March 9, 2012 - Pepperl+Fuchs introduces DK12-11-IO Series Contrast Sensors. DK12-11-IO sensors reliably detect differences in two colors of media, with a powerful three-color light source that solves even the most difficult contrast applications. Most significantly, these sensors are IO-Link compatible enabling them to provide enhanced configuration options, visibility of the sensor’s color evaluation and a deeper level of control than is attainable with conventional contrast sensors. Additionally, these sensors include a 4-in-1 output that reduces costs and stock requirements by delivering four output options from a single sensor.
DK12-11-IO with IO-Link offers more setup options than conventional contrast sensors, including customizable and highly visible diagnostic LEDs, the ability to invert the output state and disable the adjustment potentiometer for tamperproof requirements, and logging the output. DK12-11-IO contrast sensors with RGB (red/green/blue) LEDs are especially well-equipped to detect contrasts of yellow colors; a weakness of competitive contrast models that use white LEDs. Even if the contrast to be detected is not yellow, the level of configuration and control that is possible using IO-Link makes the DK12-11-IO the most powerful contrast sensor on the market.
These UL and cUL listed contrast sensors have a rugged, metal-framed housing with a connector that swivels for easy mounting in space-restrictive applications. They offer static and dynamic teach modes, in addition to manual and remote teach methods, in a single housing. They have no color jitter, as the light spots from the three color LEDs are lined in a row for positional accuracy. Contrast sensors, also known as color mark or print mark sensors, are designed to detect a difference in two colors or media, making them especially significant in the printing, paper and packaging industries. The most frequent application for these types of sensors is registration mark, or “eye-mark,” detection.
They can also be a useful sensing tool in customized applications; for example, an automotive application may involve verifying the presence of a seal or gasket around a door panel, and a material handling application could use the sensor to confirm the presence of a label on a brown cardboard box.