Understanding Smart Sensors 2nd edn
Randy Frank · Measurement Science and Technology · 2002
This book aims to provide a complete and authoritative summary of the latest developments in the area of smart sensors. The second edition has been updated to include the emerging IEEE 1451 standards for smart sensors. It provides a wide overview for engineers and scientists, working in the field of sensors and instrumentation, who wish to familiarize themselves with the latest trends. It will also be useful for other non-technical professionals requiring an insight into some of the most recent advances in sensor technology and future products. Before understanding smart sensors themselves, we need to understand exactly what a smart sensor is. Frank quotes the IEEE 1451.2 specification that defines a smart sensor as one ``that provides functions beyond those necessary for generating a correct representation of a sensed or controlled quantity. This function typically simplifies the integration of the transducer into applications in a networked environment''. The book leads the reader through the fundamental concepts of smart sensor systems and has a chapter dedicated to micromachining, which gives a broad overview of the main methods used in the production of many modern microsensors. Wide coverage is given to examples of sensor systems utilizing microcontrollers and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques for auto-calibration, compensation and linearization techniques that make the sensor `smart'. There is also an up-to-date review of sensor communication techniques and standards. One area of microsensor technology that is often overlooked is that of sensor packaging and its effect on performance. Frank dedicates a chapter to this subject and describes how some of the potential problems can be avoided. For the non-technical reader there is a good glossary at the back of the book that covers most of the acronyms used within the discipline. The final chapter of the book looks at the next phase of sensing systems and includes some ideas and proposals for the capabilities of the next generation of sensors. The author also reviews some of the alternative definitions of smart sensors. At this point he cites the overuse of the word in American vocabulary: Smart Scrub TM from Dow, Smart Solutions SM from the United States Postal Service and Smart Ones TM from Weight Watchers. In the UK, of course, `smart' has a slightly pejorative sense when followed by certain other words; that's why we prefer the phrase `intelligent sensor'. Neil White