SENSORS/DETECTORS/

TRANSDUCERS

Sensor / Detectors / Transducers are electrical,

opto-electrical, or electronic devices composed of
specialty electronics or otherwise sensitive
materials, for determining if there is a presence of a
particular entity or function. Many types of sensors, detectors, and transducers are available including
those for detecting a physical presence such as flame, metals, leaks, levels, or gas and chemicals, among
others. Some are designed to sense physical properties such as temperature, pressure or radiation,
while others can detect motion or proximity. They operate in a variety of manners depending on the
application and may include electromagnetic fields, or optics, among others. Many applications over a
wide range of industries use sensors, detectors, and transducers of many kinds to test, measure, and
control various processes and machine functions

Types of Sensors/Detectors/Transducers
Vision and Imaging
Vision and Imaging Sensors/Detectors are electronic devices that
detect the presence of objects or colors within their fields of
view and convert this information into a visual image for display.
Key specifications include sensor type and intended application,
along with any particular transducer features.

Temperature
Temperature Sensors/Detectors/Transducers are electronic
devices that detect thermal parameters and provide signals to
the inputs of control and display devices. A temperature sensor
typically relies on an RTD or thermistor to measure temperature
and convert it to an output voltage. Key specifications include sensor/detector type, maximum and
minimum measurable temperatures, as well as the
dimensions of diameter and length. Temperature
sensors are used to measure the thermal
characteristics of gases, liquids, and solids in many
process industries and are configured for both
general- and special-purpose uses.
 Radiation
Radiation Sensors/Detectors are electronic devices that sense the
presence of alpha, beta, or gamma particles and provide signals to
counters and display devices. Key specifications include sensor type and
minimum and maximum detectable energies. Radiation detectors are
used for surveys and sample counting.

Proximity
Proximity Sensors are electronic devices used to detect the presence of
nearby objects through non-contacting means. A proximity sensor can
detect the presence of objects usually within a range of up to several
millimeters, and, doing so, produce a usually dc output signal to a
controller. Proximity sensors are used in countless manufacturing
operations to detect the presence of parts and machine components. Key
specifications include sensor type, maximum sensing distance, minimum and maximum operating
temperatures, along with dimensions of diameter and length. Proximity sensors are generally short
range devices but are available too in designs that can detect objects up to several inches away.

Pressure
Pressure Sensors/Detectors/Transducers are electro-mechanical
devices which detect forces per unit area in gases or liquids and
provide signals to the inputs of control and display devices. A
pressure sensor/transducer typically uses a diaphragm and strain
gage bridge to detect and measure the force exerted against a unit
area. Key specifications include sensor function, minimum and
maximum working pressures, full scale accuracy, along with any
features particular to the device. Pressure sensors are used
wherever information about the pressure of a gas or liquid is
needed for control or measurement.

Position
Position Sensors/Detectors/Transducers are electronic devices used to sense the positions of valves,
doors, throttles, etc. and supply signals to the inputs of control or display devices. Key specifications
include sensor type, sensor function, measurement range, and features which are specific to the sensor
type. Position sensors are used wherever positional information is needed in a
myriad of control applications. A common position transducer is a so-called
string-pot, or string potentiometer. See also proximity sensors.

Particle
Particle Sensors/Detectors are electronic devices used
to sense dust and other airborne particulates and
supply signals to the inputs of control or display
devices. Particle sensors are common in bin and baghouse monitoring. Key specifications include
transducer type, minimum detectable particle size, operating temperature range, sample volume, and
response time. Particle detectors used in nuclear engineering are referred to as radiation detectors (see
above).

Motion
Motion Sensors/Detectors/Transducers are electronic devices that can sense the movement or stoppage
of parts, people, etc. and supply signals to the inputs of control or display
devices. Typical applications of motion detection are detecting the
stalling of conveyors or the seizing of bearings. Key specifications include
intended application, sensor type, sensor function, and minimum and
maximum speeds.

