Glossary · Sensors and measurement
Transducer
Also known as: Measuring transducer
German: Messumformer
In metrology, a transducer (measuring transducer) is a device used in measurement that provides an output quantity having a specified relation to the input quantity, for example a thermocouple converting temperature into voltage.
- Sensors
- Standards
In one sentence
A transducer converts an input quantity into an output quantity in a specified relation, e.g. temperature into voltage.
Example
In the vibration measuring chain, the piezoelectric transducer converts acceleration into charge, which the amplifier converts into voltage.
How it applies
- Engineering: A measuring chain often contains several transducers, each converting one quantity into another. Their relations (sensitivity, characteristic curve) determine the scaling of the final value.
- Terminology: Usage differs. In some industries, transducer means the sensing element; in others, a complete device with conditioned output. The German Messumformer usually means a transmitter.
- Documentation: Define the term the first time it is used in a document set and use it consistently. In translations, check whether Messumformer should become transmitter or transducer based on what the device does.
Transducer vs. transmitter
A transducer converts one quantity into another. A Transmitter is a transducer whose output is a standardized signal intended for transmission, such as 4–20 mA or a fieldbus value.