MECH 3600 – Lab Experiment # 3

NEW YORK CITY

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Of The City University of New York

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

Proximity Sensor

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MECH 3600 – Lab Experiment # 3

Objective

The objective of this experiment is to find the sensitivity and relative error of infrared (IR) proximity
sensor (sharp sensor) and Ultrasonic proximity sensor then implement them into a distance measuring
system.

Equipment

 Sharp sonar sensor

 Ultrasonic sonar sensor
 Arduino Microcontroller
 mydaq data acquisition
 Jumpers
 Breadboard

Theory

Proximity sensors are transducers that can detect nearby objects without physical contact, by detecting
change in the return signal. They are available in different types, shapes and range such as inductive,
photoelectric and sound propagation. They also have three different configurations, thru-beam, diffuse-
reflection, and retro-reflection. Infrared and ultrasonic are the most common types that are widely for
distance detection, level detection, and object detection. Proximity sensors are reliable and have a long
life cycle due to the absence of mechanical contact.

(a)

(B)

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(C)

Figure 1: Different position configuration of proximity sensors,(a) thru-beam, (B) diffuse reflection, (C) retro-reflection

Infrared proximity sensor consists of two parts, emitter and receiver. They must have the same
wavelength rating. The emitter pulse an electromagnetic radiation using and LED. The receiver detects
the electromagnetic radiation echo that is being reflected from an object or obstacle. These detected
values represent the approximation of the distance between sensor and obstacle by using the
triangulation method. These sensors usually have nominal and angular range of detection. When the
obstacle is too close to the sensor, the echo signal will no longer be able reflect into the receiver and
thus It has minimum valid range; while, faraway objects detection determined by sensor capacity and
that consider as maximum valid range. The sensor is made for indoor use in the absence of sunlight that
interfere with it operation. The pectoral diagram in figure two illustrates the theory of operation of IR
proximity sensor.

Figure 2: Pectoral diagram of IR proximity sensor

Ultrasonic proximity sensor consists of two parts, emitter and detector. The beeper emits a high
frequency beep and the microphone detects its echo. The time interval between the sending and
detecting the reflected signal can be calculated to determine the distance between transducer and
obstacle, depending on the fact that the speed of ultrasonic sound is defined. This sensor also has a
nominal and angular range depend on the capacity and position of microphone. It can be used indoor
and outdoor. Figure three illustrates the theory of operation of Ultrasonic proximity sensor.

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MECH 3600 – Lab Experiment # 3

Figure 3: Pectoral diagram of ultrasonic proximity senor

TYPICAL USAGE

Detecting whether an object exists in a defined position:

Positioning of an object:

Counting the number of parts:

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MECH 3600 – Lab Experiment # 3

Determining the rotational speed:

Determining the linear speed

Pictorial diagram

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 MECH 3600 – Lab Experiment # 3

Procedure

IR Sharp Sensor

1. Connect the sharp mydaq or microcontroller

2. Set the sensor 1 inches away from object
3. Move sensor 1 inch record the value on table 1
4. Repeat step 3 until you reach 21 inches
5. Plot input voltage verses distance using excel
6. What type of system you get?
7. What is the nominal range?
8. Get the best fit polynomial trend
9. Get the best fit using power trend
10. Compare results
11. implement the sensor into distance measuring system using the best of the two previous
equations
12. find error

Ultrasonic Sensor

1. connect the ultrasonic sensor

2. set the sensor 1 inch away from object
3. Move sensor 1 inch record the value on table 2
4. Repeat step 3 until you reach 21 inches
5. Plot input voltage verses distance using excel
6. What type of system we have?
7. What is the nominal range?

Table 1: sharp sensor results

Sharp Sensor
Distance Voltage Voltage Avg Distance Relative Distance Voltage Voltage Avg Distance Relative
(cm) (V) (V) (V) Measured Error (cm) (V) (V) (V) Measured Error
(cm) (cm)
0 55
5 60
10 65
15 70
20 75
25 -
30 -
35 -
40 -
45 -
50 -

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Table 2: Ultrasonic sensor results

Ultrasonic sensor
Distance Distance Error Distance Distance Error
(in) Measured (in) Measured
(in) (in)
0 11
1 12
2 13
3 14
4 15
5 16
6 17
7 18
8 19
9 20
10 21

Questions

1. Find the disadvantage of using IR proximity sensor?

2. Find the advantage and disadvantage of using Ultrasonic proximity sensor?
3. What is the ultrasonic speed of the sensor we used in this experiment?
4. Which one can be used in under water?
5. Can the sonar module determine the exact location of an object?
6. Can the sonar sensor determine the size of an object? How could you use the sensor to
determine the size of an object?
7. Can the sensor respond to quick moving objects? Why or why not?