(Vision Sensing) The parts of a scene in and around the Feature of Interest (FOI) that are not "of interest" to the software.

A photoelectric proximity sensing mode with response that is similar to a diffuse sensor, but with a defined range limit. Two background suppression modes are fixed-field and adjustable-field.

(Vision Sensing) A backlight provides even, low-intensity light. It is placed behind the target and aimed directly back towards the camera. The resulting silhouette can be inspected for proper size and shape. Learn more about backlights here.

A condition where the light reaching the image sensor is not reflecting from the surface of the object, but is provided behind the objects or area of interest. Back lighting produces a silhouette of the work piece. Learn more about backlighting here.

(Wireless) A section of the RF spectrum.

(Wireless) Width of frequency band. For analog signals, this is measured in Hertz. With digital signals, bandwidth describe the amount of data that can be transferred through a digital connection in a given time, measured in bits or bytes per second.

A coding system designed to be read and decoded by optical scanners. One-dimensional or linear bar codes are made up of black bars and white spaces, representing a string of numbers or letters. Two-dimensional bar codes are read on two axes and typically contain more data in a smaller space.

(Wireless) Data rate in bits per second.

(Measurement and Inspection) Ultrasonic sensors emit a cone of sonic energy that diverges with distance. The angle of this beam is usually defined as the total (included) angle. Ultrasonic beams are not perfect cones. Most of the ultrasonic energy is in the center of the beam. The energy level decreases with distance away from the centerline. The beam angle is defined as the region where the energy is 50% of the energy measured on the centerline.

(Machine Safety) The portion of a beam that must be blocked to cause an individual photo receiver to change state. One of the factors in determining resolution of a safety light screen. Also known as effective beam diameter.

A two-dimensional graph of a sensor’s response. Beam patterns are helpful in predicting the performance of the sensor. Learn more about beam patterns here.

The distance from the center of one beam to the center of an adjacent beam, and one of the factors in determining the resolution of a light screen. Also called beam pitch.

The radius below which an optical fiber should not be bent. Usually bend radius is a function of tensile strength.

(Machine Safety) Abbreviation for Berufgenossenschaft. A German national insurance agency. The legislative division develops safety standards. The executive division collects premiums from employers and polices German industry for compliance with its safety standards.

A fiber optic assembly that is branched to combine emitted light with received light in the same assembly. Bifurcated fibers are used for diffuse (divergent) mode proximity sensing, or they may be equipped with a lens for use in the retroreflective mode.

An exclusive Banner output circuit design that offers either sinking (NPN) or sourcing (PNP) output, depending upon the polarity with which the two DC supply leads are connected.

The dual output configuration of a DC sensing device, where one output switch is a sinking device (NPN) and the other output switch is a sourcing device (PNP). The solid-state equivalent of a DPST relay (for most loads).

Acronym for Binary digit. The smallest unit of information that can be represented. A bit may either be 1 (on) or 0 (off).

(Machine Safety) An optional safety light screen function which allows the light screen to ignore objects located within the defined area.

The area close to a sensor lens, where light energy is returned to the emitter rather than the receiver, rendering the sensor effectively blind. This effect is most pronounced with some retroreflective sensors.

(Vision Sensing) A connected region in an image in which all pixels have the same gray-level value.

(Machine Safety) A condition that occurs when an opaque object of sufficient size interrupts one or more light screen beams. When a blocked condition occurs, OSSD1 and OSSD2 outputs simultaneously turn off within the system response time.

(Wireless) A wireless networking standard for personal area networks (PANs) that allows diverse devices to establish secure, short-range communication links using the unlicensed 2.4 GHz ISM band.

(Wireless) An electronic circuit that takes a battery-level voltage input (3.6V) and increases the level to a sensor operating voltage output (5-20V).

(Machine Safety) A mechanism for stopping, slowing or preventing motion.

A circuit using four diodes to provide full wave rectification. Converts an AC voltage to a pulsating DC voltage.

(Vision Sensing) Lighting of objects or surfaces at an angle close to perpendicular so that the light is reflected back into the optics directly. Learn more about bright-field here.

(Wireless) A high speed data transmission rate, where two or more signals may share the cable.

A cluster of fiber optic strands.

Describes the ability of high-powered modulated opposed mode sensors to "see" through paper, thin cardboard, opaque plastics, and materials of similar optical density. Burn through may be used to advantage in some sensing situations, such as when looking through an opaque-walled container (like a cereal box) to sense the presence or absence of product inside.

A common pathway or circuit between multiple devices. One of the primary network configurations or topologies.

A network architecture in which multiple devices are connected by a shared communication line.

Acronym for Binary Table. A byte is made up of eight bits of digital information. A byte has values from 0-255 and is commonly used to represent the gray scale value of one pixel.