Laser sensors handle long distances

Micro-Epsilon has developed high-performance laser sensors which offer large stand off or base distances, while still maintaining high levels of accuracy and resolution.

In noncontact displacement measurement applications using laser sensors, the accuracy of the sensor suffers as the measuring range increases.

The smaller the distance between sensor and the target being measured, the smaller the measurement error will be.

However, for some measurement tasks, it simply isn't possible to mount the sensor close enough to the target, either due to physical obstacles, high shock loads, vibrations or high process temperatures.

In the rail industry, for example, it is common to measure the movement of the carriage with respect to the rail.

However, due to the high shock loads and vibration levels, it is not possible to mount laser sensors on the bogies of the carriage near to the rails.

Therefore, laser sensors with longer measuring ranges are required, which enable the sensor to be mounted further away on the carriage.

Similarly, in the steel industry, due to the physical size of the steel strip and process temperatures, it is not possible to mount laser sensors close to the strip steel during production.

Again, laser sensors with longer measuring ranges are required.

Micro-Epsilon has developed high-performance laser sensors which offer large stand off or base distances, while still maintaining high levels of accuracy and resolution.

The sensors are ideal for optical distance measurement of direct reflecting materials, including highly polished metal, mirrored objects, glass and chrome-plated products.

The sensors are particularly suited to applications where it is not possible to mount the sensor close to the measurement target.

Compared to conventional noncontact, laser displacement sensors, Micro-Epsilon's new optoNCDT 1810-50 and optoNCDT 2210 measure targets at a large stand off distance, while still maintaining unprecedented levels of accuracy and resolution.

The 1810-50, for example, offers a measuring range of 50mm (from 550 up to 600mm) and a resolution of 5um at a measuring rate of 2.5kHz.

The 2210-10 offers a 10mm measuring range (from 95 up to 105mm) with a resolution of 0.5um at a measuring rate of 10kHz.

The 2210-20 offers a 20mm measuring range (from 90 up to 110mm) with a resolution of 1um at a measuring rate of 10kHz.

Chris Jones, Managing Director at Micro-Epsilon UK said: "In addition to the three standard sensors, we can offer OEM customers special versions of the sensor with customised stand off and resolutions to suit their application".

The optoNCDT 1810-50 and 2210 operate using the laser triangulation principle.

A laser diode projects a visible point of light onto the surface of the target object.

The light reflected from this point is then projected onto a CCD array.

If the target changes position relative to the sensor, the movement of the reflected light is projected on the CCD array and analysed to output the exact position of the target.

The measurements are processed digitally in the integral controller.

The data is output via analogue (I/U) and digital interface RS422 or USB.

The optoNCDT 1810-50 and 2210 sensors can automatically compensate in real time for difficult-to-measure surfaces.

Micro-Epsilon's real-time surface compensation (RTSC) feature and high-speed software algorithms dramatically reduce signal noise.

When customers need to measure against a shiny surface, ideally they want a sensor that is able to automatically adjust the laser pulse duration (or laser on time) of the sensor to give them the optimum exposure time on the CCD for that particular surface.

This, in turn, provides a higher accuracy measurement due to lower noise level on the output signal.

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