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Transducer
 
 
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A transducer is a device, usually electrical
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
, electronic
Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
, electro-mechanical, electromagnetic
Electromagnetic

Electromagnetic may refer to:* Electromagnetic radiation* Electromagnetism...
, photonic, or photovoltaic that converts one type of energy
Energy

In physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of Work_ that can be performed by a force. Energy is an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law....
 or physical attribute to another for various purposes including measurement or information transfer (for example, pressure sensor
Pressure sensor

A pressure sensor measures pressure, typically of gases or liquids. Pressure is an expression of the force required to stop a fluid from expanding, and is usually stated in terms of force per unit area....
s).

The term transducer is commonly used in two senses; the sensor
Sensor

A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated glass tube....
, used to detect a parameter in one form and report it in another (usually an electrical or digital signal), and the audio loudspeaker, which converts electrical voltage variations representing music or speech, to mechanical cone vibration and hence vibrates air molecules creating sound
Sound

Sound is vibration transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a threshold of hearing to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations....
.








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Encyclopedia


A transducer is a device, usually electrical
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
, electronic
Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
, electro-mechanical, electromagnetic
Electromagnetic

Electromagnetic may refer to:* Electromagnetic radiation* Electromagnetism...
, photonic, or photovoltaic that converts one type of energy
Energy

In physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of Work_ that can be performed by a force. Energy is an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law....
 or physical attribute to another for various purposes including measurement or information transfer (for example, pressure sensor
Pressure sensor

A pressure sensor measures pressure, typically of gases or liquids. Pressure is an expression of the force required to stop a fluid from expanding, and is usually stated in terms of force per unit area....
s).

The term transducer is commonly used in two senses; the sensor
Sensor

A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated glass tube....
, used to detect a parameter in one form and report it in another (usually an electrical or digital signal), and the audio loudspeaker, which converts electrical voltage variations representing music or speech, to mechanical cone vibration and hence vibrates air molecules creating sound
Sound

Sound is vibration transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a threshold of hearing to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations....
.

Types of transducers


  • Electromagnetic:
    • Antenna
      Antenna (radio)

      An 'antenna' is a transducer designed to transmitter or receive Electromagnetic radiations. In other words, antennas convert electromagnetic waves into electrical currents and vice versa....
       - converts electromagnetic waves into electric current and vice versa.
    • Cathode ray tube
      Cathode ray tube

      The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen, with internal or external means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam, used to create images in the form of light emitted from the fluorescent screen....
       (CRT) - converts electrical signals into visual form
    • Fluorescent lamp
      Fluorescent lamp

      A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to Excited state mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluorescence, producing Light....
      , light bulb - converts electrical power into visible light
    • Magnetic cartridge
      Magnetic cartridge

      A magnetic cartridge is a transducer used for the playback of gramophone records on a phonograph. It converts mechanical vibrational energy from a stylus riding in a spiral record groove into an electrical signal that is subsequently amplified and then converted back to sound by a loudspeaker system....
       - converts motion into electrical form
    • Pick up (music technology) - converts motion into electrical form
    • Photodetector
      Photodetector

      Photosensors or photodetectors are sensors of light or other electromagnetic energy. There are several varieties:*optics detectors, which are mostly quantum devices in which an individual photon produces a discrete effect....
       or Photoresistor
      Photoresistor

      A photoresistor or light dependent resistor or cadmium sulfide cell is a resistor whose electrical resistance decreases with increasing incident light intensity....
       (LDR) - converts changes in light levels into resistance changes
    • Tape head
      Tape head

      A tape head is a type of transducer used in tape recorders to convert electrical signals to magnetism fluctuations and vice versa....
       - converts changing magnetic fields into electrical form
    • Hall effect sensor
      Hall effect sensor

      A Hall effect sensor is a transducer that varies its output voltage in response to changes in magnetic field. Hall sensors are used for proximity switching, positioning, speed detection, and current sensing applications....
       - converts a magnetic field level into electrical form only.
  • Electrochemical:
    • pH probes
      PH meter

      A pH meter is an electronic instrument used to measure the pH of a liquid . A typical pH meter consists of a special measuring probe connected to an electronic meter that measures and displays the pH reading....
    • Electro-galvanic fuel cell
      Electro-galvanic fuel cell

      An electro-galvanic fuel cell is an electrical device used to measure the concentration of oxygen gas in scuba diving and medical equipment.A chemical reaction occurs in the fuel cell when the potassium hydroxide in the cell comes into contact with oxygen....
  • Electromechanical (electromechanical output devices are generically called actuator
    Actuator

    An actuator is a mechanical device for moving or controlling a mechanism or system....
    s):
    • Electroactive polymers
      Electroactive polymers

      Electroactive Polymers or EAPs are polymers whose shape is modified when a voltage is applied to them.They can be used as actuators or sensors....
    • Galvanometer
      Galvanometer

      A galvanometer is a type of ammeter: an instrument for detecting and measuring electric current. It is an Analogue electronics electromechanical transducer that produces a rotary deflection, through a limited arc, in response to electric current flowing through its coil....
    • MEMS
    • Rotary motor
      Electric motor

      An electric motor uses electrical energy to produce mechanical energy, nearly always by the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors....
      , linear motor
      Linear motor

      A linear motor or linear induction motor is essentially a multi-phase alternating current electric motor that has had its stator "unrolled" so that instead of producing a torque it produces a linear force along its length....
    • Vibration powered generator
      Vibration powered generator

