Position Sensors What are They and How are They Used?

Learn more about the applications and uses of position sensors, including linear, rotary and tilt, and the kind of technology they use.

What are Position Sensors?

Position sensors, simply put, allow two components to be aware of each other at a specified point. The sensors control the next action in a process by determining when the components in question are in the right place for the process to continue. The three main actions that can be measured are:

· linear actions for applications such as race timing, production line progress and security systems

· rotary actions for systems where components rotate next to each other and therefore need to be lined up correctly, and

· tilt actions for applications such as refuse and recycling truck mechanisms and any other equipment that needs to lean to a specified angle

In addition to the three main types of position sensor, bespoke systems can be developed for new applications that are not already well served by the existing products on the market.

Positek use inductive sensor technology, so no physical contact is required between the two components of the sensor; they can identify each other at a distance. This technology results in more reliable and lower maintenance sensors that function well in dirty and challenging environments.

Position sensors are used in everyday life if you use an automated car wash the machinery relies on position sensors to gauge the length and size of the car and adapts the cleaning process to the vehicle in question. Without this technology, the wheels would not be properly washed and very large cars could leave with the rear end of the vehicle still dirty. The car wash needs to know exactly where the wheels are in order to wash them, and exactly how far back to run the rollers to achieve a proper clean. If you share the use of your car with others, you may be lucky enough to have the facility to set the seat position electronically to suit each person, with the data stored in the car's CPU. Linear and tilt sensors are used to align the seat into exactly the position any driver has chosen.

Rising bollards and other access or traffic control equipment also uses sensors to effect locking the equipment into place when it reaches the correct position. Lifts in any building make use of linear position sensors to tell the lift to stop at a particular floor, and moving CCTV cameras also make use of tilt and rotary position sensors to achieve the correct angles for a particular view. Each time you leave the house (and sometimes even if you don't, depending on your home technology) you will make use of position sensor technology without even realising it.

Position sensors are also widely used in industrial processes; automated production lines rely on sensors to keep the process running smoothly and avoid unnecessary delays. In fact, even the machinery that is used in any given production line was created using sensors on fabrication production lines, so the existence of a simple sensor is crucial in the creation of automated production systems. Agricultural machinery uses position sensors to control the angles and action of harvesting machinery and other farming equipment and at another end of the scale, medical equipment like MRI scanners and other imaging equipment uses sensors to position the imaging mechanisms in the correct place for scanning, and to convey the patient through the machinery. The applications of position sensor technology are seemingly limitless, and we enjoy exploring each new development of the technology and how it can be put to use.