Banner Engineering
Q: I need help with selection of a position sensor for a textile application. Basically , we are trying to lay and pull a peice of cloth ( 80 cm x 8 cm ) on a table. I tried to use optic fibers for this purpose. We have a glass table on which the fabric is pulled. Its edge needs to be detected as the fabric is pulled. A bunch of fibers is placed in a strech beneath the table and light is focussed from the top of the table. As the fabric uncovers the optic fibers, it is exposed to light. Now, we are in search of a sensor on the other end of the fibers which is bundeled.
A: -Banner makes a couple of pretty wide fiber fans for just this sort of problem. Using a pair of these fibers (I don't remember their numbers - there are several - catalog is at work) with an analog sensor head (OASBFX) and other necessary accesories into an analog control system can tell you position, centering, etc. -If you are using typical industrial glass fiberoptic cables with a 0.187" sleeve, then Banner Engineering makes a version of their Mini Beam sensor family that is intended for detection of non-modulated light. The model number for the scanner block is SBAR1GHF. The most common cable assembly is the Banner IT23S. They will need to select power and logic module blocks as well.