Smart Sensor Systems: Emerging Technologies and Applications

Preface

This book is intended as a reference for designers and users of sensors and sensor systems, and as a source of inspiration and a trigger for new ideas. For a major part, it is based on material used in the multidisciplinary “Smart Sensor Systems” course, which has been held annually at Delft University of Technology since 1995. The goals of this course are to present the basic principles of smart sensor systems to a broad, multidisciplinary audience, to develop a common language and scientific background to discuss the challenges associated with the design of such systems, and to facilitate mutual cooperation. In this way, we hope to contribute to the continuous expansion of the community of people advancing the exciting field of smart sensor systems.

As diverse and widespread as smart sensors may be today, research and development in this field is far from complete. It is driven by the continuous demand for lower cost, size and power consumption, and for higher performance and greater reliability. Moreover, new sensing principles and technologies are continuously emerging, and so significant effort is required to bring them to maturity. Often, this process involves more than just improving the performance of the transducer concerned. The system around the transducer plays an equally important, if not a more important, role. This system includes the electronics that interface with the transducer, the package that protects the transducer from the environment, and the calibration ...