How an Inductive Proximity Sensor Works
Send the target material, distance and housing size — we confirm the sensor and its real switching distance.
How does an inductive proximity sensor detect metal without contact? This one-minute animation shows the oscillator and ferrite-core coil, the eddy currents a metal target induces, the amplitude drop that trips the output, and why the switching distance Sn depends on sensor size and target material.
Chapters
Key points
- An oscillator drives a coil on a ferrite core and creates a high-frequency field in front of the sensing face.
- A metal target picks up eddy currents that draw energy from the field, so the oscillation amplitude drops.
- When the amplitude falls below the threshold, the trigger switches the output and the LED lights.
- Switching distance Sn depends on sensor size and target material; mild steel gives the full rated distance.
- SEGMENsensor inductive sensors: M8 to M30, Sn 1–25 mm.
Transcript
How does an inductive sensor detect metal without contact?
Inside the sensor, an oscillator drives a coil wound on a ferrite core. It creates a high-frequency magnetic field in front of the sensing face.
When a metal target enters the field, eddy currents are induced in the metal. They draw energy from the field, and the oscillation amplitude drops.
When the amplitude falls below the threshold, the trigger switches the output, and the LED lights up.
The switching distance, Sn, depends on the sensor size and the target material. Mild steel gives the full rated distance.
SEGMENsensor inductive sensors: M8 to M30, Sn 1–25 mm. Learn more at segmensensor.com.