In today's industrial and agricultural environments, material storage facilities are ubiquitous, bearing the critical responsibility to keep production running smoothly. However, it cannot be ignored that despite rapid technological advancements, up to 80% of material monitoring tasks still rely on human labor.

Manual observation of material levels is time-consuming and labor-intensive. This not only limits the efficiency of material management but also may jeopardize the lives of workers in complex environments or hazardous substances. 

Therefore, it is necessary to explore a more efficient and safe solution when facing this challenge. Single-point lidar technology can achieve real-time monitoring and precise measurement of material levels through advanced level sensors and data analysis systems, significantly enhancing the intelligence of material management.

This article will focus on the application value of single-point precision material level monitoring technology in the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Advantages of Single-Point Lidar

Single-point lidar refers to a type of lidar sensor that emits a solitary laser beam and measures the distance to a single point on a target surface. Here is a specific elaboration on its advantages:

Non-Contact Measurement

By emitting a laser beam and capturing reflected signals to detect the target object, single-point lidar achieves accurate measurement without physical contact. This measurement approach avoids the wear and contamination associated with traditional contact-based measurements, ensuring the safety and cleanliness of the measurement process.

High Precision

Single-point lidar offers extremely high measurement accuracy, typically reaching centimeter or even millimeter levels. This enables the material’s height, volume, and other information to be accurately grasped, providing exact data support for production and management.

Strong Adaptability

Single-point lidar, with robust environmental adaptability, is capable of stable operation under various lighting, temperature, and humidity conditions. Additionally, single-point lidar possesses excellent anti-interference capabilities. It can cope with interference from adverse factors such as dust and vibration to ensure measurement accuracy and stability. These promise effective performance in diverse industrial and agricultural environments.

The Role of Single-Point Lidar

With its unique capabilities, single-point lidar technology has emerged as a crucial component in a wide array of environments and applications:

Increase Material Transportation Efficiency

Currently, the intermodal container industry lacks effective cargo monitoring systems, which means shippers and operators cannot effectively and immediately gain the transportation status of cargo. By installing a single-point lidar module, container capacity information could be obtained in real time. People can master whether the cargo in the container has changed, such as loading or unloading, and report to the visualization platform. This can effectively improve the container utilization rate and turnover rate.

Promote Production Line Automation and Precise Control

In production lines, single-point lidar can be employed to monitor the real-time consumption of industrial materials, providing essential information for production scheduling. Integration with automated control systems, production lines can achieve automatic replenishment and allocation, improving production efficiency and reducing costs.

In addition, high-precision lidar measurements make precise control of material input quantities and proportions possible, guaranteeing the stability and consistency of product quality. These measurement data are also helpful for optimization algorithms, which further enhance material utilization efficiency, minimizing waste and losses.

Manage Grain/Fodder Inventory and Livestock Feed

Single-point lidar can track the stacking height and volume of grain or fodder in the granary, giving warehouse managers an accurate grasp of the inventory. When the inventory is too low or exceeds the capacity of the granary, the system could issue an early warning to avoid material shortages or overflows. 

Apart from that, in livestock farms, single-point lidar can be applied to monitor the operating status of feed dispensers and the amount of feed remaining. Through real-time monitoring, the uniformity and adequacy of feed delivery can be assured, avoiding feed waste and animal hunger.

Prevent Moisture in Gas Pipelines and Wells

Gas pipelines and gas wells need to be kept dry at all times. If water enters, it will affect the regular operation of the pipelines and equipment. The existing monitoring method is manual inspection. Or it can only be discovered and repaired urgently when there is serious water seepage. In this case, the equipment is often severely eroded, and the maintenance cost is high.

By installing a level sensor in a gas well, the presence of water in the well can be monitored in real time. When there is no water, the radar outputs a stable ranging value. If there is unexpected water seepage, the data will fluctuate. Maintenance personnel can respond promptly, reducing inspection costs and improving emergency repair efficiency.

Introduce TF02-Pro-W of Benewake

TF02-Pro-W of Benewake is designed to excel in material level detection. It boasts a robust suite of features that make it an indispensable tool for stock management and industrial automation. The following is an overview of its expanded and enhanced capabilities:

Built-in Self-cleaning Module

Our TF02-Pro-W is equipped with a little squeegee that helps remove the dust from the lidar's cover glass, so users don't have to worry about dust accumulation compromising the detection accuracy, even in a dusty environment like warehouses storing bulk material. Meanwhile, this self-cleaning function can also help save maintenance costs.

High Precision

l With the high-resolution lidar sensor, TF02-Pro-W is able to capture subtle changes on the material surface, providing precise measurement data for bulk material volume monitoring.

l The built-in dust-filtering algorithm helps filter out any interference caused by dust particles, promising reliable and accurate detection.

l Meanwhile, its narrow Field of View (FoV) further enhances measurement precision, allowing the sensor to precisely focus on the material level without interference from the background or other irrelevant objects.

This accuracy can optimize inventory management, reduce waste, and improve operational efficiency. 

Wide Applicability

Our TF02-Pro-W can work at any height, making it suitable for warehouses and storage facilities of all sizes. Whether in tall silos, tanks, or containers, it delivers consistent performance, regardless of the height or depth of the material being monitored.

Versatility

TF02-Pro-W supports multiple types of ports, including UART, I²C, and RS485 ports, allowing for seamless integration with a variety of industrial systems or networks. This wide compatibility makes it can be easily incorporated into different setups, whether in a warehouse, silo, or processing facility. In addition, its ability to transmit data through Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or other communication protocols achieves data access and control, further enhancing its utility.

Lower Power Consumption

As some silos are powered by solar energy or batteries, the power consumption of equipment is strictly limited. TF02-Pro-W could be in low-power mode in solar-/battery-powered scenarios. Its power consumption is no more than 2W so it could last for 5000 hours powered independently by a 10,000mA battery.

Conclusion

At Benewake, we understand the importance of precise material levels detection in industry and agriculture. As a leading brand in the radar industry, we have been committed to the research development and application of lidar technology, creating accurate and efficient material detection solutions. Our TF02-Pro-W is an ideal choice. With its low power consumption, high accuracy, and wide applicability, this product will bring unprecedented convenience and efficiency. Click on our official website now to explore the infinite possibilities of Benewake.