18-410 Physical Sensors, Transducers and Instrumentation

Units: 12.0 Department: Electrical & Comp. Eng. Prerequisites: 18-303 or 18-311 or 18-321 or 27-432 Related URLs: http://www.ece.cmu.edu/ While modern electronic circuits have become largely digital, the physical world, and consequently, the electronic interface to the physical world remains fundamentally analog. Therefore, sensors, transducers, and the initial signal processing remain in the analog domain. Simultaneously, the commercial market place optimizes sensor technology based upon multiple attributes including cost, detectivity, size, speed, etc. In this course we explore both the many types of possible responses to various physical stimuli, as well as the instrumentation, electronic detection, signal conversion and signal processing techniques used to bring the physical event into the electronic world in a practical manner. This requires that we learn about the diversity of physical phenomena, materials and devices that can be used to convert the various forms of physical energy into electronic signals. Due to the significant diversity of physical phenomena the course requires reading from textbooks, the technical literature and patent literature. The course is taught via the case method with student participation via oral and written reports. The student should arrive with a strong interest in, and basic understanding of, physics, material science, chemistry and analog electronic circuits as taught at the sophomore and junior course level. Prerequisites are one of the courses listed below or permission of the instructor.

Popularity index Rank for this semester: #699 Rank in this department: #38   Students also scheduled 18-551 Digital Communication and Signal Pr... 18-474 Embedded Control Systems 18-496 Bioimaging 42-644 Medical Devices 18-700 Technology Entrepreneurship 70-637 Interactive Media Management 18-517 Data Storage Systems Design Project 18-578 Mechatronic Design 70-643 Publishing on the World Wide Web 18-310 Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devic...

Spring 2005 times

Sec	Time	Day	Instructor	Location
A	10:30 am - 12:20 pm	M	Lambeth	WEH 8427
		W	Lambeth	WEH 8427