpairable performances
in terms of spatial resolution (170:1), range of detection
temperatures (200 – 1600 C), velocity of response (2 KHz),
cost and reliability.
The ATIR switch electronics, based on advanced microprocessor technology, provides both analog (0-24 VDC)
and digital (USB) outputs, converting the device in an
excellent tool for stand-off counting or triggering process
involving high-speed moving hot objects.
This IR switch was designed for being compatible in standard automatic industrial lines but has also the possibility
of being used as a point sensor able to carry out specic
measurements and studies in process optimization. The
device includes custom software which allows data acquisition, storage and analysis in a PC.
As a particular characteristic in the products of its kind, the
real time adaptative threshold algorithm makes the device
specially recommended for applications where heterogeneous temperature objects are present. This converts the
ATIR switch in an excellent tool for applications where hot
moving objects are coming from different lines or processes, or applications where hot objects have a wide range of
temperatures.
The high sensitivity of its MWIR sensor (1-5 microns) al-
Case of study: ATIR switch as counter and sticky
containers detector in the Glass Container Manufacturing Industry
The ATIR switch was installed close to the nal of a conveyor belt which transported glass containers coming from
two different lines of molds. Thanks to the high sensitivity
of detector in the ATIR switch it was possible to install the
device far enough from the molds, when the containers
were cold enough for allowing to carried out the measurements without any type of cooling or thermal shell
protecting the ATIR device.
Due to the different distance travelled by the containers in
the conveyor, half of them crossed the ATIR FoV with a
temperature T1 and the other half with a higher temperature T2. The objective of ATIR was to count and to detect
sticky containers.
When T1 and T2 are different, a standard strategy based
on setting a single threshold does not work. For sure
some containers will be missed. It is necessary a dynamic
variation of threshold in order of assuring a perfect job.
ATIR specic electronics adjust continually the signal
threshold guarantying an accurate count without missing
any event.
Figure 1a shows experimental register measured during
trials. There it is possible to see (red line) the IR signal
variation observed as the containers crossed the narrow