Triode
Well-Known Member
I'm working on a project to make a collision sensing bumper for an underwater robot. The bumper will be a bar across the front, the bar will be about 4 feet wide and have a stiff shock absorber (650 lb/in) at each end. It will sit about 6-8 inches in front of the frame and we want to put linear sensors at each side so it can detect how far the bumper is pressed in, and by using the difference at the two sides, roughly where the impact occurred along the bumper. There are a lot of trade offs to consider, the LVDTs I've found are too expensive, I'm worried a linear pot wouldn't be durable enough, I've considered capacitive and optical encoders but there are a lot to choose from so I'd like any input you guys have. Here are the basic requirements:
Can be put in waterproof casing, being inherently water proof is even better
Allows 3-5 inches of travel
Costs under $120 each
Not very high resolution, within 0.10 in is fine (+/- 0.5)
Requiring complex data interface and support circuitry is acceptable
If you know of a type of sensor, or even better a manufacturer or store that sells them, please let me know.
Can be put in waterproof casing, being inherently water proof is even better
Allows 3-5 inches of travel
Costs under $120 each
Not very high resolution, within 0.10 in is fine (+/- 0.5)
Requiring complex data interface and support circuitry is acceptable
If you know of a type of sensor, or even better a manufacturer or store that sells them, please let me know.
Last edited: