Attendees of LogiMAT 2025 from March 11-13 in Stuttgart can see for themselves at the SICK booth how SMART SENSORS DELIVER MORE. A standout feature among the displays (Hall 1, Stand F51) is the intelligent and outdoor-compatible 3D camera Visionary-B Two for monitoring the rear area of autonomous and manually operated work machines. Additional features include the Ident Gate System (IGS) for economical visibility in receiving and shipping goods, along with the Pallet Integrity Inspection System (PAIS) which provides non-contact quality assessment of Euro pallets for issues like missing components, fractures, or exposed nails.
LogiMAT, the International Trade Show for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management, stands as Europe’s largest annual exhibition for intralogistics and a notable venue for innovations related to internal material transfers and IT management of intralogistics, making it an ideal setting for SICK. “Our wide range of solutions provides in-depth expertise across numerous application areas.” “Key areas in material flow management, including manned and automated guided vehicle systems and related services, smart pallet handling, sensor technologies for robotics, and tracking & traceability, are thus central to our exhibition efforts and showcase our enthusiasm for logistics,” states Phil Krumbein, Market Product Manager Logistic Solutions at SICK Vertriebs-GmbH in Düsseldorf.
Detecting obstacles: Rear area monitoring with Visionary-B Two
The more unwieldy mobile machines become, the the higher the risk of- not only when reversing but also while driving and maneuvering. Help is at hand with the smart Visionary-B Two 3D camera from SICK, which extends the company’s image-processing portfolio to rear area monitoring. It can be used for distance measurement, object detection, environment perception as well as route, lateral and rear area monitoring for AGVs, AMRs and mobile machines both as a driver assistance system and for automation.
As a rugged 3D snapshot solution with up to 30 images per second, the Visionary-B Two is specially designed for outdoor use. Depending on the monitoring situation, the camera can switch between two field of view sizes: 130° x 105° or 90° x 60° – both at the same high resolution. Using stereoscopy, the camera detects obstacles in the direction of travel and provides the distance data as 3D and color information for evaluation. The Visionary-B Two meets the relevant industry standards for mobile machines. The rugged, vibration and shock resistant sensor design, the rated temperature range of -40 °C to + 60 °C, and the IP67 and IP69K enclosure rating make the smart 3D camera especially reliable. The high computing power of the sensor enables application-specific software solutions to be installed and programmed as well as depth map calculations to be performed directly in the device.
Efficient data acquisition for transparency in goods receipt and dispatch using the Ident Gate System
Manual entry of goods receipts, error-prone paperwork for dispatch advices and manifests, unlocatable goods and pallets, goods postings without goods movements, missing or incorrect loadings – to avoid the resultant problems and to make the goods receipt and dispatch processes of companies more efficient and profitable, SICK developed the Ident Gate System (IGS). With the help of a variety of sensors for object detection, goods identification and direction detection as well as a seamless IT integration – optionally by SICK – the reading portal can identify palletized goods that have been labeled with barcodes or 2D codes or alternatively with UHF RFID or hybrid tags.
Additional 2D detection sensors also ensure a reliable detection of the direction of movement. The size of the portal can be flexibly dimensioned so forklifts and loads of different heights and widths can pass through. The IGS thereby ensures full transparency in goods receipt and dispatch. Goods are automatically identified while being transported, cross-checked against dispatch advices and shipping documents, checked for plausibility and completeness, and immediately posted in the material management system. This ensures a digitalized and documentable traceability of the goods that has a positive effect on the material flow.
Pallets OK or not OK? Camera inspection with PAIS detects damage to pallets
The pallet is breaking under its load, the hoist is striking, the conveyor belt is stationary – these are all possible consequences of using damaged pallets. SICK has the solution with its Pallet Integrity Inspection System (PAIS) – the new non-contact quality control system for unloaded and loaded pallets. In the optical inspection, the loading surface and base of the pallet, the four sides, and the internal components are scanned with a 3D camera and examined for possible detects such as cracks, missing and broken off parts, twisted blocks or protruding nails.
The system analyzes the scan results in real time and provides immediate feedback on the status of each pallet. This quick feedback speeds up the inspection process. The PAIS is also able to sort pallets into usable and unusable ones based on defined thresholds. With regard to the solution and its four TriSpector1060 3D cameras in total, SIM controller as the control unit, and the IT integration of the system, the PAIS can – on request with the assistance of SICK – also be seamlessly integrated into the existing conveying technology as well as higher-level systems.