Selasa, 16 Desember 2008

Sensors, Signals, and Systems


A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. This definition is broad. In fact, it is so broad that it covers almost everything from a human eye to a trigger in a pistol. Consider the level-control system. The operator adjusts the level of fluid in the tank by manipulating its valve. Variations in the inlet flow rate, temperature changes (these would alter the fluid’s viscosity and, consequently, the flow rate through the valve), and similar disturbances must be compensated for by the operator.Without control, the tank is likely to flood, or run dry. To act appropriately, the operator must obtain information about the level of fluid in the tank on a timely basis. In this example, the information is perceived by the sensor, which consists of two main parts: the sight tube on the tank and the operator’s eye, which generates an electric response in the optic nerve. The sight tube by itself is not a sensor, and in this particular control system, the eye is not a sensor either. Only the combination of these two components makes a narrow-purpose sensor (detector), which is selectively sensitive to the fluid level. If a sight tube is designed properly, it will very quickly reflect variations in the level, and it is said that the sensor has a fast speed response. If the internal diameter of the tube is too small for a given fluid viscosity, the level in the tube may lag behind the level in the tank. Then, we have to consider a phase characteristic of such a sensor. In some cases, the lag may be quite acceptable, whereas in other cases, a better sight tube design would be required. Hence, the sensor’s performance must be assessed only as a part of a data acquisition system.
This world is divided into natural and man-made objects. The natural sensors, like those found in living organisms, usually respond with signals, having an electrochemical character; that is, their physical nature is based on ion transport, like in the nerve fibers (such as an optic nerve in the fluid tank operator). In man-made devices,information is also transmitted and processed in electrical form—however, through the transport of electrons. Sensors that are used in artificial systems must speak the same language as the devices with which they are interfaced. This language is electrical in its nature and a man-made sensor should be capable of responding with signals where information is carried by displacement of electrons, rather than ions.1 Thus, it should be possible to connect a sensor to an electronic system through electrical wires, rather than through an electrochemical solution or a nerve fiber. Hence, in this book, we use a somewhat narrower definition of sensors, which may be phrased as A sensor is a device that receives a stimulus and responds with an electrical signal.

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