Sometimes, sensors and transducers are used as synonymous. Sensors and transducers are used to measure physical states such as temperature, light, displacement and heat. The design and functionality of these devices are somehow diverse.
What are the key differences between sensor and transducers?
Machine Mart
These instruments are used in a wide variety of electrical and electronic equipment. But people can’t make a difference between the sensor and the transducer because sometimes transducers are found in sensors.
The key difference between sensor and transducer are the following:
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A sensor is defined as a device which measures and converts a physical quality such as light, sound or space and transforms them into a readable format. Sensors are highly accurate instruments if set correctly. The majority of transducers are considered as sensors but not all of them.
For example, a thermistor is a type of sensor which can respond to a change in temperature; it will react to temperature changes but does not transform the energy into another form to what it was initially sensed.
A transducer is an electronic device that converts energy from one type to another. Such instruments generally cover different energy forms such as mechanical energy, electrical energy, light energy, chemical, thermal, acoustic and electromagnetic.
An electrical signal (voltage) or resistance (that is converted to voltage) is transformed by input transducers. Input transducers are also called sensors such as temperature is transformed into resistance by a thermistor. A single thermistor is a sensor, but it becomes an element of a transducer when integrated into a larger circuit or device. Microphones, loudspeaker, thermometers, pressure and position sensors, and antennas are the most common examples.
The terms ‘ sensor ‘ and ‘ transducer ‘ are often used interchangeably even when they have different devices. Both sensors and transducers respond to changes in the physical quality of their environment. The principal distinction is that a sensor senses the difference or change in the environment in which it is exposed and offers the same display format.
On the other hand, a transducer measures the quantity in one way and transforms it into another, for example, a measure that is not electrical and converts it into an electrical signal. This process is referred to as “transduction.”
Sometimes transducers are called sensors and vice versa, which may make it difficult to tell the difference. But the transducer may also be an actuator when electrical input is converted to power. Thus, a transducer is more common than a sensor.