There are a number of ways in which sensing devices
may be classified:
•By their type of operation - analog or digital.
•Whether the quantity is sensed directly or indirectly.
•By the medium by which they operate - optical,
electrical etc.
•By their application.
Proximity Sensing
Proximity sensing normally means detecting:
[Link] or absence of an object.
[Link] size or simple shape of an object.
Proximity sensors can be further classified as contact or non - contact, and as analog
or digital in operation. The choice of sensor is determined by the physical,
environmental and control conditions. They include the following:
Mechanical - Any suitable mechanical / electrical switch may be adopted but
because a certain amount of force is required to operate a mechanical switch it is
common to use microswitches.
Pneumatic - These proximity sensors operate by breaking or disturbing an air flow.
The Pneumatic proximity sensor is an example of a contact type sensor.
Optical - In the simplest form, optical proximity sensors operate by breaking a light
beam which falls onto a light sensitive device such as a photocell. These are
examples of non contact sensors. Care must be exercised with the lighting
environment of these sensors for example optical sensors can be blinded by flashes
from arc welding processes, airborne dust and smoke clouds may impede light
transmission etc.
Electrical -
Electrical proximity sensors may be contact or non - contact. Simple contact
Sensors operate by making the sensor and the component complete an electrical
circuit. Non – contact electrical proximity sensors rely on the electrical principles of
either induction for Detecting metals or capacitance for detecting non metals as
well.
Range Sensing -
Range sensing detects how near or far a component is from the sensing
position, although they can also be used as proximity sensors. Distance or range
sensors use non - contact analog techniques. Short range sensing, between a few
millimetres and a few hundred millimetres is carried out using electrical
capacitance, inductance and magnetic technique. Longer range sensing is carried
out using transmitted energy waves of various types.
Eg. radio waves, sound waves and lasers.
Force Sensing
There are six types of forces (as shown below) that may require sensing. In each
case the application of the force may be static ( Stationary ) or dynamic t Moving ).
Force is a vector quantity in that it must be specified in both magnitude and
direction. Force sensors are therefore analog an operation and sensitive to the
direction in which they act.
•Tensile Force
•Compressive Force
•Shear force
•Torsional Force
•Bending Force
•Frictional Force
A number of techniques exist for sensing force, some direct and some indirect.
Tensile Forces: -Can be determined by Strain Gauges, these show a change in
their electrical resistance when their length is increased. These gauges measure
change in electrical resistance which can be translated into force and are
therefore indirect devices.
Compressive Forces: -
Can be determined by devices known as Load Cells, these operate by detecting
either a change in dimension of the cell under compressive load or by detecting an
increase in the pressure within the cell under load or by exhibiting a change in
electrical resistance under a compressive load.
Torsional and Bending Forces: -
Can be regarded as a combination of tensile and compressive forces so a
combination of the above technique are employed.
Frictional Forces: -
These relate to situations where movement is to be restrained, so friction force is
Detected indirectly using a combination of force and movement sensors.
Tactile Sensing
•Tactile sensing means sensing through touch.
•The simplest types of tactile sensors use an array of simple touch
sensors arranged in rows and columns.
•These are commonly called matrix sensors.
•Each individual sensor is activated when brought into contact with the
object.
•By detecting which sensors are active ( digital ) or the magnitude of the
output signal ( analog ) an imprint of the component can be determined.
The imprint is then compared to previously stored imprint information to
determine the size or shape of the component.
•Mechanical, optical and electrical tactile sensors are available.
• Tactile sensing includes any form of sensing which requires physical touching
between the sensor and the object to be sense.
• The need for touch or tactile sensors occurs in many robotic applications, from
picking oranges to loading machines. Probably the most important application
currently is the general problem of locating, identifying, and organizing parts
that need to be assembled.
• Tactile sensor system includes the capability to detect such things as:
1. Presence
2. Part shape, location, orientation, contour examination
3. Contact are pressure and pressure distribution
4. Force magnitude, location, and direction
5. Surface inspection : texture monitoring, joint checking, damage detection
6. Object classification : recognition, discrimination
7. Grasping : verification, error compensation (slip, position ,orientation)
8. Assembly monitoring