Lift height measurement for maintenance work on bridges

In certain cases for maintenance work on bridges, the bridge must be raised, for example to replace the supports. Heavy-duty jacks are used for this. The distance at each jack is measured with a draw-wire sensor so that the jacks operate completely in synchronization.

Sensor technology applied

Lift height of a catering vehicle

Catering vehicles play an important role in passenger air traffic. They are responsible for there being enough foodstuffs on board. It is especially difficult with the Airbus A380 to reach the loading hatch with the vehicle. Therefore, the load area of the scissor platform is also maneuverable. Draw-wire sensors are perfectly suitable for measuring this displacement.

Sensor technology applied

Injector needle lifting

Combustion engines are a combination of many different technologies. Therefore, the precision of each individual one is responsible for the performance of the engine. The actual injected amount of fuel for Common Rail engines is controlled by the lift height and the lift duration of the jet needles of the injector. Temperatures up to 150 °C, pressures up to 2000 bar and an electromagnetically sensitive environment make measurement evaluation difficult. The NLS miniature sensor of the eddyNCDT product group measures the needle movement at the tip of the injector where influences due to bending or compression of the needle do not even occur.

Sensor technology applied

Lift platform - automotive

Short cycle times for the assembly are extremely important in automobile production. In order to design the optimum ergonomics for the worker, the vehicles are transported along the production line on lift tables. Depending on the work operation to be performed, the vehicles are moved to the optimum height in order to ensure as efficient working as possible. Which exact height has been reached is established using draw-wire sensors from Micro-Epsilon. Completely integrated in the lift table, they ensure more reliability and higher productivity.

Sensor technology applied

Lift platform – lift height

Side supports against tipping over are installed for lift trucks and lift work platforms. The crane or the platform can only be put into operation when the supports are completely extended so that there is also no danger of tipping in the case of long extension frames. However, sometimes this is not possible for spatial reasons. Therefore draw-wire sensors from Micro-Epsilon are used for measuring how far the supports are extended. A dynamic load torque limit across the actual support area is thus produced. Redundant measurement is performed as this is a safety relevant measured value.

Sensor technology applied

Vehicle distance to the road surface

The tilting and the driving behavior are often examined in driving tests with automobiles. Optical laser sensors are ideally suitable for this. They are mounted outside on the body shell and measure the distance from there to the road surface. The high measuring rate ensures a sufficient signal for evaluation of the road position of the vehicle.

Sensor technology applied

Rack control unit - lift height

The frequently used automatic rack control units make modern warehousing much easier. These units must automatically travel long distances and position the products with millimetre precision at the end. Modern optical laser sensors and also draw-wire sensors are used to monitor this movement. Draw-wire sensors are the more economical solution for distances up to 50 metres. Laser sensors which determine the distance using time of flight measurement are suitable for larger distances. Distances can be precisely measured and loads can be exactly positioned or delivered with their help.

Sensor technology applied

Training monitoring for rehabilitation machines

Optimum execution of the training plays an important role in the rehabilitation area. Data for monitoring the performance of the individual exercises are provided to the trainer using a network or a chip card. Draw-wire sensors, among other things, are used to enable the provision of this information. The primary factors for the user here are the simple mounting and the long service life.

Sensor technology applied

Forklift lifting height

A large part of internal transportation is performed by forklifts. The risk of tipping the forklift when products are lifted is high. Therefore, the permitted speed has been restricted with limit switches. Draw-wire sensors from Micro-Epsilon measure the current lift height and make continuous speed regulation possible, depending on the height of the products.

Sensor technology applied

Synchronized lifting system lift height

Mobile lifting jacks are being used more and more often for commercial and railed vehicles. The lifting jacks for commercial vehicles are often designed as column lifts. In contrast, railed vehicles are often lifted on the frame. Any number of these lifting jacks can be combined into one system. As each lifting jack has its own drive for the lifting movement, the individual devices must be synchronized in order to ensure a completely level and oscillation-free movement. The lifting movement of each lifting jack is measured with a draw-wire sensor for this.

Sensor technology applied

Precision synchronized lifting system

Synchronized lifting systems enable the raising and lowering of heavy loads controlled for distance and force or the controlled forward feed of large components. To achieve this, eight or more cylinders are connected to a central high pressure hydraulic system (700 bar). The travel displacement of each individual cylinder must be measured as the actual value for the synchronized movement and supplied to the closed/open loop controller. Draw-wire displacement sensors of the wireSENSOR Series P60 are employed for this task.

Sensor technology applied

Underwater Measurement of axial movement and shaft play

The functional safety of systems of special economic importance often depends on the perfect operation of delivery devices (pumps). Increased radial shaftwhirl, or an axial shift due to termal expansion, are first signs of possible malfunctions. Measuring axial movement and shaft play will reduce downtimes of the system and minimise repair costs. For underwater measurement a pressureproof eddy-current position sensor, which has been developed from the standard type U3 with certain adaptations is used. The sensor still has its high basic accuracy, and procuring spare parts is no problem at all. The use of potentiometers with readable setting ensures that the sensor can be easily and quickly adapted to different shaft materials (ferromagnetic or non-ferromagnetic).

Sensor technology applied

Valve lift measurement in the MultiAir cylinder

The MultiAir cylinder procedure patented by FIAT / Schaeffler controls individual valves independently of the camshaft. An electro-hydraulic control system provides fully variable valve control.

Therefore, the stroke and the opening/closing times of the inlet valve are freely controllable. This reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions with a simultaneous increase in engine performance and torque.

During the end-of-line inspection of the MultiAir components, a test bench simulates the conditions inside the engine. Eddy current sensors from Micro-Epsilon measure the exact valve lift.

Sensor technology applied

Roller levitation height

The distance of both rollers from each other or from the roller to the support surface is the crucial dimension for rolling processes for metals, plastics or other materials. In the case of sensitive processes and high material accuracies, the lift of the upper roller must be checked constantly so that imminent rejection is avoided. The contacting inductive and the non-contact methods are suitable for this. In the case of contacting methods, the sensor is mounted on the outside on the roller guide. The change in clearance is transmitted to a plunger whose position change is measured by the inductive sensor. In the case of the non-contact method, the roller is between the transmitter and receiver of an optical micrometer at the height of the lift. The emitted light curtain is partially covered by the roller. The remainder reaches the receiver through the gap. The gap can be calculated based on the light quantity measurement.

Sensor technology applied