Ultrasonic Sensor Advantages

An ultrasonic sensor is a type of position sensor, like all different types of position sensors they have many advantages of being selected.

Ultrasonic sensors are used to detect the position, displacement or shape of an object. They are completely non-contacting which makes them suitable for various applications.

How do Ultrasonic Sensors Work?

Ultrasonic Sensors work by emitting very high frequency soundwaves – undetectable by human ears. The sound waves will bounce off the object being measured and bounce back to the sensor itself.

The distance, position or even the shape of the object can then be determined by the feedback received by the sensor based on the intensity of these reflections.

Ultrasonic Sensor Advantages  

The technology used by ultrasonic sensors is non-contacting, this gives the sensors most of the advantages they have. Ultrasonic sensor advantages include;

Wear Free – Ultrasonic sensors have no moving parts; this makes them completely wear free and gives them a longer life than contacting alternatives.  

Highly accurate – Because of the way they work, Ultrasonic sensors are highly accurate and can be used to detect very small alterations in position. They can also measure the thickness of an object as well as the depth of the parallel surface.

Shape Detection – Other types of position sensor can detect the position of an object but, where an ultrasonic sensor excels is that they can also detect sizes and shapes of objects. This makes them far more flexible in terms of their application use.  

Detect a range of materials – Ultrasonic position sensors can detect and measure objects irrespective of their surface or colour.

Easy to Use – Another advantage of ultrasonic sensors is that they can easily interface with a microcontroller and they are not dangerous to operate.

What is an Ultrasonic Sensor Used for?

Ultrasonic sensors have many uses. They are used to measure;

• Displacement
• Shape, size and thickness of an object
• Proximity detection – monitoring a specified area for when an object enters. 

Because they are non-contacting, ultrasonic sensors are particularly well suited to applications in food and beverage such as bottle filling, as they can detect the liquid level within the bottles. Some specific applications are;

• Liquid level detection and control on production lines
• Stacking and height control in warehouse facilities
• Irregular parts detection on production lines
• Counting people and people detection
• Detecting breaks in wires or threads
• Tank level detection
• Box sorting for sizes and shapes
• Robotics applications
• High speed counting of objects
• Car wash systems

Ultrasonic Sensors from Ixthus

Our range of ultrasonic Sensors can be found on our website, they come from our supplier Migatron. Migatron ultrasonic sensors are made with piezoelectric crystals and use high frequency sound waves to detect the position and shape of various objects.

For more information on ultrasonic sensor advantages or if have an application you would like to discuss then 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