Position sensor

A position sensor is any device that permits position measurement. It can either be an absolute position sensor or a relative one (displacement sensor). Position sensors can be linear, angular, or multi-axis.

Some position sensors available today:

• Capacitive transducer
• Capacitive displacement sensor
• Eddy-current sensor
• Ultrasonic sensor
• Grating sensor
• Hall effect sensor
• Inductive non-contact position sensors
• Laser Doppler Vibrometer (optical)
• Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT)
• Multi-axis displacement transducer
• Photodiode array
• Piezo-electric transducer (piezo-electric)
• Potentiometer
• Proximity sensor (optical)
• Rotary encoder (angular)
• Seismic displacement pick-up
• String potentiometer (also known as string pot., string encoder, cable position transducer)

See also

• Linear encoder
• Rotary encoder

Literature

• David S. Nyce: Linear Position Sensors: Theory and Application, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons Inc. (2003)....