Displacement Sensors Displacement sensors is another term used for position sensors. They measure movement or “displacement” of objects, this can be in any direction and can be linear or rotary. Movements are converted into electromagnetic, electrostatic or magnetoelectric signals and then converted into a readable format for the user or other components within the process application. At Ixthus, displacement sensors are one of our biggest and broadest product ranges. We can offer various types of displacement sensors; they can measure different types of displacement using different technologies. What are Displacement Sensors used for? Displacement sensors can be used for various types of measuring applications; every time something is moving there will be a position sensor involved. For example, they can; measure shifts or changes in position, determine gaps or changes in gaps, monitor expansions or contractions of objects, measure inclines, move objects in the controlled way etc. Movements measured by displacement sensors can be either linear or rotary; some application examples include; Various motorsport applications Moving bridge and ramp positioning Steering systems in agricultural vehicles Controlling the thickness of produce and products in various machinery; paper thickness or dough thickness in bakeries Aerospace applications – wing positioning Moving barriers – car barriers or ticket barriers Medical applications Robotics – monitoring movements of robotic arms for precise movement Displacement sensors are used in every industry and many different environments Displacement Sensor Types Displacement Sensors are available in various types; the two main types are rotary displacement sensors and linear displacement sensors. Linear and rotary can be split further based on the technology they use. Displacement Sensors - Linear Linear displacement sensors measure displacement in a straight line. This can be in any direction if it is along a single axis. There are various types of technologies used within linear displacement sensors, some are contacting, some are non-contacting. They each have different advantages which make them suitable for different applications and different environments. We have linear displacement sensors with the following technologies available; Eddy current Laser Capacitive Ultrasonic Potentiometer Cable extension transducers Many of these are non-contacting technologies which give them a longer life and makes them suitable for more applications. Displacement Sensors – Rotary Rotary Displacement Sensors determine the position of objects in a rotary fashion; they can measure angles and degrees of rotation in clockwise or anti-clockwise directions. Rotary displacement sensors are also available in various technologies; contacting or non-contacting. The rotary displacement sensors we have available can be either single turn (up to 360) or multi-turn (over 360 degrees). Some of the technologies we have available for our rotary displacement sensors are; Potentiometers Hall effect Encoders Displacement Sensors from Ixthus We have a wide range of displacement sensors, both linear and rotary, using various types of technologies. See our position sensors here; Eddy current position sensors Laser sensors Capacitive sensors Ultrasonic sensors Potentiometers LVDTs Cable Extension Transducers Hall effect sensors Encoders For more information on displacement sensors or to discuss your application please contact us. For more information please contact: Ixthus Instrumentation Email: sales@ixthus.co.uk Tel:+44 (0) 1327 353437 Fax: +44 (0) 1327 353564 Article published on: 21/07/2022 Article last updated on: 21/07/2022