The course aims at analyzing, designing, and using Automatic Test Equipments (ATEs) with applications in the Factory Automation. The addressed topics are:
Transducers, Conditioning circuits, Instrumentation for industrial applications, Software and Connectivity for Instrumentation. The Student will learn to investigate and design a typical ATE.
Unit 1. Automatic Measurement Systems
Automatic Measurement Systems, LabVIEW, Instrument characterization: static and dynamic metrological characterization.
Unit 2. Transducers
Motion sensors (strain gages, capacitive sensors , inductive sensors, LVDTs), thermistors.
Generating sensors: termocouples and piezoelectric sensors.
Seismic sensors, Encoders.
Unit 3. Smart Sensing Systems
Smart sensors and wireless sensor networks.
MEMS and Power harvesting.
Unit 4. Conditioning Circuits
Conditioning circuits: DC Wheatstone deflection bridge, Linearized Wheatstone bridge, Instrumentation amplifier, Electrometer, Charge Amplifier.
Unit 5. Software and connectivity for Instruementation
Data acquisition systems, Serial and parallel interface systems: RS-232, USB, IEEE488, VME, VXI.
1) E. O. Doebelin, Strumenti e metodi di misura, McGraw-Hill
2) E. O. Doebelin, Measurement systems, McGraw-Hill
3) Ramon Pallàs-Areny John G.Webster, Sensors and Signal Conditioning, Wiley Inter-Science
4) Class slides