Photoelectric sensors are able to detect objects using a light transmitter and a photoelectric receiver. These sensors can assess their surroundings and process the distance of an object and recognize if the object is nearby or absent. These systems detect a change in light instantly and can be incorporated into a variety of equipment. There are three main ways photoelectric sensors utilize target detection; through-beam, retro-reflective, and proximity or diffused mode.

Through-beams are the most accurate type of photoelectric sensors. The transmitter and receiver are placed apart from each other with one containing the light emitter and the other housing the receiver. If an object breaks that shared light between the two systems, the machine will sense a disturbance and change its process.

Reflective Sensors are less costly than a through-beam, but their accuracy is slightly less than through-beam sensors. The transmitter and receiver use a reflector to bounce light back from the transmitter to receiver. When an object is detected, it will interrupt the reflective light from the transmitter, and that system will be alerted and respond accordingly.

Proximity sensors use electromagnetic beams to detect when an object is close in relation to the device’s surroundings. In this device, the light source and receiver are inside the same housing unit. The transmitter must reflect off the object to align with the receiver. This system will detect an object when the receiver acknowledges the transmitted derivation.

Photoelectric sensors can help machines sense potential danger and immediately shut done an operation. Each sensor has its own advantages in a given situation. Photoelectrical sensors are becoming increasingly relied upon as manufacturing practices become more automated.

AC and DC are different types of voltage or current used for the conduction and transmission of electrical energy.

AC stands for alternating current. AC drives are frequency converters designed to control the speed and torque of an electric motor. The speed is controlled by changing the frequency of the electrical supply to the motor.

AC Drives Benefits

The types of motors that AC drives control normally operate at constant speed. Enabling the user to control the speed of a motor potentially gives the user benefits in terms of process control and energy savings.

DC stands for direct current. DC motor drives are a type of amplifier or power modulator that integrate between the controller and a DC motor. It takes the low current and then converts it into a high current which is appropriate for the motor.

DC Drives Benefits

Despite the popularity of AC drives, DC drives have favorable characteristics that prove to be appropriate for many applications. The characteristics of a DC drive include speed changes that are made by increasing or decreasing the amount of DC voltage fed to the motor from the drive; low cost for medium and high-HP applications; wide speed range; and good speed regulation. DC drives can also be very compact in size.

Advantage of AC Electricity over DC Electricity

The major advantage that AC electricity has over DC electricity is that AC voltages can be readily transformed to higher or lower voltage levels, while it is difficult to do that with DC voltages. Since high voltages are more efficient for sending electricity great distances, AC electricity has an advantage over DC.

AC and DC drives are used in many industrial applications including:

• Hoisting and lowering
• Crane travel
• Trolley travel
• Paper Industry (pulp and paper making)
• Textile Industry (weaving and spinning)
• Conveyors
• Compressors
• Pumps

This is a sponsored blog post by Radwell International.

The near field communications (NFC) ecosystem and associated services expands beyond just payments. NFC enables simplified data exchange, pairing, and wireless connections between two objects when in close proximity to one another. Unlike preceding RFID technology, NFC was designed for applications that require higher levels of security and where larger amounts of data may be exchanged.

Some of the latest NFC tag ICs are considered ‘dynamic.’ Dynamic tag ICs are chips that can communicate two ways: either via the RF interface or a serial port. The dynamic NFC tag chip allows for battery-free operation in RF mode.

One example of a modern NFC tag IC is the ST25DV from STMicroelectronics. It has 4, 16, or 64 Kbits of EEPROM and connects via either the RF interface or its I²C port for a microprocessor connection.

A product equipped with the ST25DV can be tracked on the production floor with no worry about a barcode that might be damaged or dirty. The product being manufactured can be customized to one of several versions with a simple tap of an NFC equipped cell phone, tablet, or card.

Furthermore, thanks to the ST25DV’s ISO 15693 compatibility, long-range operations can be supported as well. The chip combines analog and digital functions and has an analog front end that connects to an external antenna, plus an internal 28.5 pf tuning capacitor.

Applications abound, including automotive (security, customization), medical and pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and more.

At the end of the day, these NFC tag ICs enhance operations with their fast transfer modes and larger memory capabilities.

Editor's note: This is a sponsored post by STMicroelectronics.

An optical fingerprint sensor integrates an OLED microdisplay as a light source on a microchip along with photodiodes. With the technology developed at Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology, Germany, objects can be illuminated as the reflected light is detected and analyzed.

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L-com Global Connectivity has launched a line of X-coded M12 cable assemblies designed to withstand harsh environments for industrial applications. The cables can be used for industrial control, machine vision, sensors and actuators, test equipment, and industrial Ethernet networks.

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