What Is a Safety Sensor?
A safety sensor is a sensor used to prevent accidents, fires, and other disasters in various locations. They are used in homes, factories, offices, and transportation equipment.
A familiar example is a safety sensor that detects a fire resulting from spilled gas on a gas range and subsequently shuts off the gas supply.
Various types of safety sensors are available, including those that detect temperature, shaking, speed, the concentration of certain gases, and overweight items.
Uses of Safety Sensors
Examples of safety sensor uses include:
- Safety Light Curtains
For example, on a factory production line, if a worker enters an area where an industrial robot is operating, the robot’s power is automatically turned off.
This is because safety sensors called “safety light curtains” (area sensors) are used to monitor whether people or objects have passed through the designated space constantly. - Safety Limit Switches
These switches are often installed to check the opening and closing of equipment doors and inspection windows of safety fences.
When a worker opens the inspection window to check the equipment, the power of the equipment is turned off.
Features of Safety Sensors
Safety sensors come in many types and applications, and their features vary widely.
The following is a description of typical safety sensor features.
- Safety Light Curtains
Light curtains detect when a person or object blocks a specific space and send this information to the facility.
Light curtains are usually divided into a light-emitting side and a light-receiving side sensor. Multiple rays of light are constantly emitted from the light-emitting side to the light-receiving side sensor at regular intervals.
Therefore, if the light emission interval is too wide, the light curtain should be selected in consideration of the size of the object to be detected, since the object may slip through. - Flame Detectors
Flame detectors are safety sensors designed to identify the absence of a flame in gas burners and other devices used in industrial furnaces. Some types detect ultraviolet and infrared radiation emitted by flames, while others assess the light and conductivity of flames.
In ultraviolet flame detectors, a UV tube is built into the sensor, which detects the slight ultraviolet light emitted by the flame.
When the UV light hits the UV tube and the light-receiving surface of the sensor, the photoelectric effect sends an appliance signal.