Metal
Metal Detectors are electronic or electro-mechanical devices used
to sense the presence of metal in a variety of situations ranging
from packages to people. Metal detectors can be permanent or
portable and rely on a number of sensor technologies with
electromagnetics being popular. Key specifications include
intended application, maximum sensing distance, and certain
feature choices like handheld and fixed systems. Metal detectors
can be tailored to explicitly detect metal in specific manufacturing operations such as sawmilling or
injection molding.

Level
Level Sensors/Detectors are electronic or electro-mechanical devices used
for determining the height of gases, liquids, or solids in tanks or bins and
providing signals to the inputs of control or display devices. Typical level
sensors use ultrasonic, capacitance, vibratory, or mechanical means to
determine product height. Key specifications include sensor type, sensor
function, and maximum sensing distance.
Level sensors/detectors can be of the contacting or non-contacting type.

Leak
Leak Sensors/Detectors are electronic devices used for identifying or
monitoring the unwanted discharge of liquids or gases. Some leak
detectors rely on ultrasonic means to detect air leaks, for example. Other
leak detectors rely on simple foaming agents to measure the soundness of pipe joints. Still other leak
detectors are used to measure the effectiveness of the seals in vacuum packages.

Humidity
Humidity Sensors/Detectors/Transducers are electronic
devices which measure the amount of water in the air
and convert these measurements into signals that can be
used as inputs to control or display devices. Key
specifications include maximum response time and minimum and maximum operating temperatures.

Gas and Chemical

Gas and Chemical Sensors/Detectors are fixed or portable electronic
devices used to sense the presence and properties of various gases or
chemicals and relay signals to the inputs of controllers or visual displays.
Key specifications include intended application, sensor/detector type,
measurement range, and features. Gas and chemical sensors/detectors are
used for confined space monitoring, leak detection, analytical instrumentation, etc. and are often
designed with the capability of detecting multiple gases and chemicals.

Force
Force Sensors/Transducers are electronic devices that measure
various parameters related to forces such as weight, torque,
load, etc. and provide signals to the inputs of control or display
devices. A force sensor typically relies on a load cell, a
piezoelectric device whose resistance changes under deforming
loads. Other methods exist for measuring torque and strain. Key
specifications include sensor function, number of axes, minimum
and maximum loads (or torques), minimum and maximum operating temperature, as well as the
dimensions of the sensor itself. Force sensors are used in load measuring applications of all kinds, from
truck scales to bolt tensioning devices.

Flow
Flow Sensors/Detectors are electronic or electro-mechanical devices
use to sense the movement of gases, liquids, or solids and provide
signals to the inputs of control or display devices. A flow sensor can
be all electronic—using ultrasonic detection from outside a pipeline,
say—or partially mechanical—a paddlewheel, for instance, that sits
and spins directly in the flowstream itself. Key specifications include sensor/detector type, sensor
function, maximum flowrate, maximum working pressure, and minimum and maximum operating
temperatures. Flow sensors are used extensively in the processing industries. Some designs for panel
mounting allow quick indication of flow conditions to process operators.

Flaw
Flaw Sensors/Detectors are electronic devices used in a variety of manufacturing processes to uncover
inconsistencies on surfaces or in underlying materials such as
welds. Flaw detectors use ultrasonic, acoustic, or other means
to identify defects in materials and can be portable or fixed
installations. Key specifications include sensor type,
detectable defect or thickness range, and intended
application.

Flame
Flame Detectors are opto-electronic devices used to sense the presence and
quality of fire and provide signals to the inputs of control devices. A flame
detector typically relies on ultraviolet or infrared detection of the presence
of flame and finds use in many combustion control applications such as
burners. A key specification is detector type. Flame detectors find
applications in safety settings too, such as in under-the-hood fire
suppression systems.

