Understanding Position Sensors

David S. Nyce, a scientist, engineer, and inventor, has developed sensors of many types for over 40 years. He has worked as an electronics, mechanical, and chemical engineer as well as technical manager, operations manager, technical consultant, and business owner. His duties have ranged from development engineer and project engineer, to chief engineer, director of technology, general manager, vice president, and owner. He founded the Revolution Sensor Company in 2003 and has developed industrial, commercial, medical, military, aerospace, undersea, and automotive products, including an automated production line for onboard automotive sensors. His experience comprises the design of transducers, sensors, and instrumentation for many types of measurement, including temperature sensing using a thermocouple, RTD, thermistor, or semiconductor; pressure sensing with LVDT, resistive, strain gage, and diffused semiconductor sensing elements; resistive and strain gage flow sensors; linear and angular position, velocity, and acceleration transducers and sensors with LVDT, Hall effect, inductive, capacitive, optical, magnetostrictive, and distributed impedance technologies; resistive, inductive, and force-balance acceler-ometers; liquid level sensors based on ultrasonic waves, magnetostriction, capacitive, LVDT, and distributed impedance technologies; densimeters; gas analysis using flame ionization, chemiluminescence, infra-red, paramagnetic, zirconia, and electrochemical techniques; and intrinsic safety, explosion proof, purging, and inerting safety systems. Nyce holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and Master of Business Administration. He is the inventor on twenty nine US patents. He is an FAA-certificated airplane and helicopter pilot and an NRA-certified firearms instructor and has other hobbies, including competitive shooting, amateur rocketry, photography, riding Harleys, teaching science classes at local schools, teaching children to build and fly model airplanes and amateur rockets, playing beach doubles volleyball, archery, knife and axe-throwing, brewing beer, winemaking, hang gliding, hunting, fishing, boating, kayaking, and flying model aircraft.

Chapter 1. SENSOR DEFINITIONS AND CONVENTIONS. Chapter 2. SPECIFICATIONS. Chapter 3. Output Types and Communication Protocols. Chapter 4. Resistive/Potentiometric Sensing. Chapter 5. Cable Extension Transducers. Chapter

6.Capacitive Sensing. Chapter7. Inductive Sensing. Chapter 8.The LVDT AND RVDT. Chapter 9.Distributed Impedance. Chapter 10. The Hall Effect. Chapter 11. Magnetoresistive Sensing. Chapter 12. Magnetostrictive Sensing. Chapter 13. Encoders. Chapter 14.Optical Triangulation.

Chapter 15. Ultrasonic Sensing.