INTRODUCTION OF TRANSDUCERS

• A transducer is a device that convert one form of energy

to other form. It converts the measurand to a usable
electrical signal.
• In other word it is a device that is capable of converting
the physical quantity into a proportional electrical
quantity such as voltage or current.

Pressure Voltage
 BLOCK DIAGRAM OF TRANSDUCERS

• Transducer contains two parts that are closely related to

each other i.e. the sensing element and transduction
element.
• The sensing element is called as the sensor. It is device
producing measurable response to change in physical
conditions.
• The transduction element convert the sensor output to
suitable electrical form.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TRANSDUCERS
1. Ruggedness
2. Linearity
3. Repeatability
4. Accuracy
5. High stability and reliability
6. Speed of response
7. Sensitivity
8. Small size
 TRANSDUCERS SELECTION FACTORS
1. Operating Principle: The transducer are many times selected
on the basis of operating principle used by them. The operating
principle used may be resistive, inductive, capacitive ,
optoelectronic, piezo electric etc.
2. Sensitivity: The transducer must be sensitive enough to
produce detectable output.
3. Operating Range: The transducer should maintain the range
requirement and have a good resolution over the entire range.
4. Accuracy: High accuracy is assured.
5. Cross sensitivity: It has to be taken into account when
measuring mechanical quantities. There are situation where the
actual quantity is being measured is in one plane and the
transducer is subjected to variation in another plan.
6. Errors: The transducer should maintain the expected input-
output relationship as described by the transfer function so as
to avoid errors.
 Contd.
7. Transient and frequency response : The transducer should meet
the desired time domain specification like peak overshoot, rise
time, setting time and small dynamic error.
8. Loading Effects: The transducer should have a high input
impedance and low output impedance to avoid loading effects.
9. Environmental Compatibility: It should be assured that the
transducer selected to work under specified environmental
conditions maintains its input- output relationship and does not
break down.
10. Insensitivity to unwanted signals: The transducer should be
minimally sensitive to unwanted signals and highly sensitive to
desired signals.
 CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS

The transducers can be classified as:

I. Active and passive transducers.

II. Analog and digital transducers.
III. On the basis of transduction principle used.
IV. Primary and secondary transducer
V. Transducers and inverse transducers.
 ACTIVE AND PASSIVE TRANSDUCERS
• Active transducers :
• These transducers do not need any external source of power
for their operation. Therefore they are also called as self
generating type transducers.
I. The active transducer are self generating devices which
operate under the energy conversion principle.
II. As the output of active transducers we get an equivalent
electrical output signal e.g. temperature or strain to electric
potential, without any external source of energy being used.
Piezoelectric Transducer
CLASSIFICATION OF ACTIVE TRANSDUCERS
 ACTIVE AND PASSIVE TRANSDUCERS
• Passive Transducers :
I. These transducers need external source
of power for their operation. So they are
not self generating type transducers.
II. A DC power supply or an audio
frequency generator is used as an
external power source.
III. These transducers produce the output
signal in the form of variation in
resistance, capacitance, inductance or
some other electrical parameter in
response to the quantity to be measured.
CLASSIFICATION OF PASSIVE
TRANSDUCERS
 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
TRANSDUCERS
• Some transducers contain the mechanical as well as electrical
device. The mechanical device converts the physical quantity
to be measured into a mechanical signal. Such mechanical
device are called as the primary transducers, because they deal
with the physical quantity to be measured.
•The electrical device then convert this mechanical signal into
a corresponding electrical signal. Such electrical device are
known as secondary transducers.
 CONTD

•Ref fig in which the diaphragm act as primary

transducer. It convert pressure (the quantity to be
measured) into displacement(the mechanical signal).
•The displacement is then converted into change in
resistance using strain gauge. Hence strain gauge acts as
the secondary transducer.
CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS
Transducer and Inverse Transducer

TRANSDUCER:

•Transducers convert non electrical quantity to

electrical quantity.

