What Is Automobile Sensors?

989 Words2 Pages

A sensor is a transducer which changes physical quantities like pressure, speed, temperature into electrical quantities (analog or digital). Sensors are computer controlled through which it receives the signal and produces output. A sensor's output varies depending upon the type of sensor used. The accuracy of an output depends upon the sensor's sensitivity quality. There are some sensors which can have an impact of force on what it measures and if a sensor's size in small, the output's accuracy and result will be high. Nowadays, sensors are used almost in all fields such as automobiles and aviation, electrical and electronic systems, and even used alongside with some mechanical systems also. In the recent times, sensors are preferred a lot …show more content…

Automobile sensors are used in the three main parts of an automobile- Powertrain, Body, and Chassis[1]. The use of sensors rather than the mechanical systems improves the performance and reliability of an automobile. But yet a sensor equipped automobile can be expensive. The use of sensors adds up safety and security to a vehicle. There are a large variety of sensors used within a vehicle. Let us see some of them in this review paper. 2.1 POWERTRAIN SENSORS: Powertrain sensors are used within the inside of an engine to build up the engine's performance and efficiency. These sensors are responsible for each and every movement of the engine and are of three types: • Engine control: Sensors which are responsible for the smooth performance of the engine. They take care of the engine's speed and torque, fuel injection level, air-fuel mixture ratio and so on. • Engine diagnostic: These sensors are to diagnose any misfires inside the engine, to check the coolant and engine oil levels and to control the engine …show more content…

A knock sensor in automobiles is actually mechanically tuned to make it to ring it at the normal ringing frequency which is in the limit of 7-8 KHz usually in most of the engines. This piezoelectric transducer is placed on the engine to block to receive most of the vibrations from all the cylinders of the engine. Hence, by doing so the sensitivity of the sensor will be increased. The sensor works by measuring the ionization current from across the normal firing of the spark plug. The ionization current can be produced by applying a small voltage to the spark plug between the two electrodes. This voltage produces the ionization current which is used to produce the necessary vibrations or ringing signal. These signals are used to counter any retardation in the ignition unit which produces the knocking effect. Thus, this sensor efficiently reduces the retardation in the ignition system and takes care of complete combustion of the air-fuel mixture when the spark is ignited. Thus, the knocking effect can be avoided by using the piezoelectric knock

Open Document