Ultrasonic Sensors — Which Sensor

Ultrasonic sensors detect distance, level, and presence by emitting sound pulses and measuring the echo runtime. They work independent of object color, transparency, or surface gloss, which makes them suitable for level monitoring in tanks, pallet detection on conveyors, and loop control in web handling. Most units in this category are diffuse reflective sensors with analog or switching output.

The assortment covers short-range and medium-range detection. Common sensing ranges include 50 …200 mm, 150 …200 mm, 200 …200 mm, and 300 …200 mm. Short-distance variants start at 30 …200 mm for close-proximity tasks.

Window-style measuring ranges are filterable directly: 80–500 mm, 100–500 mm, 150–500 mm, and 200–500 mm. Switching frequencies sit between 1 Hz, 10 Hz, and 25 Hz, depending on update-rate requirements.

Ambient temperature ratings vary by housing. The bulk of the catalog is rated -20 …+60 °C and -25 …+60 °C, with cold-environment versions at -40 …+60 °C for outdoor and unheated installations.

Manufacturer split focuses on Turck and IPF, covering retro-reflective and diffuse sensor types with M12 connector or cable termination. Price points cluster at 160.6 EUR, 274.4 EUR, and 304.4 EUR, with high-end models reaching the upper price half for IO-Link or analog versions.