SENSORS

Presented by SYNAJIE John

 WHAT ARE SENSORS?
Sensors are sophisticated devices that are frequently used to detect and
respond to electrical or optical signals. A Sensor converts the physical parameter
(for example: temperature, blood pressure, humidity, speed, etc.) into a signal
which can be measured electrically. Sensors are found in most electronic devices
today including smartphones, watches, and computers.
A good sensor should have the following properties:
- Sensitivity to measured property.
- Insensitivity to any other property likely to be encountered in it’s application.
- Uninfluential to the measured property.
 CLASSIFICATION OF SENSORS
Sensors can be classified on a variety of basis
- Bases on power source. Active sensors require an external power source to operate,
and they transmit and detect the energy at the same time. Passive Sensors, on the other
hand, do not require any external power signal and directly generates output response.
- Based on the means of detection used in the sensor. Some of the means of detection
are Electric, Biological, Chemical, Radioactive etc.
- Based on conversion phenomenon i.e. the input and the output. Some of the common
conversion phenomena are Photoelectric, Thermoelectric, Electrochemical,
Electromagnetic, Thermooptic, etc.
- The final classification of the sensors are Analog and Digital Sensors. Analog
Sensors produce an analog output i.e. a continuous output signal with respect to the
quantity being measured. Digital Sensors, in contrast to Analog Sensors, work with
discrete or digital data. The data in digital sensors, which is used for conversion and
transmission, is digital in nature.
TYPES OF SENSORS
(Based on Application)
1- TEMPERATURE SENSORS
• One of the most common and most popular sensor is the Temperature
Sensor. A Temperature Sensor senses the temperature i.e. it measures the
changes in the temperature.
• In a Temperature Sensor, the changes in the Temperature correspond to
change in its physical property like resistance or voltage. There are
different types of Temperature Sensors such as ICs (like LM35),
Thermistors, Thermocouples, RTD (Resistive Temperature Devices), etc.
• Temperature Sensors are used in almost all devices; such as computers,
mobile phones, automobiles, air conditioning systems, industries etc.
TEMPERATURE SENSOR IC AND THERMISTOR
 2-LIGHT SENSORS
• A Light Sensor is used to detect the current ambient
light level - i.e. how bright/dark it is. There are a
range of different types of light sensors, including
'Photoresistors', 'Photodiodes', and 'Phototransistors.
A Phototransistor
• Basically, a regular transistor is an electrical
component that limits the flow of current by a certain
amount dependent on current applied to itself through
another
• A phototransistor, on the other hand, uses the level of
light it detects to determine how much current can
pass through the circuit. So, if the sensor is in a dark
room, it only lets a small amount of current through.
If it detects a bright light, it lets a larger amount of
current through.
 Photoresistor
• A photoresistor operates similarly to a
phototransistor however it changes its resistance
based on the amount of light that falls upon it.
Photoresistors tend to be less sensitive, also.
They can be applied in light-sensitive detector
circuits, and light-activated and dark-activated
switching circuits
 PROXIMITY SENSOR
• A Proximity Sensor is a non-contact type sensor that
detects the presence of an object without physical
contact. Proximity Sensors can be implemented using
different techniques like Optical (like Infrared or
Laser), Ultrasonic, Hall Effect, Capacitive, etc.
• Some of the applications of Proximity Sensors are
Mobile Phones, Cars (Parking Sensors), industries
(object alignment), Ground Proximity in Aircrafts,
etc.
REFERENCES
• Sciencelearn.org.nz
• Engineersgarage.com
• Electronicshub.org
• Wikipedia.org