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handbook of modern sensors

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264 7 Position, Displacement, and Level<br />

Fig. 7.10. A simplified circuit diagram <strong>of</strong> an interface for an LVDT sensor.<br />

For the LVDT to measure transient motions accurately, the frequency <strong>of</strong> the oscillator<br />

must be at least 10 times higher than the highest significant frequency <strong>of</strong><br />

the movement. For the slow-changing process, stable oscillator may be replaced by<br />

coupling to a power line frequency <strong>of</strong> 60 or 50 Hz.<br />

Advantages <strong>of</strong> the LVDT and RVDT are the following: (1) The sensor is a noncontact<br />

device with no or very little friction resistance with small resistive forces; (2)<br />

hystereses (magnetic and mechanical) are negligible; (3) output impedance is very<br />

low; (4) there is low susceptibility to noise and interferences; (5) its construction is<br />

solid and robust, (6) infinitesimal resolution is possible.<br />

One useful application for the LVDT sensor is in the so-called gauge heads, which<br />

are used in tool inspection and gauging equipment. In that case, the inner core <strong>of</strong> the<br />

LVDT is spring loaded to return the measuring head to a preset reference position.<br />

The RVDT operates on the same principle as LVDT, except that a rotary ferromagnetic<br />

core is used. The prime use for the RVDT is the measurement <strong>of</strong> angular<br />

displacement. The linear range <strong>of</strong> measurement is about ±40 ◦ , with a nonlinearity<br />

error <strong>of</strong> about 1%.<br />

7.4.2 Eddy Current Sensors<br />

To sense the proximity <strong>of</strong> nonmagnetic but conductive materials, the effect <strong>of</strong> eddy<br />

currents is used in a dual-coil sensor (Fig. 7.11A). One coil is used as a reference, and<br />

the other is for the sensing <strong>of</strong> the magnetic currents induced in the conductive object.<br />

Eddy (circular) currents produce a magnetic field which opposes that <strong>of</strong> the sensing<br />

coil, thus resulting in a disbalance with respect to the reference coil. The closer the

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