2. Outline Introduction & BackgroundSystem Description & DiagramSpecificationsDesign – Four StagesFuture Development 211/22/2006

3. Introduction In today’s business environment, the US sensor market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.6%, to reach approximate $7.6 billions by 2009. Increased sensor demand will bring an increase in production and testing capacity. Our objective is to design a tool and establish its technical requirements, in order to speed up the testing of sensors in the manufacturing process. 311/22/2006

4. Background Sensor is a device that responds to a physical stimulus, such as thermal energy, electromagnetic energy, acoustic energy, pressure, or motion, by producing an electrical signal. Most sensors are electrical or electronic although other types exists. Electrical voltage sensors vary in terms of performance, specifications, optional features and environmental operating conditions. 411/22/2006

5. System Description The system described will focus on testing electrical voltage sensors and all tests are assumed to be done at room temperature. The system will test newly built sensors and compare it against a reference sensor known as a “good” sensor. The testing tool will lit a green light for a “Pass” unit and a red light for a “Fail” unit. The system consists of four stages: differential stage, rectifier stage, comparator stage, and selection stage. 511/22/2006

6. System Diagram 611/22/2006

7. Design 711/22/2006

8. 1. Differential Block  Potentiometers are used to simulate the sensors  Upper POT is the tested sensor  Lower POT is the reference sensor  Difference between two sensors is amplified (Gain = 30)  The difference can be either positive or negative 811/22/2006

9. 2. Rectifier Block  The input to the rectifier could either be positive or negative.  The purpose of the rectifier is to take the absolute value of the input voltage. 911/22/2006

10. 3. Comparator Block  The absolute value of the difference is compared to the threshold voltage.  The threshold voltage can be adjusted according to our specifications.  The output can either be positive or negative. 1011/22/2006

11. 4. Selection Block (Pass)  If the input voltage is negative, Q1 is cut-off, Q2 is in the active region.  Green LED lights up which indicates the sensor passed the test. 1111/22/2006

12. 4. Selection Block (Fail)  If the input voltage is negative, Q2 is cut-off, Q1 is in the active region.  Red LED lights up which indicates the sensor failed the test. 1211/22/2006

13. Selection Range 1311/22/2006 Note: above results are measured at 50% threshold (6V)

14. Selection Range (2) 11/22/200614

15. Future Development Develop the testing tool such that other types of sensors can be tested. The testing tool can be made portable, so that it can be used in different locations. Digital display can also be added for input and output observations. 1511/22/2006

16. References Belusov, Alex “Simple procedure test transducer” EDN, March 1, 1996, pg 144 Frank Keys, “All Types of Sensors”, http://www- sensors.com/sensors-applications.htmlhttp://www- sensors.com/sensors-applications.html Sensorsoft Corporation, “Real-time Contract and Voltage Sensor Specifications’’, 2005-2006 Wikipedia, Sept. 2006, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensors Telecom Glossary 2K, Feb.2001, http://www.atis.org/tg2k/_sensor.html 11/22/200616

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