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CHAPTER 6
What is transducer?
• A transducer is a device, usually electrical,
electronic, electro-mechanical, electromagnetic,
photonic, or photovoltaic that converts one type of
energy or physical attribute to another for various
purposes including measurement or information
transfer (for example, pressure sensors).
• The term transducer is commonly used in two senses;
the sensor, used to detect a parameter in one form and
report it in another (usually an electrical or digital
signal), and the audio loudspeaker, which converts
electrical voltage variations representing music or
speech, to mechanical cone vibration and hence vibrates
air molecules creating acoustical energy.
What is transducer?
Non-electrical physical quantity: temperature, sound or light
Electrical signal
TRANSDUCER
• Temperature transducers
▫ Thermocouples
▫ Resistance-Temperature Detectors (RTD)
▫ Thermistors
• Resistive position transducers
• Displacement transducers
• Strain gauge
Classification of transducer
• Self generating type – do not require an external
power, and produce an analog voltage or current
when stimulated by some physical form of
energy
▫ Thermocouple
▫ Photovoltaic cell
▫ Moving coil generator
Classification of transducer
• Passive transducers – require an external power,
and the output is a measure of some variation
(resistance or capacitance)
▫ Slide-wire resistor
▫ Resistance strain gauge
▫ Differential transformer
Signal conditioning
• In electronics, signal conditioning means
manipulating an analogue signal in such a
way that it meets the requirements of the next
stage for further processing. For example, the
output of an electronic temperature sensor,
which is probably in the millivolts range is
probably too low for an Analog-to-digital
converter (ADC) to process directly. In this
case the signal conditioning is the
amplification necessary to bring the voltage
level up to that required by the ADC.
Signal conditioning
• Types of devices that use signal conditioning include
signal filters, instrument amplifiers, sample-
and-hold amplifiers, isolation amplifiers,
signal isolators, multiplexers, bridge
conditioners, analog-to-digital converters,
digital-to-analog converters, frequency
converters or translators, voltage converters or
inverters, frequency-to-voltage converters,
voltage-to-frequency converters, current-to-
voltage converters, current loop converters,
and charge converters.
Signal conditioning
• Signal inputs accepted by signal conditioners
include DC voltage and current, AC voltage
and current, frequency and electric charge
• Outputs for signal conditioning equipment can
be voltage, current, frequency, timer or counter,
relay, resistance or potentiometer, and other
specialized outputs
TRANSDUCER
• Temperature transducers
▫ Thermocouples
▫ Resistance-Temperature Detectors (RTD)
▫ Thermistors
• Resistive position transducers
• Displacement transducers
• Strain gauge
Thermocouple
• In 1821, T.J. Seebeck discovered that an electric
potential occurs when 2 different metals are joined
into a loop and the two junctions are held at
different temperatures.
• Seebeck emf – a voltage difference between the two
ends of the conductor that depends on the
temperature difference of the ends and a material
property.
• If the ends of the wire have the same temperature,
no emf occurs, even if the middle of the wire is
hotter or colder.
Thermocouple - Principle
E = c(T1 − T2 ) + k (T − T ) 1
2
2
2
where
c and k = constants of the thermocouple materials
T1 = the temperature of the ‘hot’ junction
T2 = the temperature of the ‘cold’ or ‘reference’ junction
Problem
A thermocouple was found to have linear calibration
between 0⁰C and 400⁰C with emf at maximum
temperature (reference junction temperature
0⁰C) equal to 20.68 mV.
Example:
Type K : Chromel-Alumel (-190⁰C to 1260⁰C)
Type J : Iron-Constantan (-190⁰C to 760⁰C)
Type E : Chromel-Constantan
(-100⁰C to 1260⁰C)
Thermocouple - applications
• Thermocouples are most suitable for measuring over a
large temperature range, up to 1800 K.
1 R2 − R1
αo = ( )
R (T0 ) T2 − T1
R2 = resistance at T2
R1 = resistance at T1
Example
Example
RTD – quadratic approximation
• More accurate representation of R-T curve over
some span of temperatures.
RTD – quadratic approximation
R (T ) = R (To )[1 + α1∆T + α 2 (∆T ) ] T1 < T < T2
2
Solution
Example
Solution
Nickel
Tungsten
Copper
Platinum
• Symbol
Thermistor: resistance vs temperature
Thermistor
• Scan example 6.3 module page 109
TRANSDUCER
• Temperature transducers
▫ Thermocouples
▫ Resistance-Temperature Detectors (RTD)
▫ Thermistors
• Resistive position transducers
• Displacement transducers
• Strain gauge
Resistive position transducers
Distance
Electrical signal
Resistive position transducers
Resistive position transducers
Resistive position transducers
R1
R2 R2
Vo = VT
R1 + R2
TRANSDUCER
• Temperature transducers
▫ Thermocouples
▫ Resistance-Temperature Detectors (RTD)
▫ Thermistors
• Resistive position transducers
• Displacement transducers
• Strain gauge
Displacement transducers
• Capacitive transducer
• Inductive transducer
• Variable inductance transducer
Capacitive transducers
• The capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor is given by
ε oεA
C=
d
ε = dielectric constant
εo = 8.854 x 1o-12 , in farad per meter
A = the area of the plate, in square meter
d = the plate spacing in meters
Capacitive transducers – physical
design
Inductive transducers
• Principle: if there is a relative motion between a
conductor and magnetic field, a voltage is
induced in the conductor.
Inductive transducers – tachometer
with a permanent magnet stator
Inductive transducer – tachometer
with a permanent magnet rotor
Variable Inductance Transducers
• Principle: modulation of the excitation signal.
• Consist of a primary winding and two secondary
windings, wound over a hollow tube and
positioned so that the primary is between two
secondary.
Variable Inductance Transducers -
construction
Variable Inductance Transducers –
schematic diagram
Variable Inductance Transducers –
operation
∆l
strain =
l
∆l
strain =
l