Light Curtains
Light curtains are vital safety devices in the industrial world. They assure the personnel and equipment working nearby that they are safe from the hazards associated with machinery and automated systems. The devices consist of two integral parts: a transmitter and a receiver. When an object passes through or blocks the infrared beams that the light curtain sends out across the sensing field that tells the machine to shut down promptly. These devices are particularly good at protecting workers in hazardous machinery areas where physical barriers might not be practical.
Light curtains, which are often used for safety in dangerous situations, are employed in many applications that allow for frequent access to hazardous areas. These includes places like assembly lines in a factory, where workers must work in close quarters to large machines and hazardous materials. Because they use light to detect when things are amiss, light curtains are great in tight spaces, where more traditional safety measures might not be practical. Some light curtains are even rugged enough to be used in places like certain assembly line stations, where the light beams might get covered in dirt and grease.
More Information about Light Curtains
Reducing downtime, increasing efficiency, and enhancing safety are the three major payoffs from using safety light curtains. They are versatile devices, used for many applications, from hand protection to arm detection, with a wide variety of models that meet different industrial needs. Because of that, light curtains can be considered an indispensable part of modern safety systems. Those three main payoffs come directly from what a light curtain does and how it does it. Another payoff that is sometimes not mentioned in connection with light curtains is the preservation of machinery. Light curtains protect personnel; at the same time, they extend the life of the equipment.
FAQs
Can safety light curtains detect objects in applications such as machine guarding in harsh environments?
Yes, safety light curtains are designed to detect objects in applications like machine guarding, even in harsh environments, providing reliable protection and operational efficiency.
What are the technical specifications that safety light curtains must have in order to provide body protection?
Safety light curtains must have technical specifications such as a wide sensing field, appropriate resolution for body detection, robust construction for harsh environments, quick response time, and compliance with safety standards to ensure effective body protection.
Analog and Digital Control Signals: The Basics
Digital Signals
Digital signals are represented in either a true or false. There is no gray area with digital signals. An example of this might be a light switch. A light switch is either on or off. Another example of this might be a motor that is running or not running. Digital signals can be generated with both AC and DC circuits with varying voltages, currents and resistance. Some practical examples of using digital signals in an industrial environment might be if a pump is running or not running or a whether a valve is open or closed.
Analog Signals
Analog signals convey information in the form of a range. A light switch might be on or off as a digital signal, but a dimmer switch would be an analog signal. It can be on or off, but it can also be somewhere in between. A practical example of using analog signals in an industrial environment would be if there is a need to measure the level of a tank; whether it's full, empty or somewhere in between. Analog signals can take many different forms with some of the more common being a 4 to 20 milliamp signal or a 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 volt signal.
Communication
Communication in a device can either be sent or received. Whether that data is sent or received depends on the type of information. Is there a need to monitor the status of something? If so, an input needs to be received about that information. Is there a need to control something? If so, an output needs to be sent about what needs to occur. Receiving inputs and setting outputs are both things that can be accomplished by using both digital and analog signal types. Therefore, the signals are referred to as analog outputs (AO), analog inputs (AI), digital inputs (DI) or digital outputs (DO).