Posted to News on 23rd Nov 2016, 17:16
Sick launches range of smart inclination sensors
Sick is launching a range of smart inclination sensors designed to provide precise, non-contact and wear-free measurement of inclination angles in industrial vehicles. Sick's TMS/TMM sensors use MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) technology to measure the inclination, so they achieve a high level of precision combined with a high level or reliability and robustness.
A new entrant to Sick's comprehensive position and distance measurement portfolio, the Sick TMS/TMM is competitively priced for industrial vehicle manufacturers. Designed to improve operating safety and control, the TMS/TMM inclination sensors provide automated measurement and monitoring of tilts, sloping positions, angles and levels on heavy plant and machinery. The sensors are expected to find diverse applications including for industrial and agricultural vehicles, as well as cranes and lifting machinery.
Sick TMS/TMM inclination sensors are available with analogue or industry-standard CANopen outputs, and can be specified in rugged aluminium or plastic housings to suit the application. The TMS is a single-axis sensor with a 360 degree inclination range while the TMM offers a dual-axis design for inclinations in the range of +/- 90 degrees.
The Sick TMS/TMM sensors are easy to mount and integrate with other sensors to ensure an all-round evaluation of the machinery operation. Easy to operate, the measuring range can be adjusted by the machine operator in the field to suit the needs of the vehicle.
Darren Pratt, Sick's UK encoder product manager comments: "Sick's TMS/TMM sensors are ideal for automated and semi-automated applications which need to operate within specific angles for efficiency and safety. From the operation of extended boom arms or hydraulic platforms, to the inclination of the vehicle itself when loaded, personnel need to know the angle to keep their vehicle within pre-set limits.
"Many vehicles operate on slopes where angles can be difficult to judge, so an accurate sensor gives added safety assurance. Few inclination sensors on the market incorporate the intelligent digital filters found in the TMS/TMM. By removing unwanted high-frequency vibrations, they are completely consistent and reliable in operation, even in the harshest applications."
The compact TMS/TMM sensors are easy to set up for Baud rates and node identification using Sick's hand-held PGT-12-Pro portable encoder and programming device for CANopen sensor devices, or centrally via PLC.
In both analogue and CANopen versions of the inclination sensors, the PGT-12-Pro can be used to adjust aspects such as the zero positions of the x and y axes, the pre-set value, scaling the analogue output, in addition to optimising the digital filters.
For more information on Sick TMS/TMM inclination sensors, please go to www.sick.co.uk.
