Engineers continue to increase their use of linear-position and displacement sensors for providing real-time information to feedback-hungry PLCs and microcontrollers, which are taking over more control of linear-position/actuator-based systems. For example, they are now used for control surfaces on aircraft, vane position in gas turbines, valve position in steam turbines, and to measure dimensions for quality assurance. But fitting the right sensor to the application requires that design engineers have a working knowledge of the operating characteristics behind today's position sensors.
These devices, known as linear-position and displacement sensors, are proportionaloutput devices that continuously indicate position. They are not threshold-type devices, like proximity sensors, which only determine if an object is present and whether it has moved to or passed a specified location. These sensors are also classified as either absolute or incremental (relative) sensors. Absolute sensors generate the same output after a power outage as before. Conversely, incremental sensors, such as encoders, cannot make meaningful measurements after power outages until they are rezeroed or returned to a “home" position.
Although most of the sensing technologies discussed here can be used in rotary and angular-position sensing, we will stick to linear applications, specifically those used in most industrial and commercial applications of 100min. to 100 in. (2.5mm to 2.5 m). Choosing a sensor is a function of three factors:
Basic economic issues of price and nonrecurring expenses.
Technical performance.
Physical attributes such as packaging, connectivity, and environmental considerations.
OEMs buying sensors are heavily driven by economics. System integrators, on the other hand, focus on the physical attributes as they relate to installation. And researchers probably choose sensors based on technical performance.
The most frequently used electromechanical linear position and displacement sensors can be divided into six basic technologies: resistive, capacitive, inductive, magnetic, time-of-flight, and pulse encoding.
Resistive sensors or “pots" (short for potentiometer) are the best-known and most frequently used resistive sensors. They use a moving contact sliding against a fixed resistive element to generate changes in resistance. Hooked to a dc source as a voltage divider, they produce a proportional voltage output when used with highimpedance loads. Pots are easy to use, relatively economical, and require almost no support electronics. However, because they are contact devices, they have poor repeatability, large hysteresis, and output tends to deteriorate over time due to wear, particularly when exposed to vibrations. This makes them unacceptable for applications needing long-term reliability.
Magnetoresistive sensors, a contact-free variation on the pot, use moving magnets, thus eliminating wear problems. However they typically suffer from relatively large temperature coefficients, which are not acceptable in many applications. Both magnetoresistive and pots are available with full-scale measuring ranges from about 0.1 to 20 in. (2.5 to 500 mm).