Most of the time when we think of Retro-Reflective sensors the first thing that comes to mind is a photoelectric sensor. Photoelectric offerings use a reflector to reflect light from the internally mounted emitter and receiver. Retro photoelectric sensors come in many form factors with light source options such as infrared, red light and laser types.
Ultrasonic sensors are commonly forgotten when reflective sensors are needed in a particular application. Ultrasonic sensors when set up in “Window Mode” are similar to a photoelectric sensor however the ultrasonic sensor can use an existing background as the reflective surface such as a metal plate or a solid background. The sensor simply returns a signal as soon as an object fully covers the reflector. This mode is ideal for detecting difficult targets that photoelectric sensor can have trouble with such as poorly reflective materials
The example shows an Ultrasonic sensor set up in window mode. The sensor is sending a sound wave to the background (reflector) so a target can be detected when entering the detection area between the sensor and the reflector background.
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