A smart sensor is the integration of a sensor with an analogue to digital converter (ADC), a processor and digital to analogue converter (ADC) for actuator control. A typical application of a smart sensor set up is a temperature control of a furnace as illustrated below.
The electronics in the smart sensor contains all the circuits needed to interface to the sensor, amplify the signal, ADC to convert the analogue signal to a digital format for the internal processor, apply PID control, sense the temperature to correct for the temperature variations in the process if required, correct for sensor nonlinearity, and the DAC to convert the signal back to analog format for actuator control.
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The processor has a serial digital bus interface for interfacing via the fieldbus to a central computer. This enables the processor in the smart sensor to receive update information on setpoint, gain, operating mode, etc. and send status information to the central computer.
You can also read: Types of Sensors used in Measurement and Process Control
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