Speed & Director Gear Tooth Sensors

The Sensor Solutions catalog includes over 2,000 unique sensors for detecting gears, flywheels, rack gears, sprockets, and other “toothed” steel targets.  Choose from the options below to select the specific type of gear tooth sensor required for your application. Specifically, we offer single channel gear tooth sensors, two and three channel gear tooth sensors and speed switch sensors for gears. If you are not able to find the sensor to meet your needs, we also provide custom solutions, so request a quote today!

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Gear Detection Sensors

Single Channel Gear Tooth Sensors 

The most common style of gear tooth detecting sensors are single channel digital Hall Effect gear tooth sensors and passive Variable Reluctance Sensors.

  • Single Channel Gear Tooth Sensors output digital square wave pulses (one per tooth).  These sensors are true zero speed Gear Tooth Sensors that work up to 10 KHz frequency.
  • Single Channel Target Tracker Sensors also output one pulse per tooth from rotating gears.  These sensors do not require a specific orientation to the gear and detect speeds up to 15 KHz frequency.  These sensors are also capable of tracking gears with missing teeth and other non-standard steel targets.
  • Variable reluctance sensors, also known as magnetic pickups, generate an AC voltage output as gear teeth pass the sensor face.  They are passive sensors that do not require power to operate, but they do not provide usable outputs for measuring low speeds.

Two and Three Channel Gear Tooth Sensors 

Quadrature Gear Tooth Sensors and Speed & Direction Gear Tooth sensors provide multiple outputs for resolving either the speed and direction of gear tooth rotation, or for directional counting of gear teeth.

  • Quadrature Gear Tooth Sensors output two digital square wave pulse trains that are out of phase.  By comparing the channels a tachometer can indicate the direction of rotation along with a speed or a counter can increase or decrease a count.
  • Speed and Direction Gear Tooth Sensors output a single square wave pulse train for monitoring speed or tracking count along with a second output that switches between a high and low voltage dependent on the direction of rotation.
  • Speed and Direction Quadrature Gear Tooth Sensors provide the combined function of our Quadrature Gear Tooth Sensors and Speed and Direction sensors. These 5 wire sensors output two out of phase pulsing channels and the high/low output of the Speed and Direction Sensors in a single package.

Speed Switch Sensors for Gears

When detecting an over-speed, under-speed, or zero-speed condition is required in an application any of our Gear Tooth Sensors can be connected to a precision programmed Speed Switch Meter.  Or for a lower cost solution Gear Tooth Speed Switch Sensors provide 1 digital pulsing speed output and a second output (relay or transistor available) that switches at a specified frequency.  

To learn more about gear tooth speed sensors, selecting or designing gears as targets, and the importance of the gear pitch when using Quadrature or Speed/Direction sensors check our Application Notes for more information.

If you do not find the gear detection sensor you need in our catalog, contact our Engineers to learn more regarding our speed & direction gear tooth sensors or to discuss a custom solution.

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