Chapter 3

Physical Sensors and Measurement

Physical sensors have been widely used in the biomedical field. The commonly
used sensors include resistance sensors, inductive sensors, capacitive sensors,
piezoelectric sensors, electromagnetic sensors, photoelectric sensors, and thermoelectric
sensors. Physical sensors will have more significant applications in biomedicine,
especially with the development of MEMS technology for developing more
precise and compact sensors, along with the development of the novel measuring
technology.

3.1 Introduction

The nature of physical phenomena includes mechanical, thermal, electrical,

magnetic, atomic and nuclear, each having the properties of bodies or physical
systems. Based on these natural properties, some physical effects become part of
the fundamentals of physical sensors for measuring physical quantities and
converting them into signals which can be read by an observer or an instrument.
For example, a thermocouple converts temperature to an output voltage which can
be read by a voltmeter.
Taking into account that the output signal is definitely determined by the input
signal, and basing our criteria on the differences of measuring objects in the
biomedicine field, physical sensors can be classified as pressure sensors,
displacement sensors, speed sensors, acceleration sensors, flow sensors and
temperature sensors. Whereas another criterion based on different physical effects
is also significant. In this case, there are resistance sensors, inductive sensors,
capacitive sensors, piezoelectric sensors, electromagnetic sensors, photoelectric
sensors, and thermoelectric sensors. It is a well-known fact that customers of
sensors will choose a sensor in connection with the physical nature of information
to be obtained about a phenomenon or a physical system.
As the most widely used measuring device, physical sensors have already
made a great contribution to the development of industry, agriculture, military and

P. Wang et al., Biomedical Sensors and Measurement

© Zhejiang University Press, Hangzhou and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
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aerospace, and they are playing an important role even in our daily life. Along
with the rapid development of biomedicine in the latter half of the 20th century,
physical sensors have become a measurement instrument of paramount importance
in medical diagnosis and therapy. Combining the good features of materials like
optical fiber, superconductor or nanophase materials and the semiconductor
micro fabrication technology, the possibility of multifunction, high precision, and
integration for physical sensors is guaranteed.

3.2 Resistance Sensors and Measurement

As a primary kind of resistance sensor, the resistance strain sensor is capable of

converting strain into a resistance variation. Another type of resistance sensor,
known as the piezoresistive sensor, is based on the piezoresistive effect and has
the advantages of high sensitivity, good resolution and smaller size. They are both
widely used in the measurement of blood pressure, pulse and intraocular pressure,
intracranial pressure, and eyelid pressure (Shaw et al., 2009) in the biomedical
field.

3.2.1 Resistance Strain Sensors

It is a basic phenomenon that deformations of elastic elements bring about

resistance change of strain sensitive materials under functions of tested physical
parameters. The most commonly used sensing element is resistance strain gage.

3.2.1.1 Strain Effect and Characteristics

Strain effect
As the working principle of resistance strain gage, strain effect means resistance
value changes with mechanical deformation of elastic elements. As shown in Fig.
3.1, metal resistance wire will elongate along the axial direction and shorten along
the radial direction when subjected to force in its elastic range.

Fig. 3.1. The schematic diagram of strain effect: L is the initial length of resistance wire, dL is the
increment of length, r is the radius of cross-section, dr is the increment of radius, and F is force