Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
1.0 INTRODUCTION:
+ Sensor is used to produce a varying signal according to the
quantity being measured.
+ Sensor is an element in a mechatronic system which acquires a
physical parameter and changes it into signal that can be processed by
the system.
+ The active element of a sensor is known as transducer.
+ Transducer converts the measured quantity, property (or) condition
into a usable electrical output.
+ The mechatronic system requires sensors to measure physical
quantities such as position, distance, force, strain, temperature,
vibration and acceleration. Simply sensors are also called transducers.
2.0 PERFORMANCE TERMINOLOGY:
+ The function of the sensor (or) transducer is to sense (or) detect a
parameter such as pressure, temperature flow, motion, resistance,
voltage, current and power.
+ The sensor should be capable of faithfully and accurately
detecting any changes that occur in the measured parameter.
+ The performance of transducers can be defined by using the following terms:
1. Range and span
2. Error
3. Accuracy
4. Sensitivity
5. Hysteresis error
6. Non linearity error
7. Repeatability/Reproducibility
8. Reliability
9. Stability
10. Dead band/time
11. Resolution
12. Backlash
13. Output impedance
26
1. Range and Span:
+ The range of a transducer defines the limits between which the input can vary.
+ The difference between the limits (maximum value - minimum value) is
known as span.
+ For example a load cell is used to measure force. An input force can vary from
20 to 100 N. Then the range of load cell is 20 to 100 N. And the span of load
cell is 80 N (i.e., 100-20)
2. Error:
+ If the transducer is ideally designed and made from appropriate materials
with ideal workmanship, then output will indicate the true value. But in
actual practice the output of the transducer will deviate from the true value.
+ The algebraic difference between the indicated value and the true value of
the measured parameter is termed as the error of the device.
+ Error = Indicated value —true value
+ For example, if the transducer gives a temperature reading of 30° C when
the actual temperature is 29° C, then the error is + 1° C. If the actual
temperature is
3 1° C, then the error is —1° C.
3. Accuracy:
+ Accuracy is the extent to which the value indicated by the
measurement system would be wrong.
+ Accuracy is the summation of all possible errors that are likely to occur.
+ For example, a thermocouple has an accuracy of ± 1° C. This means
that reading given by the thermocouple can be expected to lie within + 1° C
(o r) —
1° C of the true value.
+ Accuracy is also expressed as a percentage of the full range output (or)
full- scale deflection.
+ For example, a thermocouple can be specified as having an accuracy of ±4
% of full range output. Hence if the range of the thermocouple is 0 to
200° C, then the reading given can be expected to be within + 8° C (or) —
8° C of the true reading.
4. Sensitivity:
+ The sensitivity is the relationship showing how much output we can get
per unit input.
+ ie sensitivity = Output / Input
5. Hysteresis error:
+ When a device is used to measure any parameter plot the graph of output
Vs value of measured quantity.
+ First for increasing values of the measured quantity and then for decreasing
values of the measured quantity.
+ The two output readings obtained usually differ from each other.
Fig.1.1 Hysteresis error
6. Non-linearIty error:
+ A linear relationship is assumed between the input and output and hence,
a straight line is drawn in the graph as shown here.
Fig.1.2
+ In the first method, (fig 1.2), the straight line is drawn by joining the output
values at the end points of the range.
+ In the next method, the straight line is drawn by using the method of
least squares to determine the best fit line by considering all data values are
in error. Refer fig (1.3).
+ In the last method, the straight line is drawn by using the method of
least squares to determine the best fit line which passes through the zero
point.
Fig.1.3 Fig.1.4
7. Repeatability/Reproducibility:
+ The repeatability and reproducibility of a transducer are its ability to give the
same output for repeated applications of the same input value.
+ Repeatability is also defined as the measure of the deviation of test
results mean value.
8. Reliability:
+ The reliability of a system is defined as the possibility that it will perform its
assigned functions for a specific period of time under given conditions.
+ The reliability of a device (or) system is affected not only by the choice of
individual parts in system but also by manufacturing methods, quality of
maintenance and the type of user.
9. Stability:
+ The stability of a transducer is its ability to give the same output when used
to measure a constant input over a period of time.
