Sensors and Data Acquisition

Radar gun

Light sensor
Motion sensor: Save money by lighting
rooms only when you're in them
 Revision
• The sensor is a physical element that employs some natural
phenomenon – it senses the variable being measured.
• The transducer converts this sensed info into a detectable
signal (can be electrical, mechanical, optical etc).

Nowadays, it is common to have a

secondary transducer that converts
the info into an electrical form that is
more easily processed by the
intermediate stage.
 Introduction
 The first contact that a measuring system has with the
measurand is through the input sample accepted by the
detecting element.
 The detector senses the information input, Iin, and
transduces or converts it to a more convenient form, Iout.
The relationship may be expressed as

I out  f I in 
Further,
I out
 Transfer efficiency =
I in
 Introduction (cont.)
• Some examples of primary sensor-transducer elements and
operations they perform:
Element Operation
Load Cells: Force to linear displacement
tension/compression and
bending
Diaphragm Pressure to displacement
Thermocouple Temperature to Electric
Potential
Venturi Fluid Velocity to pressure
change
 Loading of the signal source
• Energy will always be taken from the signal source by the
measuring system, which means that the information
source will always be changed by the act of the
measurement.
• This effect is referred to as loading.
• The smaller the load placed on the signal source by the
measuring system, the better.
 Transducers and sensors
• All instruments based on measuring signals therefore need to understand
the types of signals properties and characteristics of transducers
applications which are appropriate impact on the instrument systems

• •Transducer
• devices which produce an electrical signal proportional to a variable of
interest why? automation for speed, convenience (eg alarm) or objectivity
ease further manipulation of measurements extend range of processing
beyond simple calculations digital processing now very cheap

• •Big area - so which transducers should interest us most?

 Types of Sensors
• Most sensors are electrical or electronic, although other
types exist.
• Sensors are either direct indicating (e.g. a mercury
thermometer or electrical meter) or are paired with an
indicator (perhaps indirectly through an analog to digital
converter, a computer and a display) so that the value
sensed becomes human readable.
• In addition to other applications, sensors are heavily used
in medicine, industry and robotics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensors
 Types of Sensors (cont.)
• Since a significant change involves an exchange of energy,
sensors can be classified according to the type of energy
transfer that they detect.
• Thermal sensors
– temperature sensors: thermometers, thermocouples, temperature
sensitive resistors (thermistors and resistance temperature
detectors), bi-metal thermometers and thermostats
– heat sensors: calorimeter
• Electromagnetic sensors
– electrical resistance sensors: ohmmeter, multimeter
– electrical current sensors: galvanometer, ammeter
– electrical voltage sensors: voltmeter
– magnetism sensors: magnetic compass, magnetometer, Hall effect
device,
– metal detectors
 Types of Sensors (cont.)
• Mechanical sensors
– pressure sensors: altimeter, barometer, barograph, pressure gauge,
air speed indicator, rate of climb indicator,
– gas and liquid flow sensors: flow sensor, flow meter, gas meter,
water meter, mass flow sensor
– mechanical sensors: acceleration sensor, position sensor, switch,
strain gauge
• Chemical sensors
– Chemical sensors detect the presence of specific chemicals or
classes of chemicals
 Types of Sensors (cont.)
• Acoustic sensors
– sound sensors: microphones, hydrophones, seismometers
• Other types of sensors
– light sensors, or photodetectors, including semiconductor devices
such as photocells, photodiodes, phototransistors
– infra-red sensors
– proximity sensor
 The Touch Sensor
• The Touch Sensor Touch sensors (or bump sensors) are
simple mechanical switches that turn on when in contact
with something. They work much the way you would
expect, like a button that, when pushed, connects a circuit
that sends a voltage to the computer.
• When not pushed, the button sends nothing to the
computer. These are very useful when performing low-
accuracy obstacle-avoidance tasks.
• If two touch sensors are placed on a robot, one on the front
and one on the back, the robot can be programmed to move
randomly around a room and, when it comes in contact
with an obstacle, to stop and reverse its direction until it
encounters an obstacle in that direction.
http://www.articles.co.nr/report/sensors.htm
 The Infrared Proximity Sensor

• Infrared (IR) optical sensors take advantage of invisible

light waves to sense objects in their environment.
• These are very effective for use in non-contact object
sensing, and are also useful for navigation when high
contrast lines are placed on the floor.
• As all surfaces reflect a certain intensity and wavelength of
visible light based on their texture and color, they also
reflect light in the IR range (wavelength > 750 nm) based
on these same features.

http://www.articles.co.nr/report/sensors.htm
 The Infrared Proximity Sensor (cont.)

• White, glossy surfaces have high reflectivity while dull,

black surfaces have a low reflectivity.
• The advantage to measuring in the IR range is that ambient
lighting has very little effect on the reading (assuming
there are only low IR emissions from surrounding
lighting).
• These sensors use an LED to emit light in the IR range and
an IR light detector to determine whether an object is
"close" or not.
 The Ultrasonic Sensor
• Ultrasonic signals are like audible sound waves,
except the frequencies are much higher. Ultrasonic
sensors measure object distance by calculating the
time it takes for a sound wave to strike the object and
return to the sensing element.
• The following diagrams summarize the distinctions
between proximity and ranging ultrasonic sensors:
• Proximity Detection
An object passing anywhere within the preset range
will be detected and generate an output signal. The
detect point is independent of target size, material, or
degree of reflectivity.
 The Ultrasonic Sensor (cont.)
• Ranging Measurement
Precise distance(s) of an object moving to and from
the sensor are measured via time intervals between
transmitted and reflected bursts of ultrasonic sound.
The example shows a target detected at six inches
from sensor and moving to 10 inches. The distance
change is continuously calculated and outputted.

http://www.migatron.com/understanding_ultrasonics.htm
 Ultrasonic Detections and Control
Applications
• Roll Diameter, Tension
Control, Winding and
Unwind

• Liquid level control

http://www.migatron.com/apps.htm
 Ultrasonic Detections and Control
Applications (cont.)
• Thru Beam Detection for
HighSpeed Counting

• Thread or Wire
Break Detection
 Ultrasonic Detections and Control
Applications (cont.)
• Vehicle Detection For
Car Wash And
Automotive Assembly

• Thickness - Gauging
 Piezoelectric sensors
• Piezoelectricity is the ability of certain crystals to produce
a voltage when subjected to mechanical stress. The word is
derived from the Greek piezein, which means to squeeze or
press.
• The piezoelectric effect works both ways, that is,
piezoelectric crystals, subject to an externally applied
voltage, can change shape by a small amount. The effect is
of the order of nanometres.
• A 1 cm cube of quartz with 2 kN of correctly applied
pressure upon it, can produce 12,500 V of electricity
http://www.sensorsweb.com/taxonomy/term/46
 Piezoelectric sensors (cont.)
• The Piezoelectric Effect was discovered in the
1880's and is used widely in a number of
transducers and electronic gear.

http://www.fmg.bham.ac.uk/bulkpzt.htm
 Piezoelectric sensors (cont.)
• Your old record player had a cartridge that used the
piezoelectric effect, the ultrasonic transducers in your
ancient car alarm used it, that hospital ultrasound scanner
uses it, some gas and cigarette lighters use it. Then there
are strain gauges and accelerometers, flow meters and
pressure transducers of all sorts not forgetting modern
barometers, model gyros, radios, TV’s, microphones and
computer and even your Swatch watch. You name it,
there's a tiny piece of quartz or piezo-ceramic in there
somewhere.

http://www.favonius.com/soaring/crystals/crystals.htm
 Data Acquisition
•A data-acquisition system is the portion of a measurement
system that quantifies and stores data. There are many ways to
do this.
•An engineer who reads a transducer dial associates a number
with the dial position, and records the information in a log
book performs all of the tasks germane to a data-acquisition
system.
•In this section, we focus on microprocessor-based data-
acquisition systems, which are used to perform automated data
quantification and storage.
 Data Acquisition System

The figure depicts the two important features of a data

acquisition system:
 DAQ
• Dedicated microprocessor systems can conti nuously perform
their programming instructions to measure, store, interpret and
provide process control without any intervention.
• Microprocessors have input/output (I/O) ports to interface with
other devices to measure and to output instructions.
• Programming allows for such operations as which sensors to
measure, and when and how often, and for data reduction.
Programming can allow for decision-making and feedback to
control process variables.
DAQ
 Sampling Concepts
The sampling is a process by which continuous signals are made
discrete.
Analog devices interface with digital devices through an analog-
to-digital converter.
The reverse process of a digital device interfacing with an analog
device occurs through a digital-to-analog converter.
The important analog signal information concerning amplitude
and frequency can be represented by a discrete series.
Representation of an analog signal will depend on the frequency
content of the analog signal, the size of the time increment
between each discrete number, and the total sample period of the
measurement.

Remark: An analog signal and its discrete time series

representation in Figure 7.1.
07_01
Examples: signal recorder