Sensorik

Sensorik, or sensor technology, is the field that studies the acquisition of physical quantities through sensors, their conversion to electronic signals, and the subsequent processing and interpretation of the data. It encompasses sensor design, transduction principles, signal conditioning, data acquisition, calibration, and sensor fusion. The goal is to provide accurate, reliable measurements of the state of a system or environment.

Sensors detect various quantities such as temperature, pressure, position, acceleration, humidity, chemical composition, light, sound, and biological signals. Common transduction principles include resistive (thermistors, RTDs, strain gauges), capacitive, inductive, piezoelectric, magnetic, and optical methods. Sensor categories include contact and non-contact, analog and digital, and passive and active devices.

A sensing system typically includes the sensor, signal conditioning (amplification, filtering, linearization), an analog-to-digital converter, and a processing unit. Data from multiple sensors may be combined in sensor fusion and analyzed locally or transmitted to the cloud or edge devices.

Applications are widespread: automotive and industrial automation; consumer electronics and mobile devices; healthcare and environmental monitoring; robotics, aerospace, and energy systems.

Calibration and traceability are essential for accuracy, with periodic calibration, reference standards, and quality management shaping development and production. Challenges include drift, noise, cross-sensitivity, environmental effects, aging, and power constraints. Ongoing trends in sensorik include MEMS technology, wideband and high-sensitivity sensors, energy-efficient designs, and integrated sensing with artificial intelligence and IoT architectures.