The acronym ‘RADAR’ (radio detection and ranging) comes from pre-WW2 military research and is now commonly used for any object ranging and detection technology using radio frequencies over 3GHz. The 1950’s then saw the introduction of radar technology into industrial and civilian applications.
indurad – Industrial Radar
The first iDRR™ (indurad DualRangeRadar) prototype was a 77 GHz sensor with an opening angle of +/- 25°. This opening angle and the sweeping function gave the sensor a unique 3D measurement area. The iDRR™ is a prime example of how indurad utilizes radar: the secret lies in the combination of high-end R&D in signal processing with robust mechanical engineering that make indurad sensors stand out in the world of industrial automation.
Usability in Harsh Conditions
Dust
Low Visibility
Rain
Snow
Water
Ice, Cold
Heat
Extreme Contamination
Sandstorms
The indurad company is a spin-off of a research project based at the University of Aachen (RWTH). It started in 2003 with the aim of testing various technologies for use in mining – specifically for 3D surface scanning under harsh conditions. Those tests have clearly shown that radar was the best suited among laser, ultrasonic and other technologies for the conditions to be expected in mining and other heavy industries – dirt, rain, fog, snow, high and low temperatures. Time has proven us right: To this day, indurad has not had a single case of sensor failure due to conditions that usually take other sensors out of the game.
A long wavelength permits radar to travel through dust particle concentrations
Laser has a shorter wavelength and tends to be scattered back by dust particles
Health & Safety
indurad respects and observes the limits of ETSI and FCC health and safety regulations and the IEEE standard for safety levels with respect to human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. For this reason, all indurad radar sensors are transmitting extremely low levels of radiation on the order of 1-10% of the transmitted energy of any modern cell phone or a WLAN access point.