Acoustic sensors smaller than a match box but with big benefits

Because these miniature sensors can detect objects within an area rather than being restricted to sensing only what is directly in front of them, the F77 series is suited for applications where the pin-point accuracy of a photoelectric beam is too focused to accurately sense the target. 

Product Manager, Pepperl+Fuchs, Marcel Ulrich commented: “F77 series ultrasonic sensors are 100% insensitive to colour, provide 100% reliable clear object detection and ignore target holes and ridges, resulting in a coverage area that is more forgiving than that of most photoelectric sensors.”

Ulrich continued: “This is particularly significant, for example, in a printed circuit board application where cuts and holes in the board and shiny copper tracks on a dull background would result in false readings for optic-based products. 

These sensors are also highly immune to acoustic interference and have minimal deadband – important characteristics for sensors mounted on machinery with noisy pneumatic cylinders.

With a housing size of 31x11x23mm, F77 series sensors fit in space-restricted applications and provide up to 50Hz switching frequency for fast response times. High visibility LEDs give you at-a-glance status indication. Intuitive range adjustments make it easy to make changes on-the-fly.

You can use these IP67-rated sensors in temperatures ranging from -25 to 70 °C (-14 to 158 °F).  A 4-pin Nano-style M8 connector makes installation easy. These sensors provide one PNP, N.O. (normally open) or N.C. (normally closed) switch point output, use inexpensive discrete PLC inputs, offer high or low frequency options, and deliver a 2Hz/mm maximum resolution. They are available in diffuse (up to 400mm sensing range), retroreflective (up to 400mm sensing range), and thru-beam models (up to 800mm sensing range).