The Presence Detection for Conveyor Equipment is an RFID detection and alert system designed to sense the presence of people within a safety zone on and around a conveyor belt.
If a fall, accident or deliberate action results in a person entering this safety zone, the system increases the probability that they will be detected by scanning for the presence of RFID tags embedded in their safety apparel*. A visual alert is activated when RFID tags in the safety apparel are detected by the system. The Presence Alerter for Conveyor Equipment is also equipped with a latching relay output that may be interfaced to the conveyor’s control electronics. This means that the conveyor belt can be stopped automatically when RFID enabled safety apparel is detected inside the safety zone, potentially averting a serious accident. Once the worker is clear of the safety zone a pushbutton is pressed to reset the system so that the conveyor belt may be restarted.
The location and extent of the safety zone is chosen to meet the specific requirements of the conveyor equipment on which the system is installed. The safety zone can be chosen to detect people approaching the moving conveyor. It can also be configured to monitor a specific location along the conveyor to enable detection of a person being transported by the conveyor equipment to a hazardous location.
* Workers and other personnel must be wearing authorized RFID-enabled safety apparel in order for the system to detect them inside the safety zone around the conveyor belt.