Sensor Characteristics

Abstract

When selecting a sensor—the first thing to do is to outline requirements for the particular application. When knowing what is needed, one is ready to evaluate what is available. The evaluation starts by studying the sensor’s data sheet that specifies all its essential characteristics. The task then is to match the requirements to availability. It is tempting to get the best available sensor, yet selecting a too good sensor means that you will be paying for an overkill—not a good engineering practice. In this chapter we review the most typical sensor characteristics and requirements that are usually specified in data sheets, or at least should be specified.