Optical and acoustic signaling is widely used in various types of systems and installations, performing a paging, warning, alarm and other functions, depending on the purpose of the system in which the signaling devices are used.
Signaling devices , both optical and acoustic, are for communication. They are the simplest and fastest form of communicating uncomplicated messages, known and used for hundreds of years. Originally, information was transmitted using, for example, the fire system in the ancient art of war or various types of gongs and bells, and later using a telegraph, telephone or radio waves, up to the solutions known to us today.
Signaling devices available on the market can be divided according to the way of transmitting information and reflecting the main features identifying the devices into:
Sometimes there are also separate signaling columns , which are elements with more than one number of optical levels, often also equipped with an acoustic signal (although this is not a rule). An example of such a column is a traffic light signal.
Manufacturers of signaling devices usually offer many configurations of signaling columns with different numbers of optical modules, with or without an acoustic element, with different types of emitted light and with different power supply versions.
Optical indicators communicate thanks to the emission of light in the form of a continuous or pulsed stream of different frequencies. Currently, the most commonly used light source is light-emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their energy efficiency and small size. The LEDs are placed in a transparent casing made of plexiglass, glass or similar material of a specific color, and the entire devices are mounted in systems (e.g. alarm) and installations (e.g. for supervision of technological processes).
Acoustic signaling devices are classified as devices depending on their construction:
Sounders perform the same function as their optical counterparts, but emit not light, but sound of different intensity and frequency. Most often they are assigned a warning or alarm role, but also an informative one - an example of this is medical equipment, for example a cardiac monitor emitting a pulse signal of the same intensity in the absence of an anomaly.
In the market of finished products, acoustic devices are manufactured as sirens, buzzers, buzzers or multi-tone alarms , emitting constant or variable sounds, and in the case of the latter group - of several different tones or sound sequences. Due to the construction, in the category of acoustic devices we can distinguish:
Optical-acoustic signaling devices are devices that combine the features of both groups presented earlier in one housing. They are used wherever it is necessary to signal both by means of light emission and sound. The simultaneous effect on the sense of sight and hearing is particularly important in the case of warning signals and effectively improves their perception. Optical-acoustic signaling devices are usually offered in the form of devices:
They are available in various configurations of light and sound signals.
