MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Sensors & Instrumentation

Course unit fact file
Unit code EEEN30242
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 3
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

  • Introduction: Overview of sensors, overview of instrumentation.
  • Fundamental Sensor Concepts: Sensor characteristics: transfer function, range and sensitivity, errors and calibration, accuracy and precision, linearity, hysteresis.
  • Sensors for position, displacement, level and flow, occupancy.
  • Sensors for velocity, acceleration, force and strain.
  • Sensors for radiation: sources, detectors, optical circuit components.
  • Sensors for temperature: reference points, thermoresistive and thermoelectric sensors.
  • Sensor interfaces: bridge circuits, capacitance–to-voltage and light-to-voltage converters
  • Sensing electronic circuits: input characteristics, excitation circuits, overview of amplifiers, amplifier noise (mechanisms, noise figure, noise model).
  • Signal conditioning: instrumentation amplifier, phase-sensitive modulation/demodulation, signal averaging, ratiometric detection.
  • System architecture and performance: voltage- and current-transmission systems, noise generation mechanisms and characteristics, external noise coupling and suppression.
  • System design: quantization error, sampling frequency, aliasing frequency.

 

Aims

The course unit aims to:

  • Introduce the various types of sensors and their applications and to discuss the methods of interfacing sensors to electronic systems.
  • Expose students to practical design issues relating to the selection of the suitable sensors for a specific sensing application.
  • Introduce electronic instrumentation systems and components.
  • Enable students to apply fundamental design rules to achieve required performance instrumentation devices and systems.
 

 

Learning outcomes

On the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Developed

Assessed

ILO 1

  • Describe the principles of operation of the main types of sensors

x

x

ILO 2

  • Analyse the specifications and main characteristics of various types of sensors

x

x

ILO 3

  • Utilise the merits of various types of sensors for a wide range of application systems

x

x

ILO 4

  • Select components for instrumentation systems

x

x

ILO 5

  • Select appropriate designs for simple electronic sensor interface systems

x

x

ILO6

  • Critically evaluate the state of the art in sensors and instrumentation and communicate a technical understanding of modern sensor and instrumentation systems

x

x

 

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Other 20%
Written exam 80%

Coursework. Sensor Design Study

Length: 5 pages technical writing

How and when feedback is provided: 2 weeks after extended deadline

Weighting: 20%
 
MbClick. Multiple choice questions quiz
Length: 3 mbclick sessions of 15 min each
How and when feedback is provided: Immediately, online with comments on the correct answers

 

Feedback methods

Coursework. Sensor Design Study

How and when feedback is provided: 2 weeks after extended deadline

MbClick. Multiple choice questions quiz

How and when feedback is provided: Immediately, online with comments on the correct answers

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 20
Tutorials 4
Independent study hours
Independent study 76

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Wuqiang Yang Unit coordinator
Jayawan Hasanka Bandara Wijekoon Herath Mudiyanselage Unit coordinator

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