Item pieces counter for Industry

[pechial]

Hi folks!

I would like to ask to the forum if this project could be able to accomplish:

We have some machines in our company that makes pieces. Each piece runs in a track and falls in a container.
The manager wants to know how many pieces has been produced each period of time (f.e. each hour)

I'm looking for the items than cant do that tasks:

-Laser / sensor (like an intrusion circuit, each piece moving the track would open/close the circuit) and finally fall into a container.
-Network adapter, to get the impulse of the laser , each piece would generate that pulse
-Software capable to read from the network adapter

From this part to the management software would be a diferent step and now i'm focused in the scenario to catch that item's counter product) in a pc workstation.

What products should I need and would you kindly help me into how to read from the laser interface to a PC ? (like dll, usb driver, netword signal, ...)

Thank you!!!!

Carles

[adafruit_support_bill]

There are a lot of different ways to sense objects. The best sensor to use will vary depending on the object (size, shape, color, material etc) as well as variables like the surrounding environment and how fast it is moving. In most cases, some experimentation is required to determine the best sensor for the job.

One approach a light beam. These can detect when the object breaks the beam.
http://www.adafruit.com/products/157
http://www.adafruit.com/products/161

Other solutions include proximity detectors and rangefinders. These can detect when an object passes within a certain distance:
http://www.adafruit.com/products/466
http://www.adafruit.com/products/172
http://www.adafruit.com/products/164

Cameras such as this one have motion-detection capability and can signal when something moves in the field of view:
http://www.adafruit.com/products/397

There are mechanical ways to detect objects as well:
http://www.adafruit.com/products/820

[lyndon]

If you are looking for something off the shelf, I build systems that do counting. Send me a PM (private message) if interested .

If you prefer to DIY, I can help you select components that would be suitable or help with ways to package the sensors adafruit suggested.

[lyndon]

@adafruit_support: can you send me a PM? There doesn't seem to be a way for me to send you one

[pechial]

@adafruit_support: can you send me a PM? There doesn't seem to be a way for me to send you one

I've sent a message, did you receive it ?

[adafruit_support_bill]

@pechial - It looks like you reported the post instead of sending a PM. To send a PM to Lyndon, click on lyndon's name and look for the PM link under "Contact Lyndon".

[lyndon]

Yup, I got your message and responded. It should be in your Inbox now.

To sum up: my counters use Bluetooth & RS232, not Ethernet.
Using adafruit parts, it looks like an Arduino (http://www.adafruit.com/products/50), an Ethernet shield (http://www.adafruit.com/products/201) and an IR sensor such as (http://www.adafruit.com/products/164) will get you started.