Automotive Electronics

Unit – 2
Sensors and Actuators
 Syllabus
Working principle and characteristics of
sensors: Airflow rate, Engine crankshaft angular
position, Hall effect, Throttle angle,
temperature, Exhaust gas oxygen sensor.
Exhaust gas recirculation actuators, Stepper
motor actuator and vacuum operated actuator.
Sensors used
ECU with various sensors
 Air flow Sensor
• The first plug-in mass air flow sensor was invented in 1996 by
DENSO Corporation, Japan
• detects the quantity of air drawn into the vehicle engine
• An alternate name for an airflow sensor is the MAF (Mass Air
Flow) sensor, MAF, or air meter which changes the amount of air
entering the engine of the vehicle into a voltage signal for
measuring its load
• Mass Air Flow (MAF) is a sensor located in the air filter that goes
to the throttle body or intake manifold
• Send a signal to the ECU (engine control unit)
• This sensor plays a significant role in supporting the machine's
work.
• If this sensor has a problem, the engine will work improperly,
which can result in damage and discomfort to the car when used.
 Air flow Sensor - nEED
• An air flow sensor, also known as a mass air flow (MAF) sensor,
measures the amount of air entering an engine. This information is
used to adjust the fuel injection rate, which helps the engine run
efficiently and reduces emissions
Engine efficiency
• The MAF sensor helps the engine run more efficiently by ensuring
the correct air-fuel ratio
Fuel consumption
• The MAF sensor helps optimize fuel consumption by ensuring the
engine gets the right amount of air
Emissions
• The MAF sensor helps reduce emissions by ensuring the engine gets
the right amount of air
Air flow Sensor Working Principle
circuit diagram
• Thermistors measure the incoming air
temperature.
• An electronic control circuit connected to
the thermistor helps to maintain a
constant temperature in the heating wire
(hot wire).
• As airflow increases, heat dissipates faster
from the heating wire, and the electronic
control circuit or ECM compensates by
passing more current through the hot
wire.
• The electronic control circuit/ECM
measures the flowing current
simultaneously and outputs a voltage
signal proportional to the flowing current.
4-wire MAF sensor wiring diagram

There are 4 wires in this wiring

diagram, which are 12V positive power
supply, MAF ground, IAT (Intake Air
temperature signal) signal, and MAF
signal
A positive power supply of 12V or
called hot-wire is connected to a relay
and a fuse in the fuse box. The mass air
flow signal wire is connected to the
vehicle’s ECU. This wire transfers the
signal of the sensor (output voltage) to
the ECU. MAF ground wire is used as a
common ground connection for both
vehicle’s ECU and sensor
Vane Air flow A vane air flow sensor, also
known as a vane-type Mass Air
(VAF) Sensor Flow (MAF) sensor, measures
the amount of air flowing
through an engine intake by
utilizing a spring-loaded vane
that rotates proportionally to
the air flow, with the rotation
translated into an electrical
signal via a potentiometer, which
is then interpreted by the engine
control unit (ECU) to adjust fuel
injection accordingly; essentially,
the more air flowing, the further
the vane is pushed against the
spring, resulting in a larger
electrical signal.
 Advantages
• More design options are available.
• Cost-effective.
• Faster response to changes in the flow rate of air.
• Less sensitive to orientation and location.
• Durable because of no movable parts.
• No use of temperature and pressure sensors.
• Small size.
• Installation is easy.
• Measures static pressure, average air velocity, and total
pressure
 Disadvantages
• Poor stability and Highly sensitive
• They are not used to measure low-density liquids
• Affected by Vibration interference
• Contaminated quickly due to oil and dust, which
leads to failure and malfunctioning of the sensor.
• Accuracy is less due to contamination
• Calibration is necessary to analyze the mass or
airflow
• Reduced air intake affects the performance of
the sensor
 Engine crankshaft angular position sensor
• A crank position sensor is a component used in an internal
combustion engine to monitor the position or rotational speed
of the crankshaft
• This information is used by engine management systems to
control ignition system timing and other engine parameters
• Position of the piston of the engine is necessary to manage the
operation of fuel injectors and spark plugs
• It is one of the major sensors that help to manage the operating
time of the spark plug and the fuel injector
• It plays a vital role in multi-cylinder engines in which all the
pistons have variable ignition timing
• The crankshaft position sensor is located near the crankshaft or
flywheel or near the camshaft
Different types of Crankshaft position
sensors

• Hall effect sensor

• Inductive crankshaft sensor
• Optical crankshaft position sensor
 Hall effect sensor
If a certain type of crystal is carrying a
current in a transverse magnetic field
then a voltage will be produced at right
angles to the supply current.
The magnitude of the voltage is
proportional to the supply current and
to the magnetic field strength

It consists of the permanent magnet along with the sensing element. The sensing
element is under the magnetic field of a permanent magnet. When the teeth of
the relative will disturb the magnetic field, the resistance of the sensing element
also changes. This fluctuation in resistance is used to create a pulse voltage signal.
 Inductive crankshaft sensor

Inductive sensor with

oscillator circuit
• In this type of sensor, the sensor consists of a permanent magnet
and winding coil.
• When the reluctor wheel is in stop condition, two winding coil is
under a constant magnetic field of the permanent magnet. But
when the reluctor wheel starts to rotate the teeth of reluctor
disturb the magnetic field. Therefore due to the change in a
magnetic field, the EMF is generated inside of the winding coil
which is used to generate a pulse signal.
 Optical crankshaft position sensor

As shown in the figure,

the slotted wheel is
mounted on the
crankshaft. The light
source and photodiode
are arranged on either
side of the slotted wheel.

All these three components are arranged in such a way that when the slot
on the slotted wheel comes between the light source and photodiode,
the light will incident on the photodiode.
The resistance of the photodiode varies with the change in intensity of
incident light. Hence when the slotted disc starts to rotate, then due to
the fluctuations of the photodiode, the pulse signal is generated by the
sensor. This pulsating signal is provided as input to the ECU
 Throttle Position sensor
• When an engine is idling the exhaust gas scavenging of the
cylinders is poor. This has the effect of diluting the incoming
mixture
• The ECU must detect when the throttle is in the idling
position, so that alteration of the air–fuel ratio can occur to
ensure that the engine continues to run smoothly
• At full engine load and full throttle, the mixture (air–fuel ratio)
needs enriching, so the ECU also needs a signal to show that
the throttle is fully open.
 TPS Procedure
• The driver presses the accelerator pedal
• The throttle valve opens, allowing more air into
the engine
• The TPS measures the angle of the throttle valve
• The TPS converts the angle into a voltage signal
• The TPS sends the voltage signal to the ECU
• The ECU adjusts the fuel injection and ignition
timing
 Working Principle
• This sensor is usually mounted on the throttle body. It senses the
position of the throttle valve or butterfly valve and transmits the
information to the Engine control unit.
• This sensor monitors how far down the accelerometer pedal is pushed
and gives the output current determining the position of the pedal.
• The position of the pedal controls the airflow of the engine. If the
valve is wide opened, a large amount of air is supplied to the engine
and vice-versa.
• The output given by this sensor, along with other sensors is
transmitted to the engine control unit, which decides the amount of
fuel to be injected into the engine accordingly
• This sensor is a three wired potentiometer. Through the first wire, a 5V
power is supplied to the sensors resistive layer. The second wire is
used as ground whereas the third wire is connected to the
potentiometer wiper and provides input to the Engine control system.