Pressure Sensors – How to
Pressure sensors are made use of several medical, automotive, building, and industrial devices that depend on stable and accurate measurements to provide reliable operation.
Medical applications
Hyperbaric therapy refers to the air pressure within a sealed chamber that contains a patient being raised, which can be effective in the treatment of several medical conditions, such as burn injuries, carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, and skin grafts.
The accurate measuring of blood pressure is of vital importance to patient care, as mistakes can cause misdiagnoses. Recent innovations mean that the body can now be implanted with tiny pressure sensors for more accurate modeling. This is known as In Vivo Blood Pressure.
Automotive
Hydraulic brakes are a crucial component in the safety of passengers in automobiles. Using brakes to control a motor vehicle is achieved by a complex mix of components that include pressure sensors. They can monitor pressure inside the braking system chambers and alert engine management systems and drivers if pressures compromise effectiveness becoming too low.
Failure to measure the pressure inside chambers can cause an undetected system failure that can cause the sudden loss of braking efficacy, leading to accidents.
Airbags were until recently designed solely to inflate in the interior of vehicles for the two seats in front in the event of collisions, but car manufacturers are now creating airbags both inside and outside that also release much more quickly, increasing safety for both passengers and pedestrians. New ways are also being found to make the driving experience better for the environment, recirculating exhaust gases to reduce engine emissions.
Automated buildings
With the increasing popularity of building automation, pressure sensors are playing a growing role in the control of our environment. One great example of this is refrigeration systems. A leak of common coolants in HVACs such as ammonia can be dangerous, so using relative pressure systems to monitor the ammonia pressure while it passes through the systems makes sure that it remains within safe limits.
The control of the environment in large buildings is a challenge for both designers and operational staff.
Industrial
Submersible pressure sensors can measure the pressure of liquids with either a current or a voltage in liquid tanks. When these sensors are positioned on the tank’s bottom, an accurate reading of the tank’s contents can be gotten to make sure the process control system or workers are alerted in the event those tank levels go below safety level.
With a growing number of industries being reliant on pressure sensors for the monitoring and controlling of their operations, there has been a correspondingly large increase in demand for this type of technology, with the worldwide pressure sensor market predicted to be worth as much as $11.4 billion within the next two years by 2024.
Innovations in pressure sensor technology in recent years have also enabled electronics to become safer, smarter, and more environmentally friendly.