Lesson 6: Sensors
Part 1: Reading and Comprehension
A sensor is defined as a device or a module that helps to detect any changes in physical quantities
like pressure, force or electrical quantity like current or any other form of energy. After observing
the changes, sensor sends the detected input to a microcontroller or microprocessor. Finally, a
sensor produces a readable output signal, which can be either optical, electrical, or any form of
signal that corresponds to change in input signal. In any measurement system, sensors play a major
role. In fact, sensors are the first element in the block diagram of measurement system, which
comes in direct contact with the variables to produce a valid output.
There are several classifications of sensors made by different authors and experts. Some are very
simple and some are very complex.
In the first classification of sensors, they are divided in to Active and Passive. Active Sensors
require an external excitation signal or a power signal. A good example of an active sensor is an
LVDT sensor or a strain gauge. Strain gauges are pressure-sensitive resistive bridge networks that
are external biased (excitation signal) in such a way as to produce an output voltage in proportion
to the amount of force and/or strain being applied to the sensor. Passive Sensors, on the other hand,
do not require any external power signal and directly generates output response. For example, a
thermocouple which generates its own voltage output when exposed to heat. Then passive sensors
are direct sensors which change their physical properties, such as resistance, capacitance or
inductance etc.
The other type of classification is based on the means of detection used in the sensor. Some are
Electric, Biological, Chemical, Radioactive etc.
The next classification is based on conversion phenomenon i.e., the input and the output. Some of
the common conversion phenomena are Photoelectric, Thermoelectric, Electrochemical,
Electromagnetic, Thermo-optic, etc.
The final classification of sensors are Analog and Digital Sensors. Analog Sensors produce an
analog output i.e., a continuous output signal (usually voltage but sometimes other quantities like
Resistance etc.) 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.
Terminologies:
Temperature Sensor: measures the changes in the temperature. There are different types of
Temperature Sensors such as: Thermistors, Thermocouples, RTD (Resistive Temperature
Devices), etc. It can be analog or digital. In an Analog Temperature Sensor, the changes in the
Temperature correspond to change in its physical property like resistance or voltage. Coming to
the Digital Temperature Sensor, the output is a discrete digital value (usually, some numerical data
after converting analog value to digital value). Temperature Sensors are used everywhere like
computers, mobile phones, automobiles, air conditioning systems, industries etc.
Proximity Sensor: is a non-contact type sensor that detects the presence of an object. It can be
implemented using different techniques like Optical (like Infrared or Laser), Sound (Ultrasonic),
Magnetic (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.
Infrared Sensor (IR Sensor): is a light based sensor that is used in various applications like
Proximity and Object Detection. IR Sensors are used as proximity sensors in almost all mobile
phones. There are two types of Infrared or IR Sensors: Transmissive Type and Reflective Type. In
Transmissive Type IR Sensor, the IR Transmitter (usually an IR LED) and the IR Detector (usually
a Photo Diode) are positioned facing each other so that when an object passes between them, the
sensor detects the object. The other type of IR Sensor is a Reflective Type IR Sensor. In this, the
transmitter and the detector are positioned adjacent to each other facing the object. When an object
comes in front of the sensor, the infrared light from the IR Transmitter is reflected from the object
and is detected by the IR Receiver and thus the sensor detects the object.
Ultrasonic Sensor: is a non-contact type device that can be used to measure distance as well as
velocity of an object. An Ultrasonic Sensor works based on the properties of the sound waves with
frequency greater than that of the human audible range. Using the time of flight of the sound wave,
an Ultrasonic Sensor can measure the distance of the object (similar to SONAR). The Doppler Shift
property of the sound wave is used to measure the velocity of an object.
Light Sensor: Sometimes also known as Photo Sensors, Light Sensors are one of the important
sensors. A simple Light Sensor available today is the Light Dependent Resistor or LDR. The
property of LDR is that its resistance is inversely proportional to the intensity of the ambient light
i.e., when the intensity of light increases, its resistance decreases and vise-versa. By using LDR is
a circuit, we can calibrate the changes in its resistance to measure the intensity of Light. There are
two other Light Sensors (or Photo Sensors) which are often used in complex electronic system
design. They are Photo Diode and Photo Transistor. All these are Analog Sensors.
Smoke and Gas Sensors: One of the very useful sensors in safety related applications are Smoke
and Gas Sensors. Almost all offices and industries are equipped with several smoke detectors,
which detect any smoke (due to fire) and sound an alarm. Gas Sensors are more common in
laboratories, large scale kitchens and industries. They can detect different gases like LPG, Propane,
Butane, Methane (CH4), etc. Now-a-days, smoke sensors (which often can detect smoke as well
gas) are also installed in most homes as a safety measure.
Alcohol Sensor: it detects alcohol. Usually, alcohol sensors are used in breathalyzer devices, which
determine whether a person is drunk or not. Law enforcement personnel uses breathalyzers to catch
drunk-and-drive culprits.
Touch Sensor: it detect touch of a finger or a stylus. Often touch sensors are classified into
Resistive and Capacitive type. Almost all modern touch sensors are of Capacitive Types as they
are more accurate and have better signal to noise ratio.
Color Sensor: it is a useful device in building color sensing applications in the field of image
processing, color identification, industrial object tracking etc. The TCS3200 is a simple Color
Sensor, which can detect any color and output a square wave proportional to the wavelength of the
detected color.
Humidity Sensor: If you see Weather Monitoring Systems, they often provide temperature as well
as humidity data. So, measuring humidity is an important task in many applications and Humidity
Sensors help us in achieving this. Often all humidity sensors measure relative humidity (a ratio of
water content in air to maximum potential of air to hold water). Since relative humidity is dependent
on temperature of air, almost all Humidity Sensors can also measure Temperature.
Tilt Sensor: Often used to detect inclination or orientation, Tilt Sensors are one of the simplest
and inexpensive sensors out there. Previously, tilt sensors are made up of Mercury (and hence they
are sometimes called as Mercury Switches) but most modern tilt sensors contain a roller ball.
Exercise 1: (Comprehension of the text)
1. How does a sensor work?
2. How many types can the sensors be classified to?
3. What is the difference between passive and active sensor?
4. What is the position of the sensor in the measuring chain?
5. Give the synonyms of: detector, remarking, emits, important.
6. Give the opposites of: digital, output, passive, internal.
Exercise 2: Fill in the gaps with the following words: Applications, are, can, detecting, devices,
include, many, otherwise, properties, sensors, such as, types.
Sensor/Detectors/Transducers (1) electrical, opto-electrical, or electronic (2) composed of specialty
electronics or (3) sensitive materials, for determining if there is a presence of a particular entity or
function. Many (4) of sensors, detectors, and transducers are available including those for (5) a
physical presence (6) flame, metals, leaks, levels, or gas and chemicals, among others. Some are
designed to sense physical (7) such as temperature, pressure, or radiation, while others (8) detect
motion or proximity. They operate in a variety of manners depending on the application and may
(9) electromagnetic fields, or optics, among others. Many (10) over a wide range of industries use
sensors, detectors, and transducers of (11) kinds to test, measure, and control various processes and
machine functions. With the advent of the Internet of Things, the need for (12) as a primary tool to
provide enhanced automation is increasing
Exercise 3: based on the information from the following table, write a paragraph on the differences
between sensors and transducers.
