Piston position detection in hydraulic cylinders

While magnetostrictive and inductive sensors are commonly used for the detection of piston position in hydraulic cylinders, they are often expensive options that are difficult to scale. The main problem is the availability of a wide variety of hydraulic cylinder models: what works on one cylinder model might not work on another. For this purpose, a cost-effective solution can be the use of a magneto-inductive sensor. These sensors are known to provide results with high resolution and repeatability. 

The working principle of this sensor is quite simple. The sensor is positioned outside the cylinder that detects the magnetic field distribution along the ferromagnetic piston rod to define the piston position. Here a magnet is used that transfers the magnetic field to the piston rod. Therefore, reducing the complexity and expenses, a magneto-inductive sensor (mainSENSOR) is the reliable alternative for detecting the piston position.