Sensortyp

Sensortyp is a term used in engineering to describe a class or category of sensors defined by shared characteristics such as sensing principle, measurand, or output. It helps engineers compare devices and select components.

Classification can follow several axes. By sensing principle: electrical (resistive, capacitive, inductive, piezoelectric), optical, magnetic, thermal, or acoustic. By measurand: temperature, pressure, humidity, chemical, gas, biological, position, or motion. By output: analogue voltage/current, digital, frequency, or PWM. By deployment: contact versus non-contact, standalone versus integrated or MEMS modules.

Examples include accelerometers and gyroscopes (inertial sensors) for vehicles and mobile devices; pressure sensors in industrial and medical use; temperature and humidity sensors for process control; optical sensors (photodiodes, cameras); proximity and capacitive sensors; and gas or chemical sensors for environmental monitoring.

Performance characteristics include range, resolution, accuracy, linearity, drift, hysteresis, repeatability, response time, and power consumption. Calibration and compensation are commonly required to maintain performance across temperature and aging.

In practice, sensortyp selection is influenced by interfaces and standards. Common protocols include I2C, SPI, and UART, with analog interfaces for direct ADC. MEMS technology has expanded sensortyp with small, low‑power, multi‑axis sensors.

Applications span consumer electronics, automotive, industrial automation, environmental monitoring, healthcare, and robotics. As sensor fusion and AI grow, sensortyp descriptions increasingly emphasize multi-parameter sensing and integration.