Chapter 2
Chapter 2
We can say that Every transducer is also(or has) a sensor but every
sensor need not be a transducer.
• Sometimes in a sensor, there is no conversion at all. Ex.
Thermometer, where the temperature is sensed and is
directly measured.
• In a transducer there is always a conversion i.e
transduction. Ex. RTD, Thermocouple etc where the
temperature is sensed and the measurement is made
in terms of voltage.
Thus you can say that a SENSOR may or may not have a
conversion and it only senses. A TRANSDUCER always
involves a conversion and also has signal conditioning
involved.
Our definitions:
Sensor
• A device that responds to a physical stimulus.
Transducer
• A device that converts energy of one form into energy of
another form.
Actuator
• A device or mechanism capable of performing a physical
action
SENSORS & TRANSDUCERS
Signal conditioners
Are electronic circuits performing any of following functions: amplification, level shifting,
filtering, impedance matching, modulation, and demodulation.
Sensors used to measure:
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Flow
• Motion detector
• Light
• Image sensor
Daily Life Examples
• Mobiles?
• At home?
• In cars?
• In markets?
• In Hospitals?
• Traffic and Environment monitoring?
Multiple sensors,
Advanced safety Cars actuators, and
warning signals are
parts of the
advanced safety
vehicle
Temperature Sensors-
THERMISTOR- Made of solid Semiconducting
material showing
• Shows positive temperature coefficient &
negative temperature coefficient
• High Sensistivity (~ 44,000 ppm/ C @ 25 C
• Small response time
TEMPERATURE SENSOR
Absolute sensor: THERMISTOR- ‘R’ directly relates to the absolute temperature scale of
Kelvin
PRESSURE SENSOR
* Absolute pressure sensor produces signal in reference to vacuum – (an absolute
zero on a pressure scale.)
* Relative pressure sensor produces signal with respect to a selected baseline that is not
zero pressure, for example, to the atmospheric pressure.
Active and passive sensor
• According to the need of power supply
• Modulating (active) or self-generating (passive)
• Active : - output signal power comes from power
source
- output power comes from input
- require more wires
- presence of power source increase the
danger of explosion
• Passive : output comes from input
Analog and Digital
• According to the output
• Analog : -output changes continuously
- Amplitude is the information
• Digital : -output is discrete or digital
Different Types of Sensors
• Temperature Sensor
• Proximity Sensor
• Accelerometer
• IR Sensor (Infrared Sensor)
• Pressure Sensor
• Light Sensor
• Ultrasonic Sensor
• Smoke, Gas and Alcohol Sensor
• Touch Sensor
• Humidity Sensor
• Tilt Sensor
• Flow and Level Sensor
PIR Sensor
• All objects with a temperature above absolute zero
emit heat energy in the form of radiation. Usually this
radiation isn't visible to the human eye because it
radiates at infrared wavelengths, but it can be detected
by electronic devices designed for such a purpose.
• A PIR-based motion detector is used to sense
movement of people, animals, or other objects. They
are commonly used in burglar alarms and
automatically-activated lighting systems. They are
commonly called simply "PIR", or sometimes "PID", for
"passive infrared detector".
Ultrasonic sensors
• As the name indicates, ultrasonic sensors
measure distance by using ultrasonic waves.
The sensor head emits an ultrasonic wave and
receives the wave reflected back from the
target. Ultrasonic Sensors measure the
distance to the target by measuring the time
between the emission and reception.
Pressure Sensors
• A pressure sensor is a device for pressure
measurement of gases or liquids. Pressure is
an expression of the force required to stop a
fluid from expanding, and is usually stated in
terms of force per unit area. A pressure sensor
usually acts as a transducer; it generates a
signal as a function of the pressure imposed.
Light Sensors
• The light sensor is a passive devices that
convert this “light energy” whether visible or
in the infra-red parts of the spectrum into an
electrical signal output. Light sensors are
more commonly known as “Photoelectric
Devices” or “Photo Sensors” because the
convert light energy (photons) into electricity
(electrons).
Touch sensor
• A touch sensor is a type of equipment that
captures and records physical touch or embrace
on a device and/or object. It enables a device or
object to detech touch, typically by a human user
or operator. A touch sensor may also be called a
touch detector. For example, when navigating
through a smartphone or using an application,
the touch sensor captures the human touches or
the applied pressure across the screen. Each
interaction with the user across the screen might
have a different meaning for the device and/or
the application.
