RESOLUTION & SELECTIVITY, STATIC &

DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF SENSORS

SENSOR
 Sensors are sophisticated devices that are frequently used to detect and respond to
electrical or optical signals.

 A Sensor converts the physical parameter (for example: temperature, blood pressure,
humidity, speed, etc.) into an electrical signal.

 Example: temperature-The mercury in the glass thermometer expands and contracts

RESOLUTION & SELECTIVITY OF SENSORS

 Resolution
 Resolution is the smallest measurement a sensor can reliably indicate.

 The resolution is related to the precision with which the measurement is made, but
they are not the same thing.

 Fundamental limit of a sensor’s resolution is determined in the analog world.

 The electrical noise in a sensor’s output is the primary factor limiting its smallest
possible measurement.
 Electrical noise in the sensor output voltage

 Selectivity
 Selectivity on the other hand refers to specificity of sensing, the term is particularly
useful when we deal with gas, chemical or biosensors.

 Cross interference is often a problem in such type of sensors.

 If sensor doesn’t produce any false signal in response to an interfering agent, then it is
said to be highly selective.

Example: Selectivity of the Zn-doped SnO 2 sensor for different target gases at 240 °C

STATIC & DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF SENSORS

 Static Characteristics
 Static characteristics are the values given when steady-state conditions occur,
i.e. the values given when the transducer has settled after having received some input.
Types of static characteristics of sensors are:-
 Accuracy
 Discrimination
 Precision
 Errors
 Drift
 Sensitivity
 Linearity
 Hysteresis

Example:

Nonlinearity Hysteresis

 Dynamic Characteristics
 The dynamic characteristics refer to behavior (or system response) between the
time that the input value changes and the time when input settles down to steady-
state value.
 Dynamic characteristics are determined by analyzing the response of the sensor to
a family of variable input waveforms:
 Impulse, step, ramp, sinusoidal, white noise…
 Other type of characteristics:
o Zero order systems
o First order systems
o Second order systems

1. Zero-order sensors
o Input and output are related by an equation of the type:
Y ( s)
y (t)=k . x(t )=¿ =k
X (s)
o Zero-order is the desirable response of a sensor
 No delays
 Infinite bandwidth
 The sensor only changes the amplitude of the input signal
o Zero-order systems do not include energy-storing elements
o Example of a zero-order sensor
o A potentiometer used to measure linear and rotary displacements:-

2. First-order sensors
o Input and output are related by an equation of the type:
dy Y (s) 1 k
a 1 + a0 y ( t )=x ( t )=¿ = =
dt X ( s) a1 s+ a0 τs+1
o First-order sensors have one element that stores energy and one that dissipates in
o Step response:
−t
y ( t ) =Ak (1−e τ )
 A is the amplitude of the step
1
 k (= a ) is the static gain, which determines the static response
0
a1
 τ (= ) is the time constant, which determines the dynamic response
a0
o Ramp response
−t
y ( t ) =Akt − Akτu ( t )+ Ak τ e τ
o Frequency response: Better described by the amplitude and phase shift plots
 3. Second-order sensors
o Input and output are related by an equation of the type:

d2 y dy Y (s) 1
a 2 2 +a1 +a 0 y ( t ) =x ( t )=¿ = 2
dt dt X ( s) a2 s +a 1 s+a 0

 We can express this second-order transfer function as:

Y ( s) k w 2n
= 2
X (s) s +2 ζ w n s+ w2n

1 1 a
With, k =
a0
,ζ =
2 √ a0 a1 √
, w n= 0
a2

Where,
 k is the static gain
 ζ is known as the damping coefficient
 w nis known as the natural frequency

APPLICATIONS
 The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a payload imaging
sensor . It measures the percent of the planet’s surface that is covered by clouds almost
every day to help scientists determine the impact of clouds and aerosols on the Earth’s
energy budget.

 Landsat shows us Earth from space. Since the first Landsat satellite launched in 1972,
the mission has collected data on the forests, farms, urban areas and freshwater of our
home planet, generating the longest continuous record of its kind. Decision makers
from across the globe use freely available Landsat data to better understand
environmental change, manage agricultural practices, allocate scarce water resources,
respond to natural disasters and more.
o iphone X sensor: The sensor panel includes an infrared camera, flood illuminator,
proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. These sensors are used to detect
acceleration, vibration, orientation details, closeness of the phone with an outside
object(like humans), the lighting levels in the vicinity to adjust the display brightness
accordingly etc.

o MOS type gas sensor: MOS sensors detect concentration of various types of gases by
measuring the resistance change of the metal oxide due to adsorption of gases.

o Gas leak detection sensor: The basic principle of the working of Gas leakage detection
alarm is that the gas sensor senses the leakage and triggers the buzzer attached to the
circuit.
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