+ The term drift is the change in output that occurs over time.
+ The drift can be expressed as a percentage of the full range.
+ Zero drift means if there is change in output when there is zero input.
10. Dead band / time:
+ There will be no output for certain range of input values. This is known as
dead band. There will be no output until the input has reached a
particular value.
+ The length of time from the application of an input until the output begins to
respond and change is known as Dead time.
11. Resolution:
+ Resolution is defined as the smallest increment in the measured value
that can be detected.
+ The resolution is the smallest change in the input value which will
produce an observable change in the input.
+ Resolution is also known as the degree of fineness with which
measurements can be made.
+ For example, if a micrometer with a minimum graduation of 1mm is.
used to measure to the nearest 0.5 mm, then by interpolation, the
resolution is estimated as 0.5 mm.
12. Backlash:
+ Backlash is defined as the maximum distance (or) angle through
which any part of a mechanical system can be moved in one
direction without causing any motion of the attached part.
+ Backlash is an undesirable phenomenon and is important in the
precision design of gear trains.
13. Output Impedance:
+ Before defining impedance, we should know about Ohm’ s law.
+ Ohm’ s law is used to define the relationship between voltage V, Current I
and
Resistance
R.
(i.e.,) V=IR
+ Ohm’ s law can be extended to the AC circuit analysis of resistor,
capacitor and inductor elements as
v=ZI
where Z is called impedance of the elements. So impedance is
similar to resistance.
+ The sensors produce electrical output.
+ When these sensors are interfaced with an electronic circuit, it is
necessary to know the output impedance.
+ This impedance is connected in either series (or) parallel with that
circuit and the inclusion of the sensor will modi1 the behaviour of the
system to which it is connected.
Displacement Sensors:
The measurement of the amount by which some object has been moved.
1. Potentiometer,
2. Resistance strain gauge,
3. LVDT,
4. Push pull displacement sensor.
Position Sensors:
+ The determination of the position of some object with reference to
some reference point.
1. Photo electric sensors,
2. H
sensors.
Proximity Sensors:
1. Contact Sensors:
2. Non-contact sensors:
Fig.1.5
Fig.1.6
Fig.1.7
Fig.1.8
Fig.1.9
+ In Metal Wire Strain Gauges a wire stretched between two points
in an insulating medium such as air.
+ The wires may be made of various copper nickel, chrome nickel or
nickel iron alloys. They are about 0.003 mm in diameter and gauge
factor of 2. The length of wire is 25 mm or less.
+ In Metal foil strain gauge the foil is usually made up of constantan, and it
is etched in a grid pattern onto a thin plastic backing material, usually
polyimide. The foil is terminated at both ends with large metallic pads.
+ The size of the entire gauge is very small and has a length of 5 mm to
15 mm length.
+ In Semiconductor strain gauges the p type and n type silicon
semiconductors are used.
+ The semiconductor strain gauges have the gauge factors of about +100 or
—
100. In p-type gauges resistance increases with tensile strain. While in n-
type,
resistance decreases. Typical thickness is about 0.25 mm and
effective length range from 1.25 to 12 mm.
Fig.1.10
Fig.1.11
+ It consists of three coils symmetrically spaced along an insulated tube.
+ The central coil is primary and other two are secondary.
+ A magnetic core is moved through the central tube, so that the
displacement being monitored.
+ When voltage is supplied to the primary coil, alternating e.m.f.s are
induced in the secondary coils.
+ Suppose the magnetic core is in central, the e.rn.f. induced in each coil
is same because of magnetic material in each coil is same and oppose
to each other. So there is no output.
+ If the core is displaced from the central position there is a greater
amount of magnetic core in one coil than the other. This will create a
higher e.m.f. in one coil and lesser e.m.f. in the other coil. This will
make a net difference in two e.m.f.s and the displacement being
monitored.
+ The formulas which are used in LVDT are:
1. The e.m.f.s induced in the two secondary coils 1 and 2 are:
Advantages of L VDT:
1. High range
2. Friction and electrical isolation
3. Low hysteresis
4. Power consumption is less.
+ It has three plates with the upper pair forming one capacitor and the
lower pair forming another capacitor.
