Did you ever wonder how an Inductive Proximity Sensor is able to detect the presence of a metallic target? While the underlying electrical engineering is sophisticated, the basic principle of operation is not too hard to understand.
At the heart of an Inductive Proximity Sensor (“prox” “sensor” or “prox sensor” for short) is an electronic oscillator consisting of an inductive coil made of numerous turns of very fine copper wire, a capacitor for storing electrical charge, and an energy source to provide electrical excitation. The size of the inductive coil and the capacitor are matched to produce a self-sustaining sine wave oscillation at a fixed frequency. The coil and the capacitor act like two electrical springs with a weight hung between them, constantly pushing electrons back and forth between each other. Electrical energy is fed into the circuit to initiate and sustain the oscillation. Without sustaining energy, the oscillation would collapse due to the small power losses from the electrical resistance of the thin copper wire in the coil and other parasitic losses.
Continue reading “Basic Operating Principle of an Inductive Proximity Sensor”
