Sensor (application to

measurement)
Lecture 3
(Chapter 2)

Sensor is a Transducer:
What is a transducer ?
An electromechanical device that converts a
mechanical change into a change in an electrical
signal
Sensors
Physical
parameter
Electrical
Output
12/02/16

Actuators
Electrical
Input

e.g.
Piezoelectric:
Force ->
voltage

Physical
Output
SME3252: Mechatronics
Lecture 3

Essential Elements
Input

Output
Instrumentation
System
Measured value
True value
of variables

of variables

Sensing
Element

Conditioning
Element

Processing
Element

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4,5,6

12/02/16

SME3252: Mechatronics
Lecture 3

Displaying
Element

Example of Instrumentation System

12/02/16

SME3252: Mechatronics
Lecture 3

2.1: Sensor

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Measurement in mechanical engineering:

Displacement, position and proximity
Velocity and motion
Force
Pressure
Fluid flow
Liquid level
Temperature
Light intensity

2.2 Performance terminology

Range and span

Error
Accuracy
Sensitivity
Hysteresis error
Nonlinearity error
Repeatability /
reproducibility

Stability zero drift

Resolution
Output impedence

Examples

Ranges: 70 to 1000kPa, 2000 to 70000 kPa

Supply voltage: 10 V d.c or a.c. rms
Full range output: 40 mV
Nonlinearity and hysteresis:0.5% full range
output
Temperature range: -540C to +1200C when
operating
Thermal zero shift: 0.030% full range output / 0C

2.3: Displacement, position and

proximity
Displacement how much the object has
been moved
Position position of an object with a
reference point
Proximity position sensor to detect when
an object has moved
2 basic types of displacement / position
sensor contact and noncontact

Displacement measurement
Examples of application:
Location & position of object on a
conveyor
Orientation of steel plate in a rolling mill
Liquid/solid level measurement
Location or position of work piece in
milling operation

Location & position of object on a conveyor

Application : Bottle sensing.

Type
: Photoelectric Sensor

Rolling of steel plate

Application : Liquid level indicator.

Type
: Capacitive Sensor

Milling
process

2.3.1: Potentiometer
Translational and Rotational

Potentiometers
Translational or angular displacement
is proportional to resistance.

Taken from www.fyslab.hut.fi/kurssit/Tfy-3.441/ luennot/Luento3.pdf

2.3.2: Strain-gage

high alternating
stresses that cause
damage to blade

Strain gages allow monitoring

of dynamic torsional motions

2.3.3: Capacitive sensor

How does it works: Capacitive

A capacitive touchscreen consists of a glass
panel with a capacitive (charge storing)
material coating its surface. Circuits located at
the corners of the screen measure the
capacitance of a person touching the overlay.
Frequency

changes

are

measured

to

determine the X and Y coordinates of the

touch command. The touchscreen controller
sends data via serial port to the host
computer and emulates a mouse.

17

2.3.4: LVDT

Inductive Sensors - LVDT

An LVDT is used as a sensitive displacement sensor: for example, in
a cardiac assist device or a basic research project to study
displacement produced by a contracting muscle.

LVDT
Linear Variable
Differential
Transformer
Taken from
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~pyo22/mem351-2004/lecture04/pp062-073lvdt.pdf

2.3.6: Inductive sensor

2.3.7: Optical encoder

Provide digital output from linear and
angular displacement

2.3.9: Proximity switch

simplest form of digital displacement sensor
many forms: lever or push-rod operated
microswitches; float switches; pressure switches;
etc.

A limit switch

A float switch

Lim Kim Fung, PSM 2006/2007

2.4: Velocity sensor

A) Linear velocity
measurement
Linear velocity transducer
or LVT
Based on inductive
transducer principle
Magnetic field associated
with velocity to be
measured moves w.r.t
fixed conductor

B) Angular velocity
measurement
Many common
machine have rotating
shafts angular
velocity or shaft speed
Stroboscopic
flashing light, mark on
pulley, rpm
Photoelectric used
photodetector

2.5: Force measurement - Load

Cell

R3

eT
R2 , R4

eL

Performance
Full
Scale
Load range:
5 to 250 lbs
Non-Linearity:
0.05% F.S.
Hysteresis:
0.03% F.S.
Non-Repeatability: 0.03% F.S.
Output:
3 mV/V
Resolution:
Infinite
Environmental
,R
Temp. operating:
0 to 130 F
Temp. compensated: 30 to 130 F
Mechanical
Static overload:
50% over capacity
1

2.6: Fluid pressure

hydraulic pressure is
used to measure
force applied to
diaphragm
when force F
applied, pressure is
developed in fluid
(normally oil),device
to measure normally
Bourdon gage

2.6.1: Piezoelectric Sensors

What is piezoelectricity ?
Strain causes a
redistribution of charges
and results in a net
electric dipole (a dipole
is kind of a battery!)

Discovered in 1880 by Pierre Curie in

quartz crystals. The greek word
piezein, which means to press
Examples --- Quartz, Barium titanate,
tourmaline

A piezoelectric material
produces voltage by
distributing charge
(under mechanical
strain/stress)

2.7: Liquid flow

The most common principals for fluid flow
metering are:
Differential pressure flowmeter
Velocity flowmeter
Positive displacement flowmeter
Open channel flowmeter

 The most common types of differential

pressure flowmeters are:
Orifice Plates
Flow Nozzles
Venturi Tubes
Variable Area - Rotameters

2.9: Temperature
RTD
Thermistor
Thermocouple

2.10: Photoelectric sensor

Photodiode
Phototransistor
Photocell
Solar cell

Presence of object

Samsul Tongaji, PSM 2006/2007

Exercises (Textbook)
Identify / suggest suitable sensors for the
following applications:
Control system for a furnace to monitor
rate of heating oil flows along a pipe line
Control system to determine difference of
liquid levels in two container
Control system to control thickness of
rolled sheet that emerges from rollers

End of Lecture 3