INTERMEDIATE ELEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
The output signal of any transducer usually needs to be
modified by elements, so that they can be displayed
or recorded with convenience. These include: -
1. Amplifiers
2. Compensating devices
3. Differentiating and integrating devices
4. Filters
5. A/D or D/A converters
6. Data transmission elements
AMPLIFIERS
• They increase the magnitude of a signal, so
that it can be conveniently displayed or
recorded.
• These may be of mechanical, hydraulic,
pneumatic, optical or electrical/electronic
types.
• When a reduction is needed, they are known as
“attenuators”.
MECHANICAL AMPLIFYING
ELEMENT
• Mechanical amplifying elements are simple in operation.
• They find a wide range of applications in the mechanical
type of instruments. For example, A dial gauge with a least
count of 1μm employs a system of gears to amplify the
displacement input. Further, a Bourden pressure gauge
employs a combination of levers and gears to give the
desired amplification to the transduced displacement
signal.
• However, these types of amplifiers have the disadvantages
of friction, backlash errors and inertial effects due to
relatively higher mass.
• They are also affected by environmental temperature
changes.
HYDRAULIC AMPLIFYING
ELEMENT
• Hydraulic amplifying elements find a wide range of
applications in the form of hydraulic actuators in the control
elements used in the automobile hydraulic brakes and
hydraulic steering systems.
• The advantages is compactness for a specified force while
the disadvantages are possible leakages and problems in
dusty environments.
PNEUMATIC AMPLIFYING
ELEMENT
• A pneumatic transducer, of flapper nozzle type, for converting
mechanical displacement Xi to pressure p2.
• In order to amplify pressure signal p2, a ball type relay is shown which is
operated by the motion of an elastic diaphragm which gets deflected due
to p2.
• If the ball is at the lowest position, pressure p3 is atmospheric while at
the topmost position, p3 equals air supply pressure p1.
• Thus, p3 changes from zero gauge pressure to p1 due to a small
pressure change in p2 and so the relay can be treated as a pneumatic
amplifier.
• These are used in industrial environment where compressed air is easily
available.
OPTICAL AMPLFYING ELEMENT
• One common application of the optical amplifying element is in the
suspension type of the optical type of galvanometer which is a very
sensitive type of instrument.
• The lamp and scale type of amplifier is relatively inexpensive and
provides a large amount of amplification to the input signals.
• However, these amplifiers because of their inertia effects due to
mirror mass cannot be employed in the dynamic type of
measurements.
• In order to amplify the angular displacement qi, as shown in Fig. 5.4
an optical arrangement isused.
ELECTRICAL AMPLIFYING
ELEMENT
• Currently, most of the electrical amplifiers are either transistor based or
employ suitable integrated circuits (ICs) or both.
• Presently a wide variety of amplifiers are available to meet the specific
requirements in the signal conditioning element of the instrument
systems.
• The following are the characteristics of an ideal amplifier i.e. it should
have: