A cable extension transducer based two-dimensional position sensor for industrial applications

A technique for two-dimensional position measurement is presented through the use of cable-extension transducers. The method includes the use of two such transducers and the planar position is determined through triangulation. This paper also presents a design methodology for the sensor system which is developed based on uncertainty analysis results. The performance of the sensor system is verified through experiments with coordinate measurement machines. This new type of position sensor can be easily used in a wide variety of automation applications in industry for two-dimensional position measurements with high accuracy over a relatively large range, and it is both cost effective and robust against hostile environments.