Industrial Applications of Opto-

electronic Devices
Smoke Detector
A smoke detector is a device
that senses smoke, typically
as an indicator of fire.
Commercial security devices
issue a signal to the fire
alarm system
Household detectors,
known as smoke alarms,
generally issue a local
audible or visual alarm from
the detector itself.
Most smoke detectors work
by optical detection (ie.,
photoelectric)
Smoke Detector: Construction
An optical smoke detector
contains
a light source (typically an
incandescent light bulb or
LED)
a lens
a photoelectric sensor
(typically a photodiode).
The light and the sensor,
are positioned at 90o
angles to one another
Smoke Detector: Working Principle
The basic detection principle of optical
detectors is the making or breaking of a circuit
in the presence of smoke.
Smoke can affect the intensity of light beam
passing through the air by obscuring or
scattering.
 In the normal case, the light
from the light source on the
left shoots straight across
and misses the sensor. Fig. Normal Operation
When smoke enters the
chamber, however, the
smoke particles scatter the
light and some amount of
light hits the sensor.
The sensor then sets off the Fig. With Smoke
horn in the smoke detector.
Level Sensors
Level sensors are used to
detect liquid or powder levels,
or interfaces between liquids.
They are an important part of
a fluid system because the
position and displacement of
an object or media is critical to
know in many applications.
The substance to be measured
could be inside a container or
in its natural form such as a
lake or river.
A sensor is able to detect a
change and communicate that
change with a user.
 The level measurement
can be either continuous
or point values.
Continuous level sensors
measure level within a
specified range and
determine the exact
amount of substance in a
certain place.
point-level sensors only
indicate whether the
substance is above or
below the sensing point.
 Level sensors measure using contact or non-
contact methods.
Contact methods involve physical contact
between the device and the media, while non-
contact methods measure without touching
the media.
Non-contact methods are the best choice for
servicing corrosive media.
Level Sensor: Principle of Operation
Optical sensors use visible,
infrared, or laser light to
detect fluid level.
They rely upon the light
transmitting, reflecting, or
refracting abilities of the
material.
Optical sensors can be used in
contact and non-contact
sensing.
In non-contacting systems, the
light aimed down on the
surface of the fluid and the
reflected light is detected by a
photocell.
 An optic LED produces infrared
light that is directed down the
probe.
When dry, the light is reflected
through the probes conical tip
and is sensed by the
photodetector.
When the probe tip is wet,
the light at the photodetector
produces a change in the
output.
Different fluids can be
detected at different levels if
multiple photocells are used.
Optical Level Sensors: Advantages
These sensors have a simple, straightforward
design and are reliable sensors which do not
be to be recalibrated between batches.
They can be integrated in systems where they
must be compatible with a variety of process
materials and process conditions.
Their response time is virtually immediate and
highly accurate.
Counting of Moving Objects
Photo-electronic devices are widely used in
industries to count moving objects.
They can be used to count
Number of people entering a point,
Number of objects moving on a conveyor belt
Number of wheel rotations, etc.
 Let us discuss the counting of the number of
people entering through the entrance door.
The figure illustrates the setup

Fig. Setup used to count moving objects/people

 On one side of the door an LED acting as a source is placed.
On the opposite side a photodiode acting as a detector is
placed.
When no one passes through the entrance, the LEDs
output will fall on the photodiode.
This will cause current flow in photodiode and as a result it
will give a high output.
When a person/ object passes through the entrance, the
LEDs output will be blocked by the object.
So no light will fall on the photodiode and its output will be
low.
Hence for every person there is a high to low (& back to
high) transition.
In other words, a pulse is generated for every person.
These pulses can be fed to the counter to be counted.