Types:
– Mechanical transducers convert physical quantities into mechanical outputs or vice versa.
– Electrical transducers convert physical quantities into electrical outputs or signals.
– Examples include thermocouples for temperature differences to voltage conversion and LVDT for displacement measurement through electrical signals.
Sensors, actuators and transceivers:
– Sensors receive and respond to signals from physical systems.
– Actuators control mechanisms using energy sources like mechanical force or electrical current.
– Bidirectional transducers convert physical phenomena to electrical signals and vice versa.
– Transceivers integrate bidirectional functionality, like radio transceivers in wireless communications.
– Ultrasound transceivers are used in medical ultrasound scans.
Active vs passive transducers:
– Passive transducers need an external power source for operation.
– Active transducers generate electric current in response to stimuli without external energy.
– Examples include photodiodes, piezoelectric sensors, and thermocouples.
Characteristics:
– Dynamic range is the ratio between the largest and smallest amplitude signals a transducer can translate.
– Repeatability is the ability to produce identical output with the same input.
– Noise is random interference added to output signals.
– Hysteresis is when the output depends on past inputs, like backlash in actuators.
Applications:
– Transducers convert physical signals into electronic signals in communication systems.
– Examples include microphones converting sound to electrical signals and radio transmitters converting electrical signals to electromagnetic transmissions.
A transducer is a device that converts energy from one form to another. Usually a transducer converts a signal in one form of energy to a signal in another. Transducers are often employed at the boundaries of automation, measurement, and control systems, where electrical signals are converted to and from other physical quantities (energy, force, torque, light, motion, position, etc.). The process of converting one form of energy to another is known as transduction.
