Product category:
Pressure sensors
News Release from: OEM Automatic | Subject: MicroSpot and NanoSpot
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 28 May 2002
Novel LED design improves optosensor
performance
For short to medium distances, STM's MicroSpot and NanoSpot optosensors approach the resolution of lasers, but with greatly reduced weight, size and the cost.
Miniature photoelectric light barriers and reflective sensors continue to find further industrial applications The light sources for the transmitters in these devices are nearly all LEDs, and the shape, size and performance of these transmitters has traditionally been dictated by the technical specifications of semiconductor producers
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 14 Apr 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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As a result, optosensor manufacturers have always been obliged to adapt these commodity LEDs by optical means to match their requirements using components such as filters, lenses etc.
This has scarcely been a problem for optosensor designs of average size.
But the drive for miniaturisation has been hampered by the substantial limitations imposed by the beam angle that can be attained and the quality of the resulting light spot.
By introducing new types of LEDs in combination with a patented mounting and connecting technique for manufacturing high-performance miniature optical systems, STM has now managed a real quantum leap in the manufacture of miniature optosensors.
With much better focusing capabilities, this makes it possible to significantly increase the performance of such devices.
A light beam with a high degree of homogeneity is produced, which, at any distance from the lens, is always exactly circular and sharply defined.
Depending on the application, even with a lens diameter of 2mm, the beam angle can be reduced to less than 1.2 degrees.
This provides a great variety of new applications possibilities.
The fundamental advantage of this new technology is a significant increase in the resolution of miniature through-beam sensors and miniature reflective switches.
For short to medium distances, STM's MicroSpot and NanoSpot optosensors approach the resolution of lasers, but with greatly reduced weight, size and the cost.
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