Sensors tackle tricky applications

Three new additions extend the E3Z family of photosensors from Omron Electronics to cover demanding specialist applications such as the detection of transparent bottles and films.

Three new additions extend the E3Z family of photosensors from Omron Electronics to cover demanding specialist applications such as the detection of transparent bottles and films, the sensing of tiny targets, and through-beam installations where, with normal sensors, accurate alignment would be difficult to achieve or maintain.

All the new sensors feature Omron's innovative E3Z optical and processor technologies, which provide dependable sensing, even under difficult operating conditions, combined with mechanical robustness, and outstanding immunity to electromagnetic interference.

For bottle and film sensing applications, Omron offers E3Z-B retroreflective sensors.

Specially developed for use with modern PET products, including bottles which may feature unusual angles and facets, these sensors use a powerful light source to overcome the problems of beam scattering which have, in the past, made it difficult to detect transparent objects reliably.

These versatile sensors can also be used with translucent plastics, such as those encountered in the manufacture of printed circuit boards.

Omron's second new sensor, the E3Z-L, is a diffuse reflection type which uses a very narrow light beam - typically, just 2.5mm in diameter.

This makes the unit capable of detecting targets as small as 0.1mm in diameter, and of accurately determining the position of the edges of larger targets.

Since the light beam used by this sensor diverges only slightly, the unit can be mounted behind a shield with just a small hole in it, providing excellent mechanical protection in difficult environments.

The remaining new sensor in the E3Z family is the E3Z-G tuning-fork through-beam model, which has the light source and detector permanently mounted opposite each other.

This means that no alignment is needed during installation, and that the alignment cannot be disturbed by, for example, vibration or shock, during operation.

E3Z-G units are available with a single sensor, or with two sensors for applications such as monitoring belt or web tension.

Back to top