Sensors detect physical parameters by converting them into electrical signals that can be measured or processed by electronic circuits.
🔍 How Sensors Work – The Basic Idea
- Physical Input: The sensor interacts with a physical quantity like temperature, light, pressure, or motion.
- Sensing Element: Inside, a sensing element changes its electrical properties (resistance, capacitance, voltage, current) based on that physical input.
- Signal Conversion: This change is converted into an electrical signal (usually voltage or current).
- Output Signal: The sensor outputs this electrical signal, which corresponds to the measured physical parameter.
🧩 Examples of Common Sensors
- Sensor Type Physical Parameter How It Works
- Thermistor Temperature Resistance changes with temperature
- Photodiode Light intensity Generates current proportional to light
- Piezoelectric sensor Pressure / Vibration Produces voltage when mechanically stressed
- Accelerometer Acceleration / Motion Measures changes in capacitance or piezo effect
- Hall effect sensor Magnetic field Voltage changes when exposed to magnetic field
🧠 Simple Analogy
- Think of a sensor like a translator:
- It “listens” to a physical world event (heat, light, motion).
- Then “speaks” in an electrical language (voltage/current) that devices understand.
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