Universal non-contact container detection

The challenge is to be able to detect the presence or not of a container, of any material and geometry, at a certain distance, without direct contact with it, without the possibility of electrically powering the area where the container is located, without being able to ensure its exact position, with variable lighting conditions, and at a limited cost. In particular, these are containers that will normally be made mainly of plastic (PP and PET), with a cylindrical shape, and whose purpose is to collect organic matter after automatic processing of the same. The conditions of low lighting, this being variable depending on the location of the machine, and the fact that the system will be located in an area where food is processed, and therefore may generate remains that dirty it or hinder its operation.

HOW COULD WE...?

The objective is that the machine that performs this process, which can be located anywhere, can start its operation only when it detects the presence of the vessel, apart from other conditions. The problem arises from not being able to use mechanical sensors (microswitches, load cells, etc.) in the area where the vessel is located, since this area cannot be electrically powered, and not being able to ensure the exact position of the vessel, since there is some variability. All this, in addition to the fact that the system must be able to detect any geometry and material. When all these variables are combined, it is very difficult to ensure that the machine will always detect the vessel when it is positioned, even when using photocells (with or without a retro-reflector).