SOUND AND LIGHT

SENSORS

Evangelista, Fatima Elyse

Granada, Paula Bianca

LIGHT SENSORS

Light
- an ultrahigh frequency Electromagnetic wave that
travels at 2.998 108 m/s
Wavelength of
visible light:
400 - 700 nm

Light
Light amplitude is measured in foot-candles or lux
Light wavelengths can be expressed in Angstroms
Relationship between frequency and speed of light:
c - speed of light
f - frequency
wavelength

Basic terms / units

Intensity - brightness of light
Unit of measurement of light intensity:
English unit: foot-candle (fc) lm/ft2
SI unit: lux (lx) lm/m2
phot (ph) lm/cm2
*lumen (lm) replaces candela (cd) in the SI system
I - intensity
P - power of source (W)
R - sphere radius

Light Sensors
- is a device used to detect light from a source
- commonly known as photoelectric device or photo
sensors
- converts light energy (photons) to electricity (electrons)

Light Sensors
generate electricity when illuminated

Light Sensors
change its electrical properties

Photocells - used for the detection and conversion of

light intensity into electrical signals
Classification:

photovoltaic
photoconductive
photo-emissive
semiconductor

Light Sensors
Photovoltaic cells - develop an EMF in the
presence of light
- copper oxide and selenium

Light Sensors
Photoconductive cells - change their resistance
when subjected to light
-Photoconductivity results from light hitting a semiconductor
material which controls the current flow through it

- selenium, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, and

cadmium sulfide (materials)

Light Sensors
Photo-emissive cells - liberate electrons in the
presence of light
- release free electrons from a light sensitive material such as
cesium when struck by a photon of sufficient energy

- cesium oxide

Light Sensors
Semiconductors (Photojunction) - use light to
control the flow of electrons and holes across their
PN-junction
- photodiodes and phototransistors

Light Sensors
Photo transistor - uses the level of light it detects
to determine how much current can pass through the
circuit
- more sensitive than the photodiode with currents are 50 to 100
times greater than that of the standard photodiode

Light Sensors
Photodiode - can turn its current flow both ON
and OFF in nanoseconds
- used in cameras, light meters, CD and DVD-ROM drives, TV
remote controls, scanners, fax machines and copiers

Light Sensors

Light Sources
Incandescent light

produced by electrically heating a

resistive filament, or by the burning of certain combustible
materials
Atomic type sources - cover gas discharge devices
such as neon and fluorescent lights
Laser emissions - obtained by excitation of the atoms of
certain elements
Semiconductor diodes (LED) - are the most
common commercially available light sources used in
industry

Light Sensors Application

solar panel
bar code scanner
security safety device: burglar alarm
computer / wireless phone / television
robotics
medicine

SOUND SENSORS

SOUND
Pressure wave
In Physisc, It is a vibration that propagates as a typically
audible mechanical wave of pressure and displacement,
through a medium such as air, and water.
In physiology and psychology, sound is thereception of
such waves and their perception by the brain
Transmitted through gases, plasma, and liquids as
longitudinal waves, also called compression waves

SOUND WAVE
Sinusoidal plane waves and Longitudinal waves

SOUND WAVE

Period () = the time between successive

waveform peaks
Frequency (in cycles/sec or Hertz) = 1/period,
Thus f = 1/

SOUND WAVE

Wavelength of a sound is the distance travelled in one

cycle or period
Wavelength=period * speed of sound in medium (c)
or
wavelength= c/ frequency

SOUND WAVE
Amplitude - measure of change over a single period
Peak, Peak-to-Peak and Root-square-mean (RSM)

SOUND WAVE
Sound pressure or acoustic pressure is the local
pressure deviation from the ambient (average, or
equilibrium) atmospheric pressure, caused by a
sound wave. In air, sound pressure can be measured
using a microphone, and in water with a hydrophone. The
SI unit for sound pressure p is the pascal (symbol: Pa)
Sound pressure level (SPL) or sound level is a
logarithmic measure of the effective sound pressure of a
sound relative to a reference value. It is measured in
decibels (dB) above a standard reference level. The
standard reference sound pressure in air or other gases
is 20 Pa, which is usually considered the
threshold of human hearing (at 1 kHz).

SOUND WAVE
Sound pressure waves combine additively
Waves that start together are in phase
Sounds in phase increase in amplitude (positive
interference)
Sounds out of phase cancel each other out (negative
interference)
Sounds partially out of phase create varying amplitudes
(beats)

Amplitude scale
Sound pressure is measured in decibels (dB) on a log10
scale relative to a reference level
dB = 20 log10 P1/Pr where Pr is a reference pressure level
A common reference pressure level is the threshold of
human hearing at 1 kHz, referred to as sound pressure level
(SPL)
A sound with twice the SPL is 6 dB louder
i.e. 20 log10 (2) = 20(0.3) = 6

Sample sound pressure levels

soft whisper-20 dB
nearby songbird, office hum-50 dB
barking dog -70 dB
roaring lion , heavy truck -90 dB
echolocating big brown bat -100 dB
jet take-off-120 dB

SOUND ATTENUATION
Spherical spreading

Absorption
Temperature and humidity effects
Reflective scattering
Due to impedance differences

ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE
The degree to which a medium is compressible
by sound pressure
Acoustic impedance = speed of sound density
of medium
Transmission between media with different
impedances is difficult
Sounds reflect off animals in air, but can pass
through them in water
Dictates efficiency of sound production and
reception by organisms

REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

REFLECTIVE SCATTERING
Type of scattering depends on ratio of wavelength and
reflecting object
Rayleigh scattering (object << wavelength)
sound scattered equally in all directions
Diffractive or Mie scattering (object = wavelength)
both a reflected and diffracted wave
Simple scattering (object > wavelength)
single reflected wave

SOUND SENSOR
The main function of a sound sensor is registering sound.
With most sensors you can also register the sound level.
The best known example of a sensor that can measure
the sound level is the decibel meter, but a baby alarm can
also register the sound level. If a baby cries too loud the
alarm in the baby intercom of the parents will sound:
they will hear their baby cry.

SOUND SENSOR
Sound sensorscalled auditory sensors
by engineersare used in many devices
that we use every day. The stimulus-toresponse pathways seen in electronic
sound sensor operation mimics the
human body process that involves our
ears and signal transmission to the
brain. Microphones are the sound
sensors used in phones, computers,
baby monitors and music systems like
karoke machines. The use of sensors
has exploded into the design of
uncountable every day tools, equipment,
appliances and devices.

SOUND SENSOR APPLICATION

Measure basic sound intensity
Measure speed of sound
Measure beats
Study the doppler effect
Conduct voice studies
Learn musical instrument overtones

QUIZ

1. Light sensor is also commonly known as ____

2. This type of light sensor is used in solar panels

3. The most common commercially available light sources

used in industry

4. Light sensor that changes its resistance when subjected to

light.

5. What is the wavelength of light in , if the wavelength is

493 nm?

6. It is the time between successive waveform peaks

7. Sound pressure is measure in ____________?

8-10. Give 3 application of sound sensors