A Temperature Sensor is a piece of electronic equipment that detects the temperature of its surroundings and transforms the incoming data into electronic output data to control record or signal temperature variations. There are several types of temperature sensors. Some of them need direct contact with the physical target that is being identified, which is…
Have you ever left your smartphone in your car on a hot day? If so, your screen might have displayed an image of a thermometer and a warning that your phone has overheated. That is because there is a tiny embedded temperature sensor that measures the interior temperature of your phone. Once the inside of…
The world of agriculture is undergoing a transformation. As technology continues to advance in the agricultural sector, farmers are experiencing various benefits from using IoT for the day-to-day operations of their farms. The impact of IoT is felt in all aspects of food production, including crop, food safety, nutrition, and food accessibility. So it’s beneficial…
Crop yield is a major issue for farmers due to bad weather conditions, peasants, unplanned seed sowing, irregular irrigation, and unpredicted locust attacks. Bigger challenges for farmers include soil erosion, biodiversity losses, and rising demands for food of higher quality. Such issues usually leave farmers on the verge of settling for less and hopeless for…
An infrared thermometer is a device that measures the infrared radiation – a type of electromagnetic radiation below the visible spectrum of light – emitted by an object. The most basic design of infrared thermometers consists of a lens to focus the infrared thermal radiation onto a detector, which converts the radiant energy into an…
Evidence shows that peripheral thermometers, or those that can be used orally or under the arm, have poor accuracy compared with central thermometers, or those that can be used rectally or at other intravascular sites. The systematic evidence review and meta-analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The Working Principle and Applications of Infrared…
Seebeck EffectAn interesting phenomenon applied in the field of instrumentation is the Seebeck effect, which is the production of a small voltage across the length of a wire due to a difference in temperature along that wire. This effect is most easily observed and applied with a junction of two dissimilar metals in contact, each…
Thermistors vs. RTDs As discussed in a previous article series, “Optimizing RTD temperature sensing systems Sensing System,” an RTD is a type of resistor with resistance that varies as a function of temperature. Thermistors operate in a similar manner to RTDs. Unlike RTDs that only have a positive temperature coefficient, thermistors can either have positive…
Temperature Sensor TypesTemperature sensors are among the most commonly used sensors. All types of equipment use temperature sensors, including computers, cars, kitchen appliances, air conditioners, and (of course) home thermostats. The five most common types of temperature sensors include: Thermistor Basics—NTC vs PTC ThermistorAs the name implies, the thermistor (i.e., thermal resistor) is a temperature-sensing…
Thermocouples are a popular type of temperature sensor due to their ruggedness, relatively low price, wide temperature range, and long-term stability. The Seebeck effect discussed in the previous article is the underlying principle that governs the thermocouple operation. The Seebeck effect describes how a temperature difference (ΔT) between the two ends of a metal wire…