+ There is a non-linear relationship form between the change in capacitance
AC
and the displacement X.
+ The displacement moves the central plate between the two other plates.
+ The result of this, the central plate moving downwards and to
increase the plate separation of the upper capacitor and decrease the
separation of the lower capacitor.
1. Photoelectric Sensors
+ It is used to detect the object by breaking a beam of light (Refer
Fig.1.12(a)) or radiation falling on a device or by detecting the light
reflected back by the object (Refer Fig.1.12(b)).
Fig.1.12
Fig.1.13
Fig.1.14
1. Absolute Encoder:
2. Incremental Encoder:
+ Working: A beam of light passes through the slots in a disc and it is
detected by a suitable light sensor.
+ When the disc is rotated, the output is shown in terms of pulses
and these pulses being proportional to the angle of disc rotation.
Fig. 1.17. Incremental
encoder
+ The above Fig. shows the basic form of such sensor and it is used
for the detection of non-magnetic conductive materials.
4. Microswitch:
+ It is used for determining the presence of an item on a conveyor belt
and this might be actuated by the weight of the item on the belt
depressing the belt by a spring loaded platform nearer to the sensor
the presence of item in the conveyor is determined.
+ The closeness of switch is done by movement of this spring loaded
platform.
Fig. 1.20.
Microswitch
5. Reed switch:
+ It is a non-contact proximity switch. It is used for checking the
closure of doors.
+ It consists of two magnetic switch contacts sealed in a glass tube.
+ When a magnet is brought close to the switch, the magnetic reeds are
attracted each other and close the switch contacts.
To detect and monitor the velocity and motion the following sensors are used.
3. Tachogenerators:
2 Pyroelectric Sensors:
+ It consists of a polarised pyroelectric crystal with thin metal film
electrodes on opposite faces. (Pyro electric materials, e.g., lithium
tantalate are crystalline materials which generate charge in response to
heat flow. When such materials heated to about 610° C in an electric
field, the electric dipoles within the material line up and it becomes
polarised as shown in Fig.).
+ Due to the crystal is polarised with charged surfaces, the ions are
drawn from the surrounding air and electrons from any measurement
circuit is connected to the sensor to balance the surface charge as
shown in Fig.
+ For measurement of a human or heat source motion, the sensing
element has to differentiate between general background heat radiation
and a moving heat source. For that a single pyroelectric sensor is
not capable to use and dual pyroelectric sensors are used as shown
in Fig.
+ In this dual pyroelectric sensors the sensing element has the one
front electrode and two back electrodes. When two sensors being
connected means both sensors are receive the same heat signal and
their outputs are cancelled.
Fig. 2.26. Pyroelectric
sensors
+ Suppose a heat source moves from its position means the heat
radiation moves from one of the sensing elements to the other, then
the current is alternates in one direction first and then reversed to the
other direction second.
+ A moving human gives an alternating current of 1O A. When the
infrared radiation is incident on the dual pyroelectric sensor material
and changes its temperature, the polarisation in the crystal is
reduced. A focusing device is needed to direct the infrared radiation
onto the sensor.
1. Diaphragms
+ In this the pressure to be measured is applied to the diaphragm, causing
it to deflect, and the deflection being proportional to the applied
pressure. This movement can be monitored by some form of
displacement sensor. (Example for displacement sensor is strain
gauge) and it is shown in Fig.2.27.
3. Capsule
Fig. 2.31.
Capsule
5. Tactile Sensor
+ It is one form of pressure sensor and it is used to determine the
pressure in
Robotics in such a form fingertips of robotics contact with the
object.
+ These type of sensors also used in ‘ touch display screens’ where
physical contacts to be sensed.
+ The above Fig.2.33 shows the one form of tactile sensor.
+ It uses piezo electric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film.
+ There are two layers of such film is used and it is separated by a
soft film which transmits vibrations.
+ The alternating voltage is supplied in the lower PVDF film and this
results in mechanical oscillations of the film.
+ The intermediate film transmits these vibrations to the upper PVDF film.
+ Due to the piezoelectric effect the vibrations formed are cause an
alternating voltage to be produced across the upper film.