INVERSE TRANSDUCER:

• Inverse transducers convert electrical quantity to a

non electrical quantity
CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS
According to Transduction Principle
 CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS
According to Transduction Principle
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCER:
•In capacitive transduction transducers the measurand is converted to
a change in the capacitance.
• A typical capacitor is comprised of two parallel plates of
d
conducting material separated by an electrical insulating material
called a dielectric. The plates and the dielectric may be either
flattened or rolled. Area=A
• The purpose of the dielectric is to help the two parallel plates
maintain their stored electrical charges.
• The relationship between the capacitance and the size of capacitor
plate, amount of plate separation, and the dielectric is given by
C = ε0 εr A / d
Either A, d or ε can be varied.
d is the separation distance of plates (m)
C is the capacitance (F, Farad)
ε0 : absolute permittivity of vacuum
εr : relative permittivity
A is the effective (overlapping) area of capacitor plates (m2)
 CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS
According to Transduction Principle
ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSDUCTION:
•In electromagnetic transduction, the measurand is
converted to voltage induced in conductor by change in
the magnetic flux, in absence of excitation.
•The electromagnetic transducer are self generating active
transducers
•The motion between a piece of magnet and an
electromagnet is responsible for the change in flux
Current induced in a coil.
 CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS
According to Transduction Principle

INDUCTIVE TRANSDUCER:

•In inductive transduction, the measurand is converted

into a change in the self inductance of a single coil. It is
achieved by displacing the core of the coil that is
attached to a mechanical sensing element
 CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS
According to Transduction Principle
PIEZO ELECTRIC INDUCTION :

•In piezoelectric induction the measurand is converted

into a change in electrostatic charge q or voltage V
generated by crystals when mechanically it is stressed
as shown in fig.
 CLASSIFICATION OF TRANSDUCERS
According to Transduction Principle
PHOTO CONDUCTIVE TRANSDUCTION :

•In photoconductive transduction the measurand is

converted to change in resistance of semiconductor
material by the change in light incident on the material.
 PASSIVE TRANSDUCERS

• Resistive transducers :
– Resistive transducers are those transducers in which the
resistance change due to the change in some physical
phenomenon.
– The resistance of a metal conductor is expressed by a
simple equation.
– R = ρL/A
– Where R = resistance of conductor in Ω
L = length of conductor in m
A = cross sectional area of conductor in m2
ρ = resistivity of conductor material in Ω-m.
 RESISTIVE TRANSDUCER
There are 4 type of resistive transducers.

1. Potentiometers (POT)
2. Strain gauge
3. Thermistors
4. Resistance thermometer
 VARIABLE-INDUCTANCE
TRANSDUCERS
• An inductive electromechanical
transducer is a transducer which converts
the physical motion into the change in
inductance.

• Inductive transducers are mainly used

for displacement measurement.
• The inductive transducers are of the self generating
or the passive type. The self generating inductive
transducers use the basic generator principle i.e. the
motion between a conductor and magnetic field
induces a voltage in the conductor.
• The variable inductance transducers work on the
following principles.
• Variation in self inductance
• Variation in mutual inductance
 DIFFERENTIAL OUTPUT
TRANSDUCERS
• Usually the change in self inductance ΔL for
inductive transducers is insufficient for the detection
of stages of an instrumentation system.
• The differential arrangement comprises of a coil that
is divided in two parts as shown in fig a and b.
• In response to displacement, the inductance of one
part increases from L to L+ΔL while the inductance
of the other part decreases from L to L- ΔL. The
difference of two is measured so to get output 2 ΔL.
This will increase the sensitivity and minimize error.
• .
• Fig c shows an inductive transducer that provides
differential output. Due to variation in the reluctance,
the self inductance of the coil changes. This is the
principle of operation of differential output inductive
transducer
 LINEAR VARIABLE DIFFERENTIAL
TRANSFORMER(LVDT)
• AN LVDT transducer
comprises a coil former on to
which three coils are wound.
• The primary coil is excited
with an AC current, the
secondary coils are wound
such that when a ferrite core
is in the central linear
position, an equal voltage is
induced in to each coil.
• The secondary are connected
in opposite so that in the
central position the outputs
of the secondary cancels
each other out.
 LVDT contd…
• The excitation is applied to the primary
winding and the armature assists the
induction of current in to secondary
coils.
• When the core is exactly at the center
of the coil then the flux linked to both
the secondary winding will be equal.
Due to equal flux linkage the
secondary induced voltages (eo1 &
eo2) are equal but they have opposite
polarities. Output voltage eo is
therefore zero. This position is called
“null position”
• Now if the core is displaced from its null
position toward sec1 then flux linked to sec1
increases and flux linked to sec2 decreases.
Therefore eo1 > eo2 and the output voltage of
LVDT eo will be positive
• Similarly if the core is displaced toward sec2
then the eo2 > eo1 and the output voltage of
LVDT eo will be negative.