The Difference Between a Sensor and a Transmitter
In the realm of automatic control and measurement, both sensors and transmitters are of crucial importance. They play indispensable roles in the process of data acquisition and transmission. People have developed the transmitter from the sensor. Although they’ve made the transmitter and the sensor related, they’ve also given them distinct differences. Let’s delve deeper into their characteristics and disparities.
Sensor
Coda, a manufacturer and solution provider in the field of environmental and weather monitoring for over a decade, has witnessed the continuous development and innovation of sensor technology. A sensor is essentially a device that converts physical signals into electrical signals. Engineers or designers primarily compose it of sensitive components, conversion components, conversion circuits, and auxiliary power supplies.
The sensitive component is one of the core parts of a sensor. It acts like a highly perceptive “scout,” capable of detecting changes in various physical quantities from the external environment, such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and light intensity. For instance, in a temperature sensor, a thermistor serves as the sensitive component, and its resistance value changes significantly with temperature variations. In a pressure sensor, a piezoresistive sensitive component generates corresponding resistance changes according to the applied pressure.
Transmitter
A transmitter is an instrument that converts non – standard electrical signals into standard electrical signals. It mainly consists of a measurement part, an amplifier, and a feedback part. The measurement part is responsible for accurately detecting the input non – standard electrical signal. Engineers or designers need to endow it with high precision and stability to correctly capture the initial signal. The amplifier then boosts the weak measurement signal to a suitable level for further processing. It is crucial to maintain the signal’s integrity during the amplification process to avoid distortion. The feedback part continuously monitors the output signal and adjusts the internal parameters of the transmitter to ensure that the output standard electrical signal meets the required specifications. This feedback mechanism helps to improve the accuracy and reliability of the transmitter.
The Difference Between Sensor and Transmitter
Wiring System and Power Supply
Sensors come in different wiring configurations, including two – wire, three – wire, and four – wire systems. The choice of wiring system depends on the specific type and application of the sensor. Some sensors require an additional power supply to operate. For example, certain high – precision sensors with complex internal circuits need an external power source to provide sufficient energy for signal conversion and processing. On the other hand, there are also passive sensors that do not require an external power supply. These sensors generate electrical signals based on the physical changes they detect without the need for additional power input. In contrast, the transmitter typically uses a two – wire system. In this system, the power supply and the signal are transmitted through the same set of wires. This simplifies the wiring installation and reduces the complexity of the overall system. It also makes the transmitter more suitable for long – distance signal transmission, as it can effectively utilize the limited wiring resources.
Signal
The output signal of a sensor is usually a non – standard electrical signal. Engineers design sensors to directly reflect the physical changes they detect. As a result, the electrical signals produced may vary in amplitude, frequency, or other characteristics depending on the specific sensor and the measured physical quantity.For example, a strain gauge sensor may output a very small change in resistance, which needs to be further processed to obtain a meaningful measurement. In contrast, the transmitter outputs a standard electrical signal. Engineers and technicians widely use standard electrical signals, such as 4 – 20 mA current signals or 0 – 10 V voltage signals, in industrial control systems. These standard signals are easy to interface with other control devices, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and data acquisition systems. They ensure compatibility and interoperability between different components in the control system, facilitating the integration and management of the entire system.
conclusion
Understanding the differences between sensors and transmitters is essential for selecting the appropriate devices in various applications, whether it is in industrial automation, environmental monitoring, or smart home systems. By leveraging the unique features of sensors and transmitters, we can build more efficient, accurate, and reliable measurement and control systems.
