Chapter IV

TRANSDUCERS
Introduction

 Basically transducer is defined as a device, which converts energy or

information from one form to another.

 For example, the common mercury thermometer converts variations in

temperature into variations in the length of a column of mercury. Since the
variation in the length of the mercury column is rather simple to measure,
the mercury thermometer becomes a convenient device for measuring
temperature.
 Thus the transducer is a device, which provides a usable output in response to
specific input measured, which may be physical or mechanical quantity,
property or condition. The transducer may be mechanical, electrical,
magnetic, optical, chemical, acoustic, thermal nuclear, or a combination of
any two or more of these.
ELECTRICAL TRANSDUCERS

 Mostly quantities to be measured are non-electrical such as temperature,

pressure, displacement, humidity, fluid flow, speed etc., but these quantities
cannot be measured directly. Hence such quantities are required to be sensed
and changed into some other form for easy measurement.

 Electrical quantities such as current, voltage, resistance. inductance and

capacitance etc. can be conveniently measured, transferred and stored, and
therefore, for measurement of non-electrical quantities these are to be
converted into electrical quantities first and then measured.
Classification Of Transducers

 The transducers may be classified in various ways such as on the basis of

electrical principles involved, methods of application, methods of energy
conversion used, nature of output signal etc.

Active and Passive Transducers

Primary and Secondary Transducers
Analog and Digital Transducers
Transducers and Inverse Transducers
Active and Passive Transducers
 Transducers, on the basis of methods of energy conversion used, may be classified
into active and passive transducers. Self-generating type transducers i.e. the
transducers, which develop their output the form of electrical voltage or current
without any auxiliary source, are called the active transducers. (eg:Thermocouple)

 Transducers, in which electrical parameters i.e. resistance, inductance or

capacitance changes with the change in input signal, are called the passive
transducers. These transducers require external power source for energy
conversion. In such transducer electrical parameters i.e. resistance, inductance or
capacitance causes a change in voltages current or frequency of the external power
source. Resistive, inductive and capacitive transducer falls in this category.
Primary and Secondary Transducers
 LVDT(Linear Variable Differential Transformer)
 Primary Transducer: Which is taking up
the Physical Quantity and converting it
to Mechanical Quantity.

 Secondary Transducer: Which is taking

Non Electrical quantity and converting
It to electrical quantity.

The voltage, VP is applied across the primary winding of

transformer. Let, the voltage developed across each secondary
winding is 𝑉𝑆1 and 𝑉𝑆2. The output voltage, V0 is taken across the
starting points of two secondary windings.

V0=VS1−VS2
 Analog and Digital Transducers

 These transducers are becoming more and more popular now-a-days because of advantages
associated with digital measuring instruments and also due to the effect that digital signals
can be transmitted over a long distance without causing much distortion due to amplitude
variation and phase shift. Sometimes an analog transducer combined with an ADC (analog-
digital convector) is called a digital transducer.

Examples: Analog (LVDT) and Digital (Optical Encoder)

Transducers and Inverse Transducers

 For example a piezoelectric crystal and transnational and angular moving-coil elements
can be employed as inverse transducers. Many data-indicating and recording devices
are basically inverse transducers. An ammeter or voltmeter converts electric current
into mechanical movement and the characteristics of such an instrument placed at the
output of a measuring system are important. A most useful application of inverse
transducers is in feedback measuring systems.
 Measurement Systems

9
Resistive Transducer

 Resistive Transducers are those in which the resistance changes due to a

change in some physical phenomenon.

 Resistive potentiometer(pot) consists of a resistance element provided with

a sliding contact, called wiper
Strain Gauge

 Strain Gauge is an example of a passive transducer that uses the variations in

electrical resistance in wires to sense the stain produced by a force on the
wires.

Stress= Force/unit area

Strain=elongation or compression/unit length
Gauge Factor(K):The measurement of a material to strain is
called the gauge factor.
GF=(∆R/R)⁄(∆l/l)
Since strain can be measured more easily by using variable resistance
transducers, it is common practice to measure strain instead of stress, to serve
as an index of pressure. Such transducers are popularly known as strain gauges.
Unbonded Resistance wire strain gauge
Bonded Resistance wire strain gauge
 Resistance Thermometer

The Resistance of a conductor changes when its temperature is changed. The Resistance
Thermometer is an instrument used to measure electrical resistance in terms of temperature.
 Inductive Transducers

An inductive electromechanical transducer is a device that

converts physical motion (position change) into a change
in inductance.An inductive electromechanical transducer
is a device that converts physical motion (position
change) into a change in inductance

For example, let us consider the case of a general

inductive transducer, Which has N turns and a
reluctance R. When a current i is passed through it, the
flux is
 Capacitive Transducers
 A linear change in capacitance with changes in the physical position of the
moving element may be used to provide an electrical indication of the
element’s position.

K = the dielectric constant

A = the total area of the capacitor surfaces
d = distance between two capacitive surfaces
Piezoelectric transducer
 An active transducer is said to be piezo electric transducer, when it
produces an electrical quantity which is equivalent to the pressure input

The following three substances exhibit piezo electric effect.

Quartz
Rochelle salts
Tourmaline
The basic expression for output voltage E is given by
Q = generated charge

Cp = shunt capacitances

An externally applied force, entering the transducer through its pressure port, applies
pressure to the top of a crystal. This produces an emf across the crystal proportional to
the magnitude of applied pressure
Piezoelectric transducer