The thermistor is a widely used temperature sensor and an attractive alternative to thermocouples and RTDs — but only in some applications. Temperature is the most commonly assessed and measured physical parameter if you add all the consumer, industrial, commercial, medical, food-related, product tests and measurements and other places where it needs to be sensed. […]
FAQ
Sensors in American football can help the game
By Anson Yeganegi and Song Li, InvenSense, a TDK company Sensors can improve player safety and performance through data collection. Both soccer and American football have embraced advanced technologies to varying degrees, including the use of sensors to elevate tracking and data collection in both games. For instance, the first sensor-enabled game ball using Connected […]
What sensors are used in pizza ovens and prep areas?
Sensors monitor the temperature of pizza ovens and preparation (prep) areas. They also monitor and control the speed of pizza movement in conveyor ovens. A variety of sensor technologies are used in specific types of pizza ovens and for specific purposes. This article briefly reviews the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization […]
What are the types and uses of position and angle sensors in an EV?
Position and angle sensors are used in several electric vehicle (EV) components, including the traction motor and drivetrain, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC) compressor, steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, regenerative braking, accelerator position, active headlight aiming, active suspension systems, and more. This FAQ reviews some position and angle sensing technologies and how the use cases differ between internal combustion […]
Automotive airflow analysis reveals virtues & limits of sensors, models, and simulations
Design verification requires both sophisticated models and the simulation they offer, as well as real-world validation of their results. Sensors and sensing for real-world physical parameters form a large part of the electronics scene, but it’s easy to confuse the two. A senior project leader I once worked with always reminded us that “sensors are […]
The why and how of 4-wire Kelvin sensing: part 2
Early electricity investigators cleverly solved the challenge of measuring milliohm resistances or microvolt changes in voltage across a resistor over 150 years ago. This part continues the exploration of 4-wire Kelvin sensing. Read Part 1 here. Q: What did Lord Kelvin do? A: He realized that using a single combined path for forcing the current […]
The why and how of 4-wire Kelvin sensing: part 1
Early electricity investigators cleverly solved the challenge of measuring milliohm resistances or microvolt changes in voltage across a resistor over 150 years ago. Engineers, scientists, and researchers must often reduce imperfections and associated inaccuracies in test and measurement situations. Among the techniques they have used to do this are: Use better, more accurate components with […]
What kinds of sensors use superconducting Josephson junctions?
Bolometers based on superconducting Josephson junctions (JJs) can be used for several types of sensors, including transition edge sensors, Josephson escape sensors, and radiation threshold detectors. This article first presents the structure of a basic bolometer and then looks at how that structure can be varied to produce different types of sensors. A bolometer is […]
How is a transition edge sensor used in astrophysics?
A transition edge sensor (TES) is a microcalorimeter based on superconductivity. Compared with alternative technologies like energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), a TES can provide higher resolution measurements and resolve emission lines at closely adjacent energies. In astrophysics, TES is used to measure the relative abundance of elements like boron, carbon, and oxygen versus silicon […]
What are the applications for hollow core fiber optical sensors?
Hollow core fiber (HCF) optical sensors are used in applications including Li-ion battery research and development (R&D), robotic arms, civil engineering infrastructural health monitoring, and biosensing. Some of the attributes of HCF optical sensors are small footprints, non-conductance, chemical stability, and high dynamic ranges. In the case of activities like Li-ion R&D, HCFs can be […]
