Knowledge

makes a difference in the work place

MEASUREMENT
PRINCIPLES
What is a contact displacement sensor?

CONTACT MEASUREMENT
 What is a contact
【放 displacement
射 温 度 計とは？】sensor?

What is a contact displacement sensor?

As the name suggests, a contact displacement sensor is
a sensor which measures the position of target by coming
into contact with a target and noting the spindle position.
As shown in the figure to the right, the sensor internally Spindle
calculates the amount of displacement when the position
of the spindle changes. This type of sensor is suitable for Contact
the measurement of height, thickness and warpage of a
workpiece.

Air push type: Extends a spindle to measure the target

An air push type sensor measures via an air
STANDARD TYPE GT2 AIR PUS H T Y P E
actuated probe, eliminating the need for a
mechanism to move the sensor head. This saves A complex mounting jig No complex
mounting jigs
installation space and drastically reduces the man- is not necessary since are required.
there is no sensor head
hours required for installation.
movement. In addition,
Linear guide this eliminates errors
• Jigs and mechanisms to move the sensor are Dividing jig in accuracy caused by
no longer necessary. mechanical mounting.
Stopper
• The measuring force is unaffected by the amount of
air pressure.

Characteristics of contact displacement sensors

The following table shows the characteristics of displacement sensors by detection method.

Comparison by detection method

Inductive
Type Optical Ultrasonic Laser focus Contact
(Eddy current)

Detectable target Metal Virtually any object Virtually any object Virtually any object Solids

Detecting distance Short Middle Long Short Short

Accuracy High High Low High High

Response speed High High Low Middle Low

Resistance against harsh

High Middle Middle Middle High
environments (dust, water and oil)

Detecting surface Middle Small Large Small Small

Differences between a hand micrometer and a contact displacement sensor

Both a hand micrometer and a contact displacement sensor measure the amount
of displacement or thickness of a target by pressing a contact directly on the
target. In this sense the mechanism used for both instruments is the same, but a
Uniform
hand micrometer is susceptible to error because the amount of pressure changes measuring
force
depending on the force applied on the micrometer. The measurement results can
vary depending on operators. (The force used to turn the dial exerts an effect on the
measurement value.) On the other hand, a contact displacement sensor determines
the measuring pressure based on the force of an internal spring, and the pressing
Error in measuring force
force of the operator has no bearing on the measurement. (As the internal spring caused by manually
applied pressing force
force remains constant, the measuring pressure does not fluctuate.)

2
 What is a contact
【放 displacement
射 温 度 計とは？】sensor?

Measurement principles of contact displacement sensors

The measurement principles of contact type displacement sensor can be roughly divided into the following two types.
• Transformer method: a method utilising an electric transformer inside the sensor
• Scale method: a method utilising a scale mounted inside the sensor
In addition to the conventional types above, there is a third type which KEYENCE has developed on its own,
• Scale shot system
This is the method using a CMOS sensor that scans the absolute value quartz glass scale at a high speed.
The advantages and disadvantages of each method are presented in detail in the following sections.

Transformer method
Sensors using the transformer method have internal coils that generate a magnetic field when a current is applied.
Inserting a core into the magnetic field changes the impedance of the coils in response to the position of the inserted core,
and also changes the signal level. The change in the signal level is detected and converted into the amount of displacement.

S T R U C T U R E O F G T SERIES SENSORS

Coil WHEN A SPINDLE EXTENDS WHEN A SPINDLE RETRACTS

Spring
Core Adjustment coil
Detection coil
Core

Linear ball bearing

Signal level

Signal level

Dust boot

Contact

ADVANTAGE
• The sensor can keep track of the contact's absolute position because signal level changes depending on the position of
spindle inside the coil. (No need for zero point adjustment, No tracking errors)

DISADVANTAGES
• The accuracy drops around the edge of spindle. Due to the use of coils, the magnetic attraction is uniformly applied to the
spindle around its centre, and generally becomes uneven in the area near the edge.
• It is necessary to consider the linearity and temperature characteristics.

Scale method
The sensor using a scale method utilises a built-in scale for measurement.
The transmitter and the receiver of an optical sensor are installed inside the main unit for the purpose of reading the scale.
The sensor measures the amount of displacement by counting the number of slits on the scale.

