Department of Electrical Engineering

Sukkur institute of Business Administration University

ESE-311 Instrumentation & Measurements Lab

Lab 13: Photointerruptor & Proximity Sensor

Instructor: Dr Ghulam Abbas

Submission profile

Student’s Name: Submission date: _____, ______, 2022

CMS ID#: Instructor’s signature:

Lab Report Rubrics Total

(Add the points in each column, then add across the bottom row to find the total Marks
score)
S.N Criterion 0.5 0.25 0.125
o
1 Accuracy  Desired output  Minor  Critical
mistakes mistakes
2 Timing  Submitted  1 day late  More than
within the given 1 day late
time

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Performance Objective
 To understand the working principle of photointerruptor and proximity sensor
 To design circuits based on photointerruptor
 To interface photointerruptor with Arduino UNO
 To design circuits based on proximity sensor
Equipment
 DC Power Supply
 Multimeter
Components
 Photointerupptor
 Proximity Sensor
 Arduino UNO
 Bread Board/Connecting Wires
 Resistors
 LEDs/Buzzers
Photointerrupter
A photointerrupter, also called a photogate, combines an infrared LED emitter to produce
an optical light path and an infrared detector to sense when the light path is broken. Both devices
are housed in the same package so no mechanical adjusting is needed. On the side of the
transistor there is a daylight blocking filter to make the photointerrupter less sensitive to ambient
light. A photointerrupter serves as the basis for position and speed measurement when combined
with timers and suitable targets of alternating opacity and transparency.
There are various different kinds of photo interrupter, different shapes and different sizes
but all do the same job.
Photointerrupter Operating principle
Current flows to the LED, causing it to light up. This light enters the phototransistor,
resulting in current flow.

Object detection is enabled by detecting the change in transistor current due to the
presence/absence of a screen.

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 F igure 9.1:
P hotointerruptor pin diagram and s chemati c diagram

U s age Examp le: D etectin g Voltage Ch an ge at th e Ph ototran s is tor S id e

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Activity 1
Implement the circuit given in Fig 9.2 and observe the output.

Figure 9.2: Circuit Diagram

In the circuit above, the output is at open collector stage so a pull-up resistor is needed. The
output is LOW when the IR light of the diode shines on the phototransistor. So nothing is in the
gap. When you put an obstacle into the gap the transistor goes in the off state and so the output
goes HIGH. You can connect the output directly to a digital input of a microcontroller or other
logic device as long as the transition from HIGH to LOW or LOW to HIGH is not too slow.
Activity 2
Connect a photo interrupter/opt isolator to an Arduino

Proximity Sensors
A proximity sensor is a sensor able to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical
contact. A proximity sensor often emits an electromagnetic field or a beam of electromagnetic
radiation (infrared, for instance), and looks for changes in the field or return signal. The object
being sensed is often referred to as the proximity sensor's target. Different proximity sensor
targets demand different sensors. For example, a capacitive proximity sensor or photoelectric
sensor might be suitable for a plastic target; an inductive proximity sensor always requires a

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metal target. Proximity sensors can have a high reliability and long functional life because of the
absence of mechanical parts and lack of physical contact between the sensor and the sensed
object.

Proximity sensors are also used in machine vibration monitoring to measure the variation in
distance between a shaft and its support

bearing. This is common in large steam

turbines, compressors, and motors that use sleeve-type bearings. A proximity sensor adjusted to a
very short range is often used as a touch switch.

Difference between 3 wire PNP and NPN proximity when describing 3 wire sensor

Most industrial proximity sensors (inductive, capacitive, ultrasonic and photo electric) are solid
state. The term solid state refers to the type of components used within the sensor. Solid state
electronic components such as transistors are used to switch the output of the sensor upon
detection of an object.

Two specific types of 3 wire sensors are available; PNP and NPN. The difference is a result of
the internal circuit design and type of transistors used. A key point to observe is that PNP and
NPN has nothing to do with whether the sensor is normally open (N/O) or normally closed
(N/C), i.e. a PNP sensor may be either N/O or N/C as can an NPN be either N/O or N/C.

Why two types?

The selection of a PNP sensor verses an NPN sensor is determined by the nature of the circuit
the device is to be used in. When used in a traditional relay type control circuit, it is
normally possible to use either the PNP or the NPN type of sensor as shown in figure 9.3. PNP
sensors tend to be more commonly used.
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 Figure 9.3: Traditional relay
type control circuit
Procedures
Testing Different Proximity Switches:
Proximity switches will be provided. Each group will need to connect power (+12V) and
ground to the proximity switches and read the output voltage with a DMM. Most of the
proximity switches will have a small wiring diagram label attached to the sensor or supplied
with the packaging. A typical wiring arrangement is shown in Figure 9.4. If the resistor symbol
is shown on the label, then try a 10 k resistor first. If no resistor symbol is shown on the label,
try not using one first. Use a different color wire (orange, yellow, blue, etc.) for the output from
each proximity switch.

Figure 9.4: Typical proximity Switch Wiring Figure 9.5: Sensing Distance Definition

Activity 3
Implement below Circuit:

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 Figure 9.6: Circuit Diagram
1. Record the approximate distance at which the object is sensed, i.e., when the LED signal on
……………...
2. Record whether the light goes on when object is sensed (NO-“normally open”), or if the light goes
off when object is sensed (NC-“normally closed”).
Observation: ………………………………..
3. Record any effects due to the target being “at an angle” to the sensor.
Observation: …………………………………
Review Questions:
(1) Write few applications of Photointerruptor

(2) What are two basic type of proximity sensor?

(3) Write few applications of proximity sensors

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