Defying Elements—Industrial Radar Sensors

Few technologies used in the automation industry are as well known in everyday life as radar technology (or RADAR, short for radio detection and ranging). This is impressively demonstrated by the fact that even a common expression in many languages alludes to the technology when something or someone "flies under the radar". Just as the radar wave can penetrate objects, radar as such has penetrated countless areas of life today.

The origins of this success story, as with many other technological milestones, lie in Germany in the late 19th century: physicist Heinrich Hertz provided experimental proof that electromagnetic waves are reflected by metal objects. Building on this discovery, the next milestone followed almost twenty years later—the engineer Christoph Hülsmeyer submitted a patent specification for a so-called telemobiloscope and therefore went down in history as the inventor of radar.

Since then, radar technology has developed at a rapid pace. It has long been possible to detect more than just metallic objects, which is also the reason for the technology's great success: Whether for monitoring air and ship traffic, in meteorology, as an ACC assistance system in vehicles, or in geodesy and archaeology services—radar technology can be used virtually universally and literally defies the elements due to its high resistance to dust, steam, water, and other interferences.

Automation technology also makes use of these advantageous properties: state-of-the-art FMCW radar sensors (frequency-modulated continuous wave) from Pepperl+Fuchs integrate an unprecedented range of functions in the most compact design. These devices are able to determine the distance as well as the direction of movement and speed of objects in their detection range with high precision and even penetrate or suppress interfering targets located between the measuring target and the sensor.

Find out more about radar sensors, how they work, and how they can be used effectively in a wide range of applications.