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Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

(OP)
Hi

I need a type of sensor for my project to measure distance with average precision and between 0 up to 10 centimeter to soft materials like fabric, wool and hair? I looked a lot but unfortunately no success!

Thanks,

RE: Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

Try googling "optical range sensor" and see if the devices that pop up there are any use to you.

A.

RE: Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

Irwin Sick is one manufacturer to look at - they have most of the common technologies in their range.

RE: Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

Wow, tough application. Your measured object's "surface" is variable, inconsistent, unstable, and resilient.

I would consider one of the laser-scanning displacement sensors marketed by Keyence. Fabulous devices, but expensive. Perhaps the other major sensor manufacturers have some clever devices also: OMRON, SUNX, Banner Engineering, SICK (as mentioned previously), Balluff, probably a dozen more that I could think of on a good day.

If your object has some resistance to it, then perhaps you could rig up a contact probe sensor of some sort. Keyence makes those, too. Or perhaps some sort of simple limit switch affair with a "paddle" attached to the swing arm to distribute the switch's imparted load on the squooshy surface across a larger area.

But one thing you MUST do is a better job of specifying your needs. The specification "with average precision" has no merit.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com

RE: Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

A laser triangulation sensor should work fine. This is similar to what is used on flush toilets to detect a person's presence.
Precision is pricey, but I've seen some for as low as $100, which consist of a diode laser and a CCD camera.

RE: Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

Google: microwave distance detector
Walt

RE: Measuring distance sensor in short range to soft materials like wool, fabric and hair?

What type of sensor does a car backup alarm use? Not sure about the precision but should be cheap enough to try it out. If you have that system or have a friend/coworker that does, you could even test while it is still attached to a vehicle, which is free.

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