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| SICK Photoelectric Sensors |
A photoelectric
sensor is a piece of equipment used to discover the distance, absence, or
presence of an object. This is done by using a light transmitter, most commonly
infrared, and a photoelectric receiver.
There are many
different styles and options that photoelectric sensors can have, but there are
3 basic principles:
Proximity
Sensors
Proximity
Photoelectric Sensors are probably the most common kind available. With the
sender and receiver built directly into a single unit, they are optimized to be
used in a variety of applications. These would be applications that require reliable sensors but may be
lacking vital extra space. Proximity sensors rely on the sender unit emitting a
light beam which then bounces off the target object and returns back to the
receiving unit inside the sensor to signal that an object is there.
Retro-reflective Sensors
Similar to Proximity sensors,
retro-reflective sensors have their sending and receiving optics built directly
inside the same housing. The main difference between this sensing technology
and proximity based sensing is that rather than the light beam reflecting off
any standard object it only works when reflected off an actual reflector (seen
above). These sensors have a longer range than most proximity photo-eyes
allowing them to be used in even more restrained environments.
Thru-beam Sensors
Retro-reflective Sensors
Similar to Proximity sensors,
retro-reflective sensors have their sending and receiving optics built directly
inside the same housing. The main difference between this sensing technology
and proximity based sensing is that rather than the light beam reflecting off
any standard object it only works when reflected off an actual reflector (seen
above). These sensors have a longer range than most proximity photo-eyes
allowing them to be used in even more restrained environments.
Thru-beam Sensors
Thru-beam sensors are much different than the previous two principles because this technology separates the optics into two different pieces. One part contains the sender and the
other part holds the receiver, making one thru-beam sensor actually come as a 2 piece pair. These two different parts are mounted
separately from each other and then the light is emitted between
them. Whenever an object comes in between the sender/receiver it disrupts the beam which
would trigger the desired output!
If you had
questions on any particular sensor or wanted to learn a little more about the available technologies don't hesitate to reach out, Gibson
Engineering is now the Elite Distributor of SICK sensors throughout the
Northeast! Thank you for reading,
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