+ So the pressure is applied to the upper PVDF film and its vibrations
are
affected the output voltage.
6. Piezoelectric sensor
Fig.
2.35.
2. Orifice Plate
+ It is a simple disc with a central hole and it is placed in the tube through
which the fluid flow.
Fig.
2.37.
2. Float System
+ In this method the level of liquid is measured by movement of a float.
+ The movement of float rotates the arm and slider will move
across a potentiometer.
+ The output result is related to the height of the liquid.
Fig.
2.38.
Fig. 2.39.
Thermocouple
+ In the above Fig.2.42, the wires from the measuring junction are
screwed directly to an isothermal block terminal strip.
+ The temperature of the block is ambient temperature.
+ This reference temperature is measured by semiconductor
sensor and compensation circuitry develops a voltage Ecomp
which is combined with measuring junction and the net voltage across
the voltmeter = T (Temperature being measured).
+ The isothermal block can accept many thermocouple pairs in
multichannel instruments with microprocessor computing power
since the T (reference junction sensor now sends its temperature
data to the computer which computes the needed voltage correction
for each thermocouple.
+ The thermocouples like E, J, K and T are relatively cheap and it has
accuracies
of about ± ito 3%.
+ The noble metal thermocouples are very high cost compared with this
and it has accuracies of about ±1% better than the base metal
thermocouples.
+ Thermocouples are used in applications ranging from measurement
of room air temperature to that of a liquid metal bath. The problems
which may be encountered are
1. Faulty reference junction,
2. Installation faults,
3. Junctions formed by users may involve excessive temperatures
or faulty soldering techniques,
4. Gross errors can result due to wrong installation of thermocouple.
2. Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs)
Fig.
2.45.
Salient Features ofRTDs:
1. High degree of accuracy.
2. Resistance thermometer is interchangeable in a process without
compensation or recalibration.
3. It is normally designed for fast response as well as accuracy to
provide close control of processes.
3. Thermistors
+ Thermistor is a semiconductor device that has a negative
temperature coefficient of resistance in contrast to positive coefficient
displayed by most metals.
+ Thermistors are small pieces of material made from mixtures of metal
oxides,
such as Iron, cobalt, chromium, Nickel, and Manganese.
+ The shape of the materials is in terms of discs, beads and rods.
+ The thermistor is an extremely sensitive device because its resistance
changes rapidly with temperature.
+ The resistance of conventional metal-oxide thermistors decreases in
a very non-linear manner with an increase in temperature is shown
in the Fig.2.46 below.
+ The change in resistance per degree change in temperature is
considerably
larger than that which occurs with metals.
Fig. 2.46.
Thermistors
Fig. 2.47.
Thermistor
(a) Thermodiodes:
+ Thermodiode is widely used method for measuring temperature.
When the temperature of doped semiconductors changes, the
mobility of their charge carriers changes and this affects the rate at
which electrons and holes can diffuse across ap-n junction.
1. Measurement of temperature,
2. Control of temperature,
3. Temperature compensation,
4. Measurement of thermal conductivity,
5. Measurement of power at high frequencies,
6. Measurement of composition of gases,
7. Providing time delay,
8. Vacuum measurements.
Fig. 2.48.
Transistor
Fig.
2.50.
+ The Fig.2.51 shows the diode characteristics.
+ If the diode is sufficiently reverse biased, it will breakdown.
+ The current passing through the diode when forward biased only.
+ If an A.C. voltage is applied across a diode, it can be regarded
as only switching on when forward bias it and being off in the reverse
direction.
+ The photodiodes have a very fast response to light and it can be
used as a variable resistance device controlled by the light incident on
it.
2. Photo Transistors
Fig.
2.51.
+ The main current flows in at the collector and out at the emitter
in npn transistor.
+ The main current flowing in at the emitter and out at the collector in
pnp
transistor
.
+ The phototransistors have a light sensitive collector-base p-n junction.
+ There is a very small collector to emitter current when there is no
incident light. Suppose the light is incident a base current is produced
and it is proportional to the light intensity.
+ So this will produce a collector current and it is used for measure of the
light
intensity.
+ The example for photo transistors is photo Darlington arrangement.
PART- A