Farnell offers a wide variety of Ultrasonic Proximity Sensors from leading manufacturers such as Telemecanique, Sick, Pepperl+Fuchs, and Banner Engineering. These sensors feature a sensing range of 60 mm to 8 m and a sensing frequency ranging from 48 kHz to 500 kHz. Additionally, they are available with beam divergence angles ranging from 6 to 60 degrees and offer a wide operating temperature range from -40°C to 85°C.
An ultrasonic sensor is a device that uses ultrasonic waves to measure distance or detect objects and converts the reflected sound into an electrical signal. Ultrasonic sensors can reliably measure distances without contact within a defined range, independent of ambient conditions such as the presence of dust. They are also immune to interference from other environmental factors.
An ultrasonic sensor works by emitting high-frequency sound waves and measuring the time it takes for the waves to hit an object and reflect back to the sensor (time-of-flight principle). Based on the measured time, the distance between the sensor and the object is calculated using the speed of sound propagation.
Ultrasonic Proximity Sensors are widely used in various automotive and industrial applications, including parking assistance, human detection, double-feed detection, level measurement, object detection on conveyor belts, and obstacle detection in automated robot vacuum cleaners. To learn more about proximity sensors for industrial applications, please read our comprehensive guide for proximity sensors.