AI Product Counting on Conveyors: Handling Overlapping and Missed Items

Control visibility and spacing

Record the smallest gap between products and the amount of overlap under real loading. Consider whether a top or side view exposes the counting feature more clearly. Where items are fully hidden, software cannot recover dependable evidence from that view. Mechanical separation or another sensor may be the better intervention.

Count a defined crossing event

Place a virtual counting line within a stable viewing area and specify direction. Track each object before and after crossing to avoid counting it in successive frames. Define what happens when the belt stops on the line or reverses. The net-flow rule should match the business meaning of output.

Protect continuity through interruptions

Monitor dropped frames, camera restarts and processing lag. A tracking ID may be lost during an interruption, so decide whether the affected interval needs reconciliation. Persist completed count events independently from temporary tracker state. Do not quietly restart a daily total at zero after a power cycle.

Use difficult cases in acceptance testing

Test touching products, side-by-side lanes, shadows, debris and empty carriers. Compare reference and system counts in short labelled intervals to locate errors. Break results down by product and operating speed. A correct full-shift total can hide equal numbers of missed and duplicate counts.

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