Allen-Bradley Company, LLC

Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Isak Kayserman

Saeed Shafiyan-Rad

Larry Joseph Fischer

Simon Livson

A housing for a proximity sensor is resistant to harsh environmental effects, such as scorching particles due to sputtering in a welding environment. The sensor housing is formed of a material having a high thermal conductivity, such as copper or an alloy thereof. As a result, the housing is able to rapidly dissipate heat and, in turn, mitigate weld slag build-up so as to improve the efficacy of the sensor.

Proximity sensor resistant to environmental effects

An inductive proximity sensor and a method of proximity sensing are described that permit targets of interest to be detected despite the presence of external magnetic fields due to AC or DC sources, such as resistive welding machines. The sensor has a pair of matched coils positioned adjacent to one another along a common central axis. The coils are coupled in series with oscillator and detecting circuitry, that also serves to drive a switching device. The coils are wound for current flow in opposite directions and produce oscillating electro-magnetic fields for detecting the targets in response to signals from the oscillator and detecting circuitry. Currents in the coils induced by strong external magnetic fields produces an additional components of the coil field which essentially cancel one another. The sensing field of the coil assembly may be shaped and directed by cooperation of the fields of the two coils and by appropriate shielding around one or both coils.

Method and apparatus for proximity sensing in the presence of an

A support and coupling arrangement for a proximity switch includes a support for mounting the switch enclosure in a desired orientation and permitting selective angular orientation of angled pin connectors coupled to the switch. The support includes a bore through which conductors to the switch circuitry pass and a first abutment surface. For interfacing the switch with pin connectors, a connector receptacle is provided in the bore. The receptacle includes a second abutment surface configured to cooperate with the first abutment surface to selectively prevent rotation of the receptacle in the bore. To select the angular orientation of the receptacle, and thereby of the connector, the receptacle is slid within the bore to disengage the abutment surfaces and the receptacle is rotated to the desired orientation. The receptacle is then slid axially to engage the abutment surfaces. Coupling the connector on the support secures or locks the receptacle and the connector in the selected orientation. The support also includes radially extending tabs received in a recess in a base member for selectively positioning the entire switch in a desired orientation. In addition to pin connectors, the support is preferably configured to receive cable connectors designed to be permanently attached to the switch.

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Needham, MA, United States of America

Isak Kayserman