Light Curtains

More Information about Light Curtains

Reducing downtime, increasing efficiency, and enhancing safety are the three major payoffs from using safety light curtains. They are versatile devices, used for many applications, from hand protection to arm detection, with a wide variety of models that meet different industrial needs. Because of that, light curtains can be considered an indispensable part of modern safety systems. Those three main payoffs come directly from what a light curtain does and how it does it. Another payoff that is sometimes not mentioned in connection with light curtains is the preservation of machinery. Light curtains protect personnel; at the same time, they extend the life of the equipment.

FAQs

Can safety light curtains detect objects in applications such as machine guarding in harsh environments?

Yes, safety light curtains are designed to detect objects in applications like machine guarding, even in harsh environments, providing reliable protection and operational efficiency.

What are the technical specifications that safety light curtains must have in order to provide body protection?

Safety light curtains must have technical specifications such as a wide sensing field, appropriate resolution for body detection, robust construction for harsh environments, quick response time, and compliance with safety standards to ensure effective body protection.

Analog and Digital Control Signals: The Basics

Digital Signals

Digital signals are represented in either a true or false. There is no gray area with digital signals. An example of this might be a light switch. A light switch is either on or off. Another example of this might be a motor that is running or not running. Digital signals can be generated with both AC and DC circuits with varying voltages, currents and resistance. Some practical examples of using digital signals in an industrial environment might be if a pump is running or not running or a whether a valve is open or closed.

Analog Signals

Analog signals convey information in the form of a range. A light switch might be on or off as a digital signal, but a dimmer switch would be an analog signal. It can be on or off, but it can also be somewhere in between. A practical example of using analog signals in an industrial environment would be if there is a need to measure the level of a tank; whether it's full, empty or somewhere in between. Analog signals can take many different forms with some of the more common being a 4 to 20 milliamp signal or a 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 volt signal. 

Communication

Communication in a device can either be sent or received. Whether that data is sent or received depends on the type of information. Is there a need to monitor the status of something? If so, an input needs to be received about that information. Is there a need to control something? If so, an output needs to be sent about what needs to occur. Receiving inputs and setting outputs are both things that can be accomplished by using both digital and analog signal types. Therefore, the signals are referred to as analog outputs (AO), analog inputs (AI), digital inputs (DI) or digital outputs (DO).