Sensor’s & Transducer’s

Sensor

• A Sensor is a device that is used to detect

changes in any physical quantity like
Temperature,Speed, Flow, Level, Pressure, etc.
• Any changes in the input quantity will be
detected by a Sensor and reflected as changes
in output quantity.
• Both the input and output quantities of a
Sensor are Physical i.e. non-electrical in nature.
 Signal Conditioning Unit
• The non-electrical output quantity of the Sensor makes it
inconvenient to further process it.
• Hence, the Signal Conditioning Unit is used to convert the
physical output (or non-electrical output) of the sensor to an
electrical quantity.
• Some of the best known Signal conditioning units are:
1. Analog to Digital Converters
2. Amplifiers
3. Filters
4. Rectifiers
5. Modulators
 Transducer
• Consider a LDR as the Sensor, any changes in
the light will reflect as changes in its
resistance. Now, in order to convert this change
in resistance into equivalent voltages, you can
use a simple Wheatstone Bridge circuit, which
acts as the Signal Conditioning Unit.
• The combination of LDR (Sensor) and
Wheatstone Bridge (Signal Conditioning Unit) is
Known as a Transducer.
 Dictionary Definition
• 'sensor' is a device that detects a change in a
physical stimulus and turns it into a signal
which can be measured or recorded

• The corresponding definition of 'transducer' is

a device that transfers energy from one
system to another in the same or in the
different form.
 Classification of Transducers
• Transducers may be classified according to their
application, method of energy conversion, nature of
output signal, etc

1. According to Transduction Principle

2. Active and Passive Transducers
3. Analog and Digital Transducers
4. Transducers and Inverse Transducers
 1. According to Transduction Principle
Classification of
Transducers Resistive Transducers

1. According to 1. Resistance Strain Gauge – The change in value of resistance

Transduction Principle of metal semi-conductor due to elongation or compression is
known by the measurement of torque, displacement or force.
2. Active and Passive
2. Resistance Thermometer – The change in resistance of metal
Transducers
wire due to the change in temperature known by the
3. Analog and Digital
measurement of temperature.
Transducers 3. Photoconductive Cell – The change in resistance of a cell due
to a corresponding change in light flux is known by its
4. Transducers and Inverse corresponding light intensity.
Transducers
4. Potentiometer Type – The change in resistance of a
potentiometer reading due to the movement of the slider as
a part of an external force applied is known by its
corresponding pressure or displacement.
 1. According to Transduction Principle
Classification of
Transducers
Capacitance Transducers
1.Variable capacitance pressure gage
1. According to
Transduction Principle
Principle of operation: Distance between two parallel
plates is varied by an externally applied force
2. Active and Passive Applications: Measurement of Displacement,
Transducers
pressure
3. Analog and Digital 2. Capacitor microphone
Transducers Principle of operation: Sound pressure varies the
4. Transducers and Inverse
capacitance between a fixed plate and a movable
Transducers diaphragm. Applications: Speech, music, noise
3. Dielectric gauge
Principle of operation: Variation in capacitance by
changes in the dielectric. Applications: Liquid level,
thickness
 1. According to Transduction Principle
Classification of
Transducers

Inductance Transducers
1. According to
Transduction Principle 1. Differential transformer
Principle of operation: The differential voltage of
2. Active and Passive
Transducers
two secondary windings of a transformer is varied
by positioning the magnetic core through an
3. Analog and Digital externally applied force. Applications: Pressure,
Transducers
force, displacement, position
4. Transducers and Inverse
Transducers
 2. Active and Passive Transducers
Classification of
Transducers Active Transducers
These transducers do not need any external source of power for
their operation. Therefore they are also called as self
1. According to
Transduction Principle generating type transducers.
The active transducers further classified as.
2. Active and Passive • Photovoltaic
Transducers
• Piezoelectric
3. Analog and Digital The active transducers are self-generating devices which operate
Transducers under the energy conversion principle.

4. Transducers and Inverse

Passive transducers
Transducers
• These transducers need the external power supply for their
operation. So they are not “self-generating type” transducers.
RTD,strain gauge ,thermistors like all resistive & capactiance
transducers.
 3. Analog and Digital Transducers
Classification of
Analog Transducers
Transducers
The output of the analog transducers is in the
analog form that means it is a continuous
1. According to
Transduction Principle function of time.
Examples : thermocouple, LVDT, strain gauge,
2. Active and Passive
Transducers etc.

3. Analog and Digital

Transducers Digital Transducers
The output of the digital transducers is in the digital
4. Transducers and Inverse
Transducers form that means it is in the form of digital pulses
discrete in time. These pulses from a unique
code for each value sensed.
Example : IR sensor
Classification of
4. Transducers and Inverse
Transducers Transducers
1. According to
Transduction Principle
• Tansducers converts non-electrical
2. Active and Passive
Transducers
quantity to electrical quantity .
3. Analog and Digital
Ex:-Resistive,inductive and capacitive
Transducers transducers
4. Transducers and • inverse transducers convert electrical
Inverse Transducers
quantity to a non electrical quantity.
Ex:-Piezoelectric crystals
 Characteristics of Transducer

Sensitivity : It can be defined as the ratio of the

incremental output and the incremental input.
While defining the sensitivity, we assume that
the input output characteristic of the
instrument is approximately linear in that
range.
Range: The range of the sensor is the maximum
and minimum values of applied parameters
that can be measured.
 Characteristics of Transducer
Precision: The concept of precision refers to the degree
of reproducibility of a measurement. In other words, if
exactly the same value were measured a number of
times, an ideal sensor would output exactly the same
value every time. But real sensors output a range of
values distributed in some manner relative to the actual
correct value.
Accuracy : The accuracy of the sensor is the maximum
difference that will exist between the actual value and
the indicated value at the output of the sensor. Again,
the accuracy can be expressed either as a percentage of
full scale or in absolute terms.
 Characteristics of Transducer

Resolution : The smallest difference between measured

values that can be discriminated.
example, it corresponds to the last stable figure on a digital
display. This specification is the smallest detectable
incremental change of the input parameter that can be
detected in the output signal.
Resolution can be expressed either as a proportion of the
reading (or the full-scale reading) or in absolute terms.

Linearity: The linearity of the transducer is an expression of

the extent to which the actual measured curve of a sensor
departs from the ideal curve.
THANKS !