Transducers for Instrumentation
Prof. Ankur Gupta
Centre for Applied Research in Electronics (CARE),
IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas,
New Delhi 110016,
INDIA
ankurgupta@care.iitd.ac.in
Outline
• Introduction to Transducer
• Transduction Principles
• Classification
2
Introduction
• Transducer: a device that converts one form of energy into a
corresponding signal.
▪ Primary Energy Forms: mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic,
optical, chemical, etc.
▪ take the form of a sensor or an actuator
• Sensor: a device that converts a physical parameter to an electrical
output.
▪ Example: Thermometer
▪ a device that detects/measures a signal or stimulus.
▪ acquires information from the “real world”
3
Introduction
• Actuator: a device that converts an electrical signal to a physical
output.
▪ Example: Heater
▪ a device that generates a signal or stimulus.
sensor
Real-World System
Actuator
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Transduction Principles:
Sensing principles are generally physical or chemical in nature.
Input
Mechanical Thermal Electrical Magnetic Radiant Chemical
Output
Friction effects, Photoelasticity,
Mechanical including piezo resistivity,
cooling effects. interferometry,
Mechanical acoustic effects. eg:
diaphragm
eg: thermal
resistive, inductive,
and capacitive changes.
Piezomagnetic effects.
Doppler effect.
____
flowmeter.
Seebeck effect,
Thermo-optical effects. eg:
Thermal expansion. pyroelectricity, Thermal dissociation,
Thermal eg: expansion thermometry.
____
thermoresistance.
____ liquid crystals, thermo-
radiant emission.
thermally induced reaction.
eg: Johnson noise
Peltier effect, Charge controlled Biot-Savart's Electrolysis, electrically
Electrokinetic effects. eg: Electroluminescenc,
Electrical inverse piezoelectricity.
Joule heating. devices, Langmuir probe. electromagnetic law.
Kerr effect.
induced reaction.
eg: electromigration.
Magnetothermal Ettinghaussen-Nernst effect, Magneto-optical
Magnetostriction, effects (Righi- Galvanomagnetic effect. ____ effects. eg: ____
Magnetic magnetometers. Leduc effect). eg: Hall effect, Faraday effect,
magnetoresistance Cotton-Mouton effect.
Photorefractivity,
Radiant Radiation pressure
Bolometer,
thermopile.
Photoelectric effects. eg: ____ photon induced Photodissociation,
photovoltaic dell, LDR's. light emission. photosynthesis
Conductimetry,
Spectroscopy.
Chemical Photoacoustic
effect,
Thermal
conductivity
potentiometry,
voltametry,
Nuclear
magnetic resonance.
eg: emission and ____
absorption types,
hygrometry. cell, calorimetry. flame-ionization,
Chemiluminescence.
chem FET.
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Transduction Principles:
Mechanical – to – Mechanical
Acoustic Effects
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Transduction Principles:
Thermal – to – Mechanical
Thermal Flowmeter
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Transduction Principles:
Mechanical – to – Electrical
Acoustic Sensors
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Transduction Principles:
Thermal – to – Mechanical
Expansion Thermometry
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Transduction Principles:
Thermal – to – Electrical
Thermocouple
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Transduction Principles:
Thermal – to – Optical
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Transduction Principles:
Electrocal – to – Mechanical
Piezoelectric Sensors
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Transduction Principles:
Electrical – to – Thermal
Peltier Sensors
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Transduction Principles:
Electrical – to – Electrical
Charge Control Devices
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Transduction Principles:
Magnetic – to – Electrical
Hall Sensors
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Transduction Principles:
Chemical – to – Electrical
Acoustic Sensors
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Energy Types and corresponding Measurand:
However, Some sensors have more than one inputs (e.g. Hall Sensor has magnetic as
well as electrical input).
Hence, sometime application aspect/measurand type is given more importance than
input type.
Energy Measurands
Mechanical Length, area, volume, force, pressure, acceleration, torque, mass flow, acoustic
intensity, and so on.
Thermal Temperature, heat flow, entropy, state of matter.
Electrical Charge, current, voltage, resistance, inductance, capacitance, dielectric constant,
polarization, frequency, electric field, dipole moment, and so on.
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Energy Types and corresponding Measurand:
However, Some sensors have more than one inputs (e.g. Hall Sensor has magnetic as well as electrical input).
Hence, sometime application aspect is given more importance than input type.
Energy Measurands
Magnetic Field intensity, flux density, permeability, magnetic moment, and so forth.
Radiant Intensity, phase, refractive index, reflectance, transmittance, absorbance,
wavelength, polarization, and so on.