3
 What is a contact
【放 displacement
射 温 度 計とは？】sensor?

Light-receiving
element (PD) Moving slit

Light-receiving element
Fixed slit
Light source (LED)
Moving slit

Fixed slit Light source (LED)

Spindle

Measuring element

ADVANTAGE
• High accuracy (Generally, the accuracy is determined by how accurately the scale is calibrated.)
• It is not necessary to take linearity into account because the distances between the scale marks stay the same both around
the centre and at the edge of the scale.
• Temperature changes do not affect the scale marks radically, and thus it has good temperature characteristics.

DISADVANTAGES
• It is necessary to perform a zero point adjustment. The sensor requires a zero point adjustment on the counter side at
each start-up or product changeover because it does not keep track of the absolute position but just counts the amount of
displacement.
• When the spindle rapidly moves due to vibrations or other factors, the photoelectric sensor cannot respond to the sudden
change and a tracking error occurs.

Scale shot system (New measurement principle developed by KEYENCE)

The sensors of KEYENCE's GT2 Series have built-in transmitters, receivers and scales similar to general scale-method
sensors. However, unlike general scale-method sensors which use simple slits, the scales incorporated into the GT2 Series
sensors have slits with unique patterns. The scale-shot system can identify the position of the spindle by reading these
patterns.

1. When the spindle moves, the absolute value scale also moves.
2. The CMOS sensor reads the complicated patterns incorporated into the scale.
3. The spindle position data is communicated to the amplifier.

SCALE SHOT SYSTEM

The world’s first, high-speed scale shot* system using a
Formed through a prism
CMOS sensor that scans the absolute value quartz glass scale LED parallel light illumination Approx. 6 μs shutter speed
Detachable Cable
incorporating different patterns depending on the position. Free from deformation Transmitter
Quartz glass scale Absolute
value scale
Advantages of conventional scale method (Pulse counting)
• High-accuracy throughout the entire measurement range
• Good temperature characteristics
CMOS
Approx. 6 μs shutter speed sensor
Advantages of conventional transformer method CMOS sensor

• No tracking errors • Absolute position detection * Shutter speed: Approx. 6 μs, Sampling interval: 1 ms

ADVANTAGE
• The absolute position can be detected.
• No zero point adjustment is required and no tracking errors occur because the position data is detected.
• The scale method ensures high accuracy throughout the entire measurement range.
• The temperature characteristics are good.

No disadvantages in particular

4
 What is a contact
【放 displacement
射 温 度 計とは？】sensor?

Improvement examples
CUSTOMERS' PROBLEMS
Zero point adjustment
Zero point adjustment was required at
the startup of each operation, even when
the targets remained the same. Due to
the occurrence of speed errors, it was not
possible to increase the cycle time.
Damages of sensor heads
It was necessary to have a large stock of
spare sensor heads because they were
regularly damaged due to the contact
method.
Complexity of configuration
Detection using multi-head sensors
requires specialised equipment such
as PLCs, and therefore the number of
operators who are able to configure these
sensors was limited.

With the GT2 Series...!

No need for the zero point adjustment
The adoption of the scale shot system
eliminates not only the need for a zero
point adjustment, but also solves the
problem of speed errors, leading to
reduced man-hours and increased
cycle time.
Long service life Easy and simple setting
Linear ball bearings are used for the Simple calculation without a PLC is
spindle, which extends the detecting achieved even in applications with
durability of conventional sensors from multiple sensor heads. It enables any
5 million times up to 20 million times, operator to make settings.
and thus ensures longer service life.
Furthermore, replacement sensor heads
can be delivered instantly, meaning that
only a minimal stock of spare heads
needs to be kept on-hand.

Introduction examples
Thickness measurement Flatness measurement of a Thermal expansion measurement Runout measurement of a
of a steel plate transmission mount of a machine tool motor axis

Measuring the thickness of rolled steel Checking if the individual heights of the Measuring the amount of displacement Checking if the fluctuation is within the
plate. target points are within the designated caused by thermal change. designated range.
dimensional tolerances.

5
 www.keyence.com

Copyright (c) 2011 KEYENCE CORPORATION. All rights reserved. MeasurePrincipleContact-WW-EN0913-E 1091-1 600A08