Lecture 6 Sensors CH 2
Lecture 6 Sensors CH 2
Lecture 6 Sensors CH 2
(Chapter 2)
Sensor characteristics
Physical Sensors
Resistive
Capacitive
Inductive
Piezoelectric
Temperature
Optical
Chemical
Biochemical
Sensor is a Transducer:
What is a transducer ?
A device which converts one form of energy to another
• Blood flow/blood
pressure
• Impact, acceleration
• Surgical forceps to
measure force applied
•Airbag
• Body temperature
PCR
Biomedical Physical Sensors
•Design circuit to use
Hg strain gauge to
detect chest
movement/respiration
• Pacemaker
• Airbag
What application of
a bladder pressure
sensor can you think
of?
Resistive Sensors - Potentiometers
Translational and Rotational
Potentiometers
Dimensional piezoresistance
Think of this as a
Transfer Function!
⇒Input is strain
G is a measure of sensitivity ⇒ Output is dR
Vs
Wheatstone’s Bridge Rf
R-dR R+dR
LVDT
Linear Variable
Differential Transformer
Taken from
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~pyo22/mem351-2004/lecture04/pp062-073lvdt.pdf
An LVDT is used as a sensitive displacement sensor: for example, in a cardiac assist device
or a basic research project to study displacement produced by a contracting muscle.
Question: How can I
detect small change in
capacitance?
How does an elevator
keypad or certain contact
Capacitive Sensors
less computer keypads
work?
Electrolytic or
ceramic capacitors
are most common
e.g. An electrolytic
capacitor is made
of Aluminum
evaporated on
either side of a
very thin plastic
film (or electrolyte)
Capacitive Sensors
Other Configurations
c. Differential Mode
Piezoelectric Sensors
What is piezoelectricity ?
Strain causes a
redistribution of charges
and results in a net
electric dipole (a dipole
is kind of a battery!)
A piezoelectric material
Different transducer applications: produces voltage by
distributing charge
⇒Accelerometer (under mechanical
strain/stress)
⇒Microphone
Piezoelectric Sensors 31 denotes the
crystal axis
Capacitor
Voltage to hold Leakage
generartor charge Resistor
1. Resistance based
a. Resistance Temperature Devices (RTDs)
b. Thermistors
4. Thermoelectric – Thermocouples
5. Radiation Thermometry
6. Fiber Optic Sensor
RTDs
RTDs are made of materials whose resistance changes in
accordance with temperature
Metals such as platinum, nickel and copper are commonly
used.
They exhibit a positive temperature coefficient.
Thermistors
Thermistors are made from semiconductor
material.
Generally, they have a negative
temperature coefficient (NTC), that is NTC
thermistors are most commonly used.
Cooling
electronics,
camera chips
Infrared
or
thermal
cameras
Nortech's fiber-optic temperature sensor probe consists of a gallium arsenide crystal and a
dielectric mirror on one end of an optical fiber and a stainless steel connector at the other end.
Taken from http://www.sensorsmag.com/articles/0501/57/main.shtml
Other Physical Sensors
Photoemissive sensors
Photovoltaic sensors
Chemical Sensors (Biosensors)
Biosensors produce an output (electrical) which is proportional
to the concentration of biological analytes.
A typical biosensor
Signal
Analyte
Conditioning
Biological Transducer
Detection
Agent
Biosensing Principles
Chemical Sensing
• Electrochemical => Neurochemical
– Potentiometric sensor for
– Amperometric Dopamine, Nitric
– FET based Oxide, etc.
– Conductometric
Direct electrochemical transduction
sO =
[H b O ] × 1 0 0
2
2
[H b]
pO2 can also provide the above value using the oxyhaemoglobin
dissociation curve but is a poor estimate.
pH electrode
k =
a ⋅ pC O 2
Taking logarithms
pH = log[HCO3-] – log k – log a – log pCO2
pO2 electrode
Optical Biosensors
deoxyhemoglobin
Light
transmitter
Receiver/
reflected
light
Balloon
Thermistor
Intraventricular
Fiber optic catheter
Absorption/Fluorescence
Different dyes show peaks of different values at different
concentrations when the absorbance or excitation is plotted
against wavelength.
Gluconic
Makes use of catalytic (enzymatic) Plastic acid
Glucose membrane
oxidation of glucose
The setup contains an enzyme electrode
and an oxygen electrode and the
O2
difference in the readings indicates the
glucose level.
Platinum
The enzyme electrode has glucose oxidase electrode
Silver
immobilized on a membrane or a gel anode
matrix.
Glucose Sensor
Affinity Approach
Hollow
This approach is based on the
dialysis fiber
immobilized competitive
binding of a particular
Excitatation
metabolite (glucose) and its
Glucose associated fluorescent label
0.3 mm
with receptor sites specific to
the metabolite (glucose) and
Emission the labeled ligand. This
change in light intensity is
Optical
then picked up.
Fiber
Immobilized Con A
3 mm
Problems (1)
(a) Describe a sensor or a measurement system in which accuracy is important.
In contrast, describe a sensor or a measurement in which precision is important.
Plot the output of the first order system in response to a step change in
temperature.
A blood pressure sensor is described by a second order system. Write down the
general equation for a second order system (you can write a differential equation
or a transfer function).
Plot the output of the second order underdamped pressure system in response to
a blood pressure signal.
Problem (2)
We would like to measure small
temperature changes using a thermistor. Vs
Thermistor is a resistor which changes its
resistance in proportion to temperature. Rf
(i) First, suggest a suitable biomedical
application of the thermistor. (ii) A useful R-dR R+dR
lease suggest suitable sensors, and describe very briefly, the benefits and
problems of your design solution. Specifically, why did you selected that
particular sensor, what should be its performance/specification, and what
are its benefits and disadvantages.
Problems (4)
You are asked to record magnetic field from the brain. Now, brain’s
magnetic field is 10e-15 Tesla as opposed to earth’s field which is 10e-7
Tesla. What kind of sensor would you use to record brain’s magnetic
field (now, I realize that this is a long shot – but just may be, you could
figure this out)? What precautions would you take to record this very
small magnetic field from the brain in presence of other interference?
What instrument is used to measure the magnetic field from the brain? B)
What are the possible advantages and disadvantages of the magnetic
versus electrical measurement? C) To your knowledge, what
breakthroughs in the scientific world that have are occurred (or ought to
occur?) that would make magnetic field measurement more feasible and
affordable? D) If you had a cheap magnetic field sensor (with a relatively
lower sensitivity) available what other biomedical application would you
think of (other than biopotential measurements).
Problems (5)
Describe one “innovative” sensor and matching instrumentation for recording
breathing or respiration. The applications might be respirometry/spirometry,
atheltes knowing what their heart rate is, paralyzed individuals who have
difficulty breathing needing a respiratory sensor to stimulate and control
phrenic nerve. You may select one of these or other applications, and then
identify a suitable sensor. The design (develop suitable circuit) for interfacing
to the sensor to get respiratory signal.
Design and draw a small circuit to detect the heart beat pulse (do not draw or
design ECG amplifier) and pulse based oxygenation. Come up with a
suitable sensor and interface electronics. Give only the pulse detection circuit.
Now, search and review a) commercial pulse and oximeter design concepts,
b) locate some patents, and c) publications in the past few year on the subject.
Problem (6)
• What are the different ways you can
measure temperature? i.e. give different
sensor elements…R, diode/transistor…
what else?
• How would you measure temperature in
infants, core body, noninvasively, without
contact, through clothes or chemical
weapon protective clothes?