Module name : Biomedical Instrumentation

Code : EEBT 05105

Kimondo, Jotham

Mbeya University Science and Technology

November,2019
 Textbooks

R.S KHANDPUR, Biomedical Instrumentation, Technology

and applications Published by Mc Graw-hill, March 2005
ISBN 007147849
 Summary
PART ONE

 Meaning of a transducer
 Classification of Transducers
 Principle of operation of different types of transducers

PART TWO

 Meaning of signal conditioners

 Classification of signal conditioners
 Principle of operation of different signal conditioners

PART THREE

 Principle of operation of display unit

 Control Circuits
 TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCERS

Here we introduce three types of temperature transducers: Resistance

temperature detector (RTD) , the thermistor and thermocouple.

 Temperature transducers have widespread applications in biomedical

instrumentation.
• They can be used in direct body temperature measurement in patient
assessment
• Temperature transducers that are designed to provide temperature
readings are called thermometers.
 TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCERS
NONELECTRICAL TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCERS
 Fluid-in-glass thermometers have long been used to measure temperature.

 Mercury-in-glass and petrolate-in-glass are the two most common types in this
category.

 Mercury-filled thermometers usually have a temperature measurement range

from –40 to +900ºC, while red-dyed petrolate can measure from –200 to
+260ºC.
ELECTRICAL TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCERS
Generaly,they can be divided into two;
I. Passive transducers which include Thermistors and resistive temperature devices.
II. Active transducers which include Thermocouples and integrated circuit sensors.

Parameters that are commonly referred to in temperature

measurement applications are:
 Operating range :The temperature between two limits within which
the characteristics conform to the specifications.
 Stability :The quality of the sensor to maintain a consistent output
when a constant input is applied.
 Dissipation constant :The power in mill watts required to raise the
sensor by 1ºC above the surrounding temperature.
 Respond time :The time required to reach a certain percentage of the
steady state output followed by a step input.
RESISTANCE TEMPERATURE DETECTOR (RTD)
RTD do not generate a voltage by themselves until they are connected
to a voltage divide network and their resistance changes with
temperature.
 It is used for measurement of small temperature difference as well as for wide
ranges of temperature.(ranges from –200 to over +800ºC)

 It uses a metal conductor, selection of the metal conductor depends on its

sensitivity and linearity to the temperature resistance characteristics.

 For a metal conductor, the resistance increases with temperature.

RESISTANCE TEMPERATURE DETECTOR (RTD)
In this type of transducer ,metal wire resistance increases with
temperature therefore manufacturer of RTDs provides a table or graph
of resistance versus temperature.
Therefore, resistance Rt of a metallic conductor at any temperature t is
given by:

Where
 Rt is the resistance of the metal wire in Ω at temperature TºC.
 R0 is the resistance of the metal wire at To ºC
 From RTD table,⍺ is the temperature coefficient (i.e. Fractional
change in temperature per unit of temperature at TO ºC
 RESISTANCE TEMPERATURE DETECTOR (RTD)

 Normally platinum and nickel are preferred

because of their linear resistance
temperature relationship.

 Thermometers constructed from a coil of

these metals have been used for the Characteristics of RTD
measurement of skin.

 The measurement of resistance is generally

carried out by using a Wheatstone bridge.
 RESISTANCE TEMPERATURE DETECTOR (RTD)

Question 1:
A platinum RTD is used in a bridge circuit as shown below. What is the
bridge output Vo at 10ºC, given the excitation voltage Ve =2.0 V, bridge
resistance R=Ro= 100Ω at 0ºC, and 𝜶= 0.00385/ºC.
 RESISTANCE TEMPERATURE DEVICES (RTD)

Question 2:

A piece of platinum RTD wire has a resistance of 100.0Ω at 0ºC.

Find (a) its temperature coefficient and (b) its resistance at 180.0ºC
given that a 𝜶=0.00385/ºC for platinum RTD.
 THERMISTORS
Properties of the Thermistors
 Thermistors are made from semiconductor materials such as oxide of
nickel, manganese, iron, cobalt, or copper.
 It has nonlinear resistance temperature characteristics as it’s a semi
conductor.
 They are negative temperature coefficient and positive temperature
coefficient operating range from 280 to 1150ºC.
 They have higher nominal resistance than RTD (ranges from 1 kΩ to 1
MΩ) as well as higher sensitivity.
 The most common type of thermistor used in medical instrument is the
YSI 400 series thermistor.
 THERMISTORS(Cont’d)
The general resistance-temperature relation for a thermistor with NTC is given by
the formula:

where;
RT is the thermistor resistance in Ω at temperature T
Ro is the thermistor resistance in Ω at temperature To
T and To are absolute temperature in K
Thermistor characteristics
β is the thermistor material constant in the range of 2,000K to
4,000 K.
 THERMISTORS(Cont’d)

Thermistor also works under the principle of Wheatstone

bridge.
 The bridge it self is not linear so proper selection of the bridge resistors
value is better to rectify the non-linear resistance-temperature
characteristics of the thermistor to a nearly linear calibration.
 THERMISTORS(Cont’d)

 One draw back of the thermistors is its non linearity.

 Researchers has come with the solution to make its linear characteristics
by connecting the thermistor with a parallel resistor Rp

Rp can be calculated as:

 THERMISTORS(Cont’d)

Main applