Posted to News on 5th Feb 2018, 17:50
Long-range distance sensors: high-performance laser measurement
SICK has pushed the boundaries of long-range laser sensing with the launch of the DT1000 and DL1000 distance sensors to deliver highly accurate and consistent results even in the most difficult outdoor and harsh industrial environments.
With SICK's innovative HDDM+ (High Definition Distance Measurement) technology onboard, users can have confidence in the reliability of the sensor even under adverse conditions such as bright light, bad weather, dust, smoke or mist, which could otherwise obscure or deflect the laser pulses and lead to false signals.
The SICK DT1000 and DL1000 achieve best-in-class real-time repeatability and reliability with a measurement range spanning 0.2m to 1500m and cycling time of less than 1ms. They are versatile performers in a wide range of applications where there is a need to measure the distance to objects that are static or moving in the line of sight of the sensor. They can also be set up to track the movement of an object across the sensor beam.
The sensors will therefore find a wide variety of industrial indoor or outdoor uses from position control and collision prevention of cranes, non-contact measurement in steel processing, to management of vehicles in freight yards or traffic lanes. The sensors can be factory-fitted by machine builders or easily mounted on buildings and plant.
Darren Pratt, SICK UK's Product Manager for Distance Sensors, explains: "Both the DT1000 and DL1000 offer sub-millimetre resolution which means highly accurate results. SICK's powerful HDDM+ with multi-echo technology masks out the false signals received from unwanted laser reflections caused by rain, snow, fog or dust. The sensors are also unaffected by bright sunlight.
"The versatile sensors can be adapted to the individual measuring task with scalable adjustment to optimise distance and measurement cycle time. They can be commissioned quickly and safely using SICK's SOPAS PC-based configuration tool or using the onboard graphical touch display."
The class 1 eye safe SICK DT1000 and DL1000 use a 905nm infrared laser for measurement and a visible red laser which is turned on for alignment. The rugged dust-proof, waterproof IP65- or IP67-rated corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy housing has a heated glass window to prevent condensation and icing.
The SICK DT1000 is designed for distance measurement up to 460m on naturally light-coloured objects and even 150m for matt black, which enables it to be used on a wide range of surfaces and objects. The SICK DL1000 achieves a range of up to 1500m using a suitable reflector for long range control and identification of obstructions. The sensors have an ambient operating temperature range of -40degC to +55degC.
As standard all DT1000 and DL1000 sensors feature Ethernet communication, switchable RS422/SSI interface, 4-20mA and push-pull transistor outputs. The on-board touch-sensitive graphical interface enables easy navigation through the intuitive menu enabling easy set-up of the electrical interfaces, echo selection, maximum and minimum distances and status information. The SICK SOPAS ET free-to-download PC software provides another option for parameterisation but also offers additional visualisation options, data logging and remote parameter configuration.
For more information about the SICK DL1000 and DT1000 distance sensors, please visit www.sick.co.uk.
