would you please differentiate between transducer & sensor
I took three different sources and added all together.......
A sensor is a generic term and refers to any device that can detect or measure a physical property.
Sensors measure energy levels and convert them into electrical signals that can be measured digitally.
Sensor is a device that, as its name signifies, measures a physical quantity and then converts it into signals that can be read by the user or by any other instrument
A transducer is more specific term and refers to a device that converts a non-electrical signal into a electrical signal.
Transducer, on the other hand is a physical device (Electrical, electro-mechanical, electromagnetic, photonic or photovoltaic) that converts either one type of energy into another or a physical attribute into another for the purposes of measurement or transfer of information.
Transducers are used to convert one energy type into another while sensors measure energy levels and convert them into electrical signals that can be measured digitally.
1. For example : A pressure sensor:
which uses a diaphragm to measure the pressure.
We would call this setup as a sensor , because we are using it to measure pressure.
In this sensor there is a transducer inbuilt in it, which is connected to the diaphragm.
That would be a strain gauge,here diaphragm can alone be called as a sensor
or the diaphragm and strainguage set up can also be called as a sensor because both of them are doing the same job,
give you the value of pressure.
Like diaphragm giving its output as displacement and
diaphragm and strain gauge together giving an output as change in resistance proportional to the pressure.
And strain gauge is device which converts physical strain into electrical resistance,
so this strainguage is acting like a transducer.
2. For example : A water meter converting mechanical turning of the turbine by water flow and converting it to pluses with led and optotransistor.
The input would be mechanical and the output would be digital.
So this is flow sensor for water.
And led / optotransistor is transducer part of this sensor.
So can we say that........... all transducers are sensors but all sensors are not transducers.