Chemical Concentration, composition, oxidation/reduction potential, reaction rate, pH,
and the like.
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Classification:
It is difficult to classify the sensors under one criterion and hence,
different criteria may be adopted for the classification of sensors:
1) Transduction Principle
2) Primary input quantity (i.e. measurand)
3) Material and technology,
4) Applications based
5) Property based
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Classification: Transduction Principle
Transduction principle based upon physical, chemical or
biological effects.
Physical Thermoelectric, Photoelectric, Photomagnetic,
Magnetoelectric Electromagnetic, Thermoelastic,
Electroelastic, Thermomagnetic, Thermo-Optic,
Photoelastic and Other
Chemical Chemical transformation, Physical transformation,
Electrochemical process Spectroscopy and Other
Biological Biochemical transformation, Physical transformation,
Effect on test organism Spectroscopy and Other
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Classification: Measurand based
Stimulus
Acoustic Wave amplitude, phase, polarization, Spectrum, Wave
velocity Other
Biological Biomass (types, concentration, states) Other
Chemical Components (identities, concentration, states) Other
Electric Charge, current, Potential, voltage, Electric field
(amplitude, phase, polarization, spectrum), Conductivity,
Permittivity Other
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Classification: Measurand based
Stimulus
Magnetic Magnetic field (amplitude, phase, polarization, spectrum),
Magnetic flux, Permeability Other
Optical Wave amplitude, phase, polarization, spectrum, Wave
velocity, Refractive index, Emissivity, reflectivity,
absorption Other
Mechanical Position (linear, angular), Acceleration, Force, Stress,
pressure, Strain, Mass, density, Moment, torque, Speed
of flow, rate of mass transport, Shape, roughness,
orientation, Stiffness, compliance, Viscosity, Crystallinity,
structural integrity Other 22
Classification: Measurand based
Stimulus
Radiation Radiation Type, Energy, Intensity Other
Thermal Temperature Flux, Specific heat, Thermal conductivity
Other
23
Classification: Material based
Sensor fabrication material based classification.
Inorganic Organic
Conductor Insulator
Semiconductor Liquid gas or plasma
Biological substance Other
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Classification: Property based
Property based classification is more elaborate.
Property
Flow Level Temperature
Technology
Differential pressure, Mechanical, magnetic, Filled-in systems, RTDs, thermistors,
positional displacement, differential pressure, thermal IC, thermocouples, inductively
vortex, thermal mass, displacement, vibrating rod, coupled, radiation (IR).
electromagnetic, magnetostrictive, ultrasonic,
Coriolis, ultrasonic, radio frequency, capacitance
anemometer, open type, microwave/radar,
channel. nuclear.
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Classification: Property based
Property based classification is more elaborate.
Property
Technology
Pressure Proximity and
displacement
Elastic, liquid-based, Potentiometric
manometers, inductive/LVDT, inductive/LVDT, capacitive,
piezoelectric, electronic, fibre magnetic, photoelectric,
optic, MEMS, vacuum. magnetostrictive, ultrasonic.
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Classification: Property based
Property based classification is more elaborate.
Property
Acceleration Image Gas and chemical
Technology
Accelerometers, CMOS. Chemical bead,
gyroscopes. electrochemical,
CCDs (charge coupled
thermal conductance,
devices).
paramagnetic,
Acceleration ionization, infrared,
semiconductor.
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Classification: Property based
Property based classification is more elaborate.
Property
Biosensors Others
Technology
Electrochemical, light-addressable Mass, force, load, humidity, moisture,
potentiometric viscosity.
(LAP), surface plasmon resonance (SPR),
resonant mirror
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Emerging Sensors Technologies:
SENSOR
Image sensors Motion detectors Biosensors Accelerometers
Technology: Technology: IR, Technology: Technology:
CMOS-based ultrasonic, electrochemical MEMS-based
Application
microwave/radar
Traffic and security Obstruction detection Water testing, food Vehicle dynamic
surveillance, blind-spot (robots, auto), security testing system (auto),
detection as autosensors detection (intrusion), (contamination patient
(robots etc.), video toilet activation, kiosks detection), medical monitoring
conferencing, consumer videograms and care device, (including pace,
electronics, biometrics, simulations, light biological warfare makers etc.)
PC imaging activation agent detection
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Classification: Active/Passive
Another classification can be based upon the power/energy
requirements of the sensors.
Some sensors requires power supply -> Active sensors
Sensors does not need power supply -> Passive sensors
For example:
➢ mercury thermometer/Thermocouple are passive sensors, but
➢ digital thermometer is an active sensor.
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Thank You
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