TILT SENSORS
• Digital Tilt Motion Sensor. The 507M Digital Tilt Sensor
from Directed is ideal for protecting a vehicle from
theft by detecting when the vehicle is being raised by a
tow truck or lifted using a jack, in an attempt to
remove the wheels or tow the vehicle.
• A tilt sensor can measure the tilting in often two axes
of a reference plane in two axes. In contrast, a full
motion would use at least three axes and often
additional sensors. One way to measure tilt angle with
reference to the earth's ground plane, is to use an
accelerometer.
Flow and Level Sensors
• A level sensor is a device for determining the
level or amount of fluids, liquids or other
substances that flow in an open or closed system.
There are two types of level measurements,
namely, continuous and point level
measurements.
• Continuous level sensors are used for measuring
levels to a specific limit, but they provide
accurate results. Point level sensors, on the other
hand, only determine if the liquid level is high or
low.
Proximity Sensor
Example :
A pressure gauge with a range between 0-1 bar with an
accuracy of ± 5% fs (full-scale) has a maximum error of:
5 x 1 bar = ± 0.05 bar
100
Notes: It is essential to choose an equipment which has a
suitable operating range.
STATIC CHARACTERISTICS
Example :
A pressure gauge with a range between 0 - 10 bar
is found to have an error of ± 0.15 bar when
calibrated by the manufacturer.
Calculate :
a. The error percentage of the gauge.
b. The error percentage when the
reading obtained is 2.0 bar.
STATIC CHARACTERISTICS
Answer :
a. Error Percentage = ± 0.15 bar x 100 = ± 1.5%
10.0 bar
b. Error Percentage = ± 0.15 bar x 100 = ± 7.5 %
2.0 bar
• The gauge is not suitable for use for low range reading.
• Alternative : use gauge with a suitable range.
STATIC CHARACTERISTICS
Example :
Two pressure gauges (pressure gauge A and B) have a full scale accuracy of ±
5%. Sensor A has a range of 0-1 bar and Sensor B 0-10 bar. Which gauge is
more suitable to be used if the reading is 0.9 bar?
Answer :
Sensor A :
Equipment max error = ± 5 x 1 bar = ± 0.05 bar
100
Equipment accuracy
@ 0.9 bar ( in %) = ± 0.05 bar x 100 = ± 5.6%
0.9 bar
STATIC CHARACTERISTICS
Sensor B :
Equipment max error = ± 5 x 10 bar = ± 0.5 bar
100
Equipment accuracy
@ 0.9 bar ( in %) = ± 0.5 bar x 100 = ± 55%
0.9 bar
Conclusion :
Sensor A is more suitable to use at a reading of 0.9 bar because the error
percentage (± 5.6%) is smaller compared to the percentage error of Sensor
B (± 55%).
Precision
• An equipment which is precise is not
necessarily accurate.
• Defined as the capability of an instrument to
show the same reading when used each time
(reproducibility of the instrument).
STATIC CHARACTERISTICS
Example : XXX
XXX
X : result
Centre circle : true value
For example,
by not using the
equipment correctly
Let’s look at
some examples.
Human error
Example 1
Professor Messer
is trying to
measure the length of a
piece of wood:
Example 2 your
eye
Reading a scale:
Type of errors
1) Gross error/human Errors
2) Random Errors Static
3) Systematic Errors(bias errors) Errors
4) Constant Errors
5) Absolute Errors
6) Relative Errors
7) Percentage Errors
TYPES OF STATIC ERROR
1) Gross Error
cause by human mistakes in reading/using instruments
may also occur due to incorrect adjustment of the instrument
and the computational mistakes
cannot be treated mathematically
cannot eliminate but can minimize
Eg: Improper use of an instrument.
This error can be minimized by taking proper care in reading
Example
A spring balance:
Example
Look at this
top-pan balance:
Example
Look at this
ammeter:
Example
Look at this
voltmeter:
Example
Look at this
ammeter:
Is it a zero error?
Or is it parallax?
3) Random error
- due to unknown causes, occur when all systematic
error has accounted
- can be avoid by
(a) increasing number of reading
(b) use statistical means to obtain best approximation
of true value
Solution