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Week 2 (Mechatronics)

This document discusses transducers and their characteristics. It defines a transducer as a device that converts one form of energy into another. Transducers are classified as sensors, which convert energy into electrical signals, or actuators, which convert electrical signals into motion or other types of energy. Key transducer characteristics are described, including sensitivity, range, resolution, accuracy, precision, linearity, hysteresis, and backlash. Sensors measure an input quantity and convert it to an electrical signal, while actuators convert an electrical signal to motion or other types of output.

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Asad Razaq
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76 views

Week 2 (Mechatronics)

This document discusses transducers and their characteristics. It defines a transducer as a device that converts one form of energy into another. Transducers are classified as sensors, which convert energy into electrical signals, or actuators, which convert electrical signals into motion or other types of energy. Key transducer characteristics are described, including sensitivity, range, resolution, accuracy, precision, linearity, hysteresis, and backlash. Sensors measure an input quantity and convert it to an electrical signal, while actuators convert an electrical signal to motion or other types of output.

Uploaded by

Asad Razaq
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mechatronics

“Transducers”

Department of Mechanical Engineering


Sarhad University of Science & Information Technology, Peshawar
Transducers
• Transducer is a device that converts one form of energy into
another form.
• Transducers can be divided into two classes:
– Sensors (devices which monitor a system)
– Actuators (devices which impose a condition on a system)
• An actuator can be considered as opposite of a sensor.

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Transducers
• Sensor is a transducer which converts any form of energy into
electrical energy (signal). Sensors are located at the input of a
system.
• Actuator is a transducer which converts electrical energy
(signal), hydraulic fluid pressure, or pneumatic pressure into
mechanical output or motion. It is a device that actuates or
moves something. Actuators are located at the output of a
system.

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Transducers

• A microphone is a transducer and a sensor, which converts


sound energy to electrical energy.
• A loudspeaker is a transducer and an actuator, converting
electrical energy to sound energy.

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Transducers Characteristics
• Transducers characteristics are described in terms of the
following properties:
– Sensitivity
– Range
– Resolution
– Accuracy
– Precision
– Linearity
– Hysteresis
– Backlash

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Sensitivity
• Sensitivity is defined as the ratio of change in output per
change in input.

• where S is the sensitivity, ΔO represents change in output,


and ΔI represents the change in input.

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Sensitivity
• For example, in an electrical measuring instrument if a
movement of 0.001mm causes an output voltage change of
0.02V, the sensitivity of the measuring instrument is S =
0.02/0.001 = 20V/mm.

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Sensitivity
Output

Output
Input Input

Less Sensitive More Sensitive

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Range
• Minimum to maximum value that can be measured is defined
as the range.
• The range defines the allowable range of the physical quantity
that can be detected by the sensor.

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Resolution
• Resolution is defined as the smallest change in the measured
value that can be detected by a sensor. It is also known as the
least count of the sensor.
• An inaccurate sensor could have high resolution, and a
low resolution sensor may be accurate in some applications.
• For example, a temperature sensor may have a resolution of
0.000,01oC, but only be accurate to 0.001oC.

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Accuracy
• Accuracy is a measure of the difference between the
measured value and actual value.

• The accuracy of a sensor is inversely proportional to error, i.e.,


a highly accurate sensor produces low errors.

• If a precision balance reads 1 g with error of 0.001 g, then the


accuracy of the instrument is specified as 0.1%.

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Precision
• Repeatability or Precision refers to a sensor’s ability to give
identical outputs for the same input.
• The smaller the repeatability error, the higher the
measurement precision would be.
• Repeatability is affected by electrical noise, vibration, and
temperature fluctuation.

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Linearity
• Most sensors are designed to have a linear output, but their
output is not perfectly linear i.e. linearity is never completely
achieved, and the deviations from the ideal are termed as
non-linearity errors.
• The non-linearity error is a measure of the maximum
difference between the sensor actual output and a straight
line fit to the sensor input–output data.

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Linearity
Output

Output
Input Input

Linear Non-Linear

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Hysteresis
• A hysteresis error is a deviation of the sensor’s output at a
specified point of the input signal when it is approached from
the opposite directions.
• The maximum difference in sensor output for the same input
quantity is the hysteresis, with one measurement taken while
the input was increasing from zero and the other by
decreasing the input from the maximum input.

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Hysteresis

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Backlash
• Backlash is defined as the maximum distance or angle through
which any part of a mechanical system can be moved in one
direction without causing any motion of the attached part.

The amount of play or clearance


between two parts. In case of gears
it refers to how much one gear can
be moved back and forth without
moving the gear into which it is
meshed.

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