Components and Construction of Photoelectric Sensor
It is a device that detects various objects over long ranges and very small objects like invisible markings in microseconds. It detects presence or absence of an objects by using light transmitter and receiver without any physical contact.
Components
Photoelectric sensor consists of :
- Emitter
- Receiver
- Processing Circuit
- Emitter : It is the source of photoelectric sensor that emits light . Light emitting diodes and lasers are mainly used as source of light in photoelectric sensors. The selection of source depends on various factors like wavelength , intensity of light etc.
- Receiver : It detects the change in the intensity of light that is reflected by an object . Receiver can be phototransistor or photodiodes as they are having very fast response to light . So , basically it receives reflected light by an object .
- Processing circuit : This processing circuit receives signals from the receiver and processes it by using amplifiers , filters , comparators and other processing components. It gives an output whether an object is present or not.
Working Principle
The working principle of photoelectric sensor is based on photoelectric effect . i.e., whenever an object is exposed to light or whenever a light incident on a material then it emits some electrons . These electrons excites the phototransistor or receiver which generates a voltage or current signal proportionally to the intensity of light . If an object interrupts the light , then the electrons received by the phototransistor will be reduced . Which further changes the output voltage and current signal . Then the sensor senses the change and reacts accordingly . This change in output signal indicates presence or absence of an object .
Here , emitter is the source of light , mostly light emitting diodes are used . Receiver that detects the intensity of light and mainly we use phototransistors as receivers. For observing output we can use interfaces like analog outputs or digital outputs .Analog outputs gives voltage or current signals in waveforms , whereas digital outputs gives voltage and current values in digits. These are commonly used for object detection , counting and positioning .
Photoelectric Sensor
A photoelectric sensor is a type of sensor used to detect the presence or absence of objects, as well as to measure distance, based on the principle of light reflection or interruption. It typically consists of a light transmitter and a receiver, which are positioned opposite each other with a gap between them.
Here in this article, we will discuss the definition of photoelectric sensors, the construction and working, various types, and the characteristics briefly. There are many advantages and applications of photoelectric sensors in day-to-day life. Let us discuss all those in this article.
Table of Content
- Photoelectric Sensor
- Components and Construction
- Types
- Characteristics
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
- Applications
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