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handbook of modern sensors

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7.4 Inductive and Magnetic Sensors 265<br />

(B)<br />

(A)<br />

Fig. 7.11. (A) Electromagnetic proximity sensor; (B) sensor with the shielded front end; (C)<br />

unshielded sensor.<br />

(C)<br />

object to the coil, the larger the change in the magnetic impedance. The depth <strong>of</strong> the<br />

object where eddy currents are produced is defined by<br />

δ =<br />

1<br />

√ πf µσ<br />

, (7.7)<br />

where f is the frequency and σ is the target conductivity. Naturally, for effective<br />

operation, the object thickness should be larger than the depth. Hence, eddy detectors<br />

should not be used for detecting metallized film or foil objects. Generally, the<br />

relationship between the coil impedance and distance to the object x is nonlinear and<br />

temperature dependent. The operating frequency <strong>of</strong> the eddy current <strong>sensors</strong> range<br />

from 50 kHz to 10 MHz.<br />

Figures 7.11B and 7.11C show two configurations <strong>of</strong> the eddy <strong>sensors</strong>: with the<br />

shield and without one. The shielded sensor has a metal guard around the ferrite core<br />

and the coil assembly. It focuses the electromagnetic field to the front <strong>of</strong> the sensor.<br />

This allows the sensor to be imbedded into a metal structure without influencing<br />

the detection range. The unshielded sensor can sense at its sides as well as from the<br />

front. As a result, the detecting range <strong>of</strong> an unshielded sensor is usually somewhat<br />

greater than that <strong>of</strong> the shielded sensor <strong>of</strong> the same diameter. To operate properly, the<br />

unshielded <strong>sensors</strong> require nonmetallic surrounding objects.<br />

In addition to position detection, eddy <strong>sensors</strong> can be used to determine material<br />

thickness, nonconductive coating thickness, conductivity and plating measurements,<br />

and cracks in the material. Crack detection and surface flaws become the most popular<br />

applications for the <strong>sensors</strong>. Depending on the applications, eddy probes may be <strong>of</strong><br />

many coil configurations: Some are very small in diameter (2–3 mm) and others are<br />

quite large (25 mm). Some companies even make custom-designed probes to meet

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