      Vibration powered generators are mechanisms for converting kinetic energy derived from ambient vibration to electrical energy. Magnets wobbling on a cantilever are sensitive to even small vibrations and generate microcurrents by moving relative to conductors - see Faraday's law of induction....
    • Potentiometer
      Potentiometer

      A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used , it acts as a variable resistor or Rheostat....
       when used for measuring position
    • Load cell
      Load cell

      A load cell is an electronic device that is used to convert a force into an electrical signal. This conversion is indirect and happens in two stages....
       converts force to mV/V electrical signal using strain gauge
      Strain gauge

      A strain gauge is a device used to measure the Strain of an object. Invented by Edward E. Simmons and Arthur C. Ruge in 1938, the most common type of strain gauge consists of an Electrical insulation flexible backing which supports a metallic foil pattern....
    • Accelerometer
      Accelerometer

      An accelerometer is a device for measuring acceleration and gravity.Single- and multi-axis models are available to detect magnitude and direction of the acceleration as a Euclidean vector quantity, and can be used to sense orientation, vibration and shock....
    • Strain gauge
      Strain gauge

      A strain gauge is a device used to measure the Strain of an object. Invented by Edward E. Simmons and Arthur C. Ruge in 1938, the most common type of strain gauge consists of an Electrical insulation flexible backing which supports a metallic foil pattern....
    • String Potentiometer
      String potentiometer

      A string potentiometer is a transducer used to detect and measure linear position and velocity using a flexible cable and spring-loaded spool. Other common names include "string pot", "cable-extension transducer", "draw wire sensor", and "yo-yo sensor"....
    • Air flow sensor
  • Electroacoustic:
    • Geophone
      Geophone

      The term geophone derives from the Greek word "geo" meaning "classical element" and "phone" meaning "sound".A geophone is a device which converts ground movement into voltage, which may be recorded at a recording station....
       - convert a ground movement (displacement) into voltage
    • Gramophone pick-up
      Phonograph

      The record player, phonograph or gramophone was the most common device for playing Sound recording and reproduction sound from the 1870s through the 1980s....
    • Hydrophone
      Hydrophone

      A hydrophone is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates electricity when subjected to a pressure change....
       - converts changes in water pressure into an electrical form
    • Loudspeaker
      Loudspeaker

      A loudspeaker, speaker, or speaker system is an electroacoustical transducer that converts an electricity signal processing to sound....
      , earphone - converts changes in electrical signals into acoustic form
    • Microphone
      Microphone

      A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or?more recently?mic, is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal....
       - converts changes in air pressure into an electrical signal
    • Piezoelectric crystal
      Piezoelectricity

      Piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials to generate an electric potential in response to applied mechanical Stress . This may Piezoelectricity#Crystal classes of a separation of electric charge across the crystal lattice....
       - converts pressure changes into electrical form
    • Tactile transducer
      Tactile transducer

      A tactile transducer or "bass shaker" is a device which is made on the principle that low bassline frequencies can be felt as well as heard....
  • Photoelectric
    Photoelectric effect

    The photoelectric effect is a phenomenon in which electrons are emitted from matter after the absorption of energy from electromagnetic wave such as x-rays or visible light....
    :
    • Laser diode
      Laser diode

      A laser diode is a laser where the active medium is a semiconductor similar to that found in a light-emitting diode. The most common and practical type of laser diode is formed from a p-n junction and powered by injected electric current....
      , light-emitting diode
      Light-emitting diode

      A light-emitting diode , is an electronic light source. The LED was discovered in the early 20th century, and introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962....
       - convert electrical power into forms of light
    • Photodiode
      Photodiode

      A photodiode is a type of photodetector capable of converting light into either electric current or voltage, depending upon the mode of operation....
      , photoresistor
      Photoresistor

      A photoresistor or light dependent resistor or cadmium sulfide cell is a resistor whose electrical resistance decreases with increasing incident light intensity....
      , phototransistor, photomultiplier
      Photomultiplier

      Photomultiplier tubes , members of the class of vacuum tubes, and more specifically phototubes, are extremely sensitive detectors of light in the ultraviolet, visible light, and near-infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum....
       tube - converts changing light levels into electrical form
  • Electrostatic:
    • Electrometer
      Electrometer

      An electrometer is an electricity instrument for measuring electric charge or electrical potential difference. There are many different types, ranging from historical hand-made mechanical instruments to high-precision electronic devices....
  • Thermoelectric:
    • RTD Resistance Temperature Detector
    • Thermocouple
      Thermocouple

      A thermocouple is a junction between two different metals that produces a voltage related to a temperature difference. Thermocouples are a widely used type of list of temperature sensors and can also be used to convert heat into electric power....
    • Peltier cooler
    • Thermistor
      Thermistor

      A thermistor is a type of resistor with electrical resistance proportional to its temperature. The word is a portmanteau of Thermal and resistor....
       (includes PTC resistor and NTC resistor)
  • Radioacoustic:
    • Geiger-Müller tube
      Geiger-Müller tube

      A Geiger-M?ller tube is the sensing element of a Geiger counter instrument that can detect a single particle of ionizing radiation, and typically produce an audible click for each....
       used for measuring radioactivity.
    • Receiver (radio)
      Receiver (radio)

      This article is about a radio receiver, for other uses see Radio .A radio receiver is an electronics circuit that receives its input from an antenna , uses electronic filters to separate a wanted radio signal from all other signals picked up by this antenna, electronic amplifier it to a level suitable for further processing, and finally...


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