Autonics BF5 series fibre optic amplifiers

Automation systems employed in production lines and warehouse settings are often applied to control the movement and counting of tiny objects. In addition, these objects may move at high speeds. In such situations, it is necessary to implement sensors with short response times and high sensitivity. This is where suppliers specialising in precision industrial solutions – such as the Korean brand Autonics – come to help.

Fibre optic sensors by Autonics come in reflective variants and as transmitter-receiver pairs. They make it possible to detect changes occurring along the laser beam with great precision. Furthermore, they are characterised by wide thermal tolerance, mechanical and electromagnetic resistance and varied sensing ranges (depending on the model). However, in order to use such devices and integrate them with other system components, it is necessary to employ dedicated amplifiers whose task is to convert the information acquired from the optical sensor into an electrical signal. In the case of Autonics products, such solutions are the BF5 series fibre optic amplifiers.

The BF5 fibre optic amplifiers boast truly impressive characteristics and can be used to control processes that are difficult to monitor with other types of sensors (in electronic component production plants, factories of small mechanical components, etc.). At the same time, they are easy to implement, equipped with transistor outputs (NPN or PNP, 2-meter connection cables included) and operate at 12 V – 24 V DC . Moreover, these components are housed in compact DIN-rail mount enclosures.

The resolution of the amplifiers is 1/10000 (relative to the sensor's maximum range). The recorded value is presented on an easy-to-read LED display located on the front of the enclosure – alongside the programmable threshold value. The operating parameters are set using the buttons placed on the same panel. The threshold and the response time, which depends on the detection distance, are adjustable. For the shortest distances between the sensor and detected objects, the response time is only 50 µs (ultra-fast mode). Other values of this parameter are: 150 µs (fast mode), 500 µs (standard mode), 4 ms (long-distance mode) and 10 ms (ultra-long-distance mode). The amplifiers have three light sources available (red, green and blue). Their additional features include: automatic calibration and channel selection; teaching limit setting. Side connectors facilitate communication between several units (up to 8 pieces) in order to eliminate interference between the beams emitted by the individual sensors. All these features streamline the installation process of the BF5 amplifiers and thus minimise their deployment time in the system – whether it is being created from the ground up or modified.

BF5 fibre optic amplifiers  

* depending on the model

Autonics : Single/Dual Digital Display Fiber Optic Amplifiers BF5 Series