Electrical
Electrical Sensors/Detectors/Transducers are electronic devices that
sense current, voltage, etc. and provide signals to the inputs of
control devices or visual displays. Electrical sensors often rely on hall
effect detection but other methods are used as well. Key
specifications include sensor type, sensor function, minimum and
maximum measurement ranges, and operating temperature range.
Electrical sensors are used wherever information on the state of an
electrical system is needed and are employed in everything from
railway systems to fan, pump, and heater monitoring.

Applications and Industries

A sensor is generally intended to a produce a variable signal over some measurement range as opposed
to a switch which generally acts in a binary fashion, as in on or off. While this is not always true it helps
when it comes to deciding between sensors or switches. For example, a level switch can detect when a
certain specified level in a tank has been reached and signal a pump to stop running. A level sensor, on
the other hand, can sense changing tank depth and provide signals that can be proportionally displayed
on a readout, etc. Thus, where a sump pump could use a level switch to signal a pump to start running at
a certain level, a fuel tank level sensor would determine the tank status between empty and full and
provide signals to a fuel gage, etc. Some manufacturers refer to this distinction as “point” versus
“continuous” sensing.

Sensors are arranged by what is being sensed: pressure, temperature, proximity, etc. Intended
application makes a good place to search for specific situations where a specifier might not know the
sensor/transducer type. For example, if a gear tooth sensor is needed for building a zero-speed
detector, selecting this will produce several products for gear tooth detection, some of which rely on
hall effect and others which use magnetics to sense a passing tooth. Picking the value “zero-speed” will
produce similar results. Likewise, selecting values from sensor/detector/transducer function will search
across the many sub-categories to produce matches from the range of transducer types. Picking the
value “speed” here will produce sensors of the optical and hall effect varieties. Speed sensors can also
be magnetic or infrared based.

Transducer type is another way to search for particular sensors. Selecting “infrared,” for example, will
produce leak detectors, flame detectors, speed sensors, etc. all of which use infrared as their sensing
means.

There is some overlap among the sub-categories. For instance, while geartooth sensors detect metal,
metal detectors are also available as complete units designed to detect metal on food processing
conveyor lines, injection molding lines, etc. Selecting the sub-category Metal Detectors will not show
any geartooth sensors because these are found under Motion sensors.

Considerations
Infrared sensors use infrared light in various forms. Some detect the infrared radiation emitted by all
objects. Others cast infrared beams that are reflected back to sensors which look for interruptions of the
beams.

Temperature sensors generally rely on RTDs or thermistors to sense changes in temperature through
the change in electrical resistance that occurs in materials.

Non-contacting proximity sensors often use hall effect phenomena, eddy currents, or capacitive effects
to detect the nearness of conductive metals. Other methods are used as well, including optical and
laser. Where proximity sensors can be used to detect small changes in the positions of targets, simple
on/off proximity switches use the same methods to detect, for instance, an open door.

Ultrasonic sensors measure the time between the emission and reception of ultrasonic waves to
determine the distance to a tank’s contents, for example. In another form, ultrasonic sensors detect the
ultrasonic energy emitted by leaking air, etc.
Force and pressure sensors typically uses strain gages or piezoelectric devices which change their
resistance characteristics under applied loads. These changes can be calibrated over the linear ranges of
the transducers to produce measures of weight (force) or pressure (force per unit area).

Vision sensors typically rely on CCD, infrared, or ultraviolet cameras to produce images that can be
interpreted by software systems to detect flaws, sense barcodes, etc.

General
A brief glossary of sensor terms
http://www.mfg.mtu.edu/cyberman/machtool/machtool/sensors/fundamental.html
The ISA maintains a collection of automation articles, with some addressing sensors
https://www.isa.org/isa-publications/intech-magazine/departments/automation-basics/
General discussion of sensor outputs
http://www.ab.com/en/epub/catalogs/12772/6543185/12041221/12041723/Output-Types.html
An industry text about sensors
http://www.analog.com/library/analogdialogue/archives/43-09/EDCh%203%20sensors.pdf
Trade groups
https://www.isa.org