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MEASURING AIR GAPS WITH MICRO-METRE PRECISION PRODUCTS SENSORS & SENSING SYSTEMS


New from ifm electronic, the SDP110 air-gap sensor is said to be an effective solution for when a workpiece must be positioned to within a fraction of a millimetre, or when it is necessary to measure the surface roughness of an item. The sensor uses air flowing through a self-cleaning nozzle to measure the distance between the nozzle and the workpiece. It has a resolution of 5µm and a maximum measuring range of 400µm. Easy to set up using the built in


‘teach’ buttons or the IO-Link interface, the sensor features automatic compensation for changes in air supply pressure over the full operating range (1 to 3 bar) to ensure measurement consistency. Although designed to deliver optimum measuring accuracy at


pressures up to 3 bar, the sensor can withstand pressures up to 6 bar without damage. Features include an integral display which


provides visual confirmation


of all key operating parameters – including the gap size, which is shown directly in micro-metres, air pressure and


flow rate. The same information is available via IO-Link, allowing easy interfacing with process


control systems. In addition, the sensor has a conventional analogue output and a digital output that can be programmed to switch on or off at a user-defined sensing distance.


ifm electronic www.ifm.com/uk SOLUTION FEATURES SEPARATE SENSING HEAD


With Sensor Technology’s TorqSense SGR530/540, the sensing head and electronics are in separate housings – meaning the sensing head can fit into very confined spaces, and the electronics can be located where they are protected from physical damage, dust, dirt, moisture, electromagnetic forces, etc. The SGR530/540 series operates on the same principle as all the other SGR510/520 units,


namely a full four element strain gauge bridge. This uses four individual strain gauges affixed to the drive shaft; each measures the deflection of the shaft in a different direction as it rotates under load. The electronics collects readings from all four gauges and calculates the torque value. The new range is designed to meet emerging user


requirements, notably accurately recording transient torque spikes. In the past transducers didn’t have the bandwidth to capture these spikes, so they were ignored. However, advances in automation, continuous operation and the increasing need for accurate track and trace data, has led to the need for more detailed measurement and analysis.


Sensor Technology T: 01869 238400 The sensors work using CMOSens


technology, which combines the sensor element and evaluation electronics in a single chip. They measures the volume being inhaled and exhaled by patients, allowing the non-invasive ventilation, among other things, to be optimised, the company explains.


Sensirion www.sensirion.com


LIDAR-BASED VEHICLE GUIDANCE FROM SICK


With its LiDAR-LOC 2 solution, SICK has made it easy to teach mobile machines virtual paths in order to enhance, expand, or replace physical floor-based guidance systems that use taped lines or 2D-codes. This is the first step in a major upgrade programme for SICK’s LiDAR Localisation-on-Contour software, which uses data from SICK 2D LiDAR sensors or safety scanners to create a reference map based on the contours of shop floors and warehouses and guide automated transport, stacking and loading systems. The SICK LiDAR-LOC 2 is a virtual line guidance system designed


to enhance the physical line or code-reading systems of all kinds of automated mobile robots. It creates a virtual path to bridge a gap in a broken tape on the floor, or to add a deviation from the current


line-guided path without having to go to the time and expense of laying down new lines or bar codes. Simply teach the vehicle the route by moving it along the desired path, then refine the uploaded map


data using the SICK visualisation software tool via an easy-to-follow graphic user interface. The system automatically patches the existing reference map or can merge the data with the existing map. The LiDAR-LOC 2 upgrade is based on a desire to make it much quicker and easier to use data


from sensors to tell a mobile vehicle how to get from ‘A to B’. New routes can be commissioned without stopping the vehicle; and analytical functions in the


system can be used to optimise vehicle routes – for example, by detecting where tape is no longer needed and can be removed. The system also offers a progression for users to dispense eventually with floor-based guidance and adopt a completely contour-based navigation system. Enabled by LiDAR-LOC software running on a SICK Sensor Integration Machine, the SICK


LiDAR-LOC 2 can be retrofitted to already-installed scanners. It can be integrated with SICK line sensors or 2D-code readers, as well as with encoders for motion control and odometry.


SICK 14 DESIGN SOLUTIONS FEBRUARY 2022 T: 01727 831121


HIGHLY ACCURATE SENSOR LAUNCHED


Described as the most accurate sensor of its kind on the market, LEM’s IN 200 is suitable for use in such demanding applications as the high-precision test & measurement (T&M) equipment used to analyse the efficiency of inverters fitted to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). While the IN 200’s data sheet quotes 0.6 parts per million (ppm) and maximum 10ppm respectively, in-house tests are said to have shown that the sensor can achieve linearity below 0.5ppm and offset of ±5ppm. With this, LEM has switched from reliance


on analogue circuitry to digital integration technology. To achieve the increasingly high levels of accuracy demanded by the T&M market, the company is reinventing fluxgate technology. The innovative solution makes it possible to substantially reduce the number of analogue circuits within the transducer through digital integration, transforming the signal. By operating in the digital domain, the new sensor offers a wider range of capabilities – including ripple compensation, detecting second harmonics and voltage regulator excitation.


LEM www.lem.com


FLOW SENSORS FOR VENTILATORS


Flow sensors from Sensirion are enabling gentle ventilation of COVID-19 patients during transfer between intensive care units. Built into the hose system of the MEDUMAT Standard² ventilator from WEINMANN Emergency, the sensors are providing highly accurate and reliable measurements of gas and respiratory flows to and from the patient. Ventilation systems like the MEDUMAT


are particularly gentle on the lungs. With the MEDUMAT Standard² ventilator, this lung-protecting ventilation can be continued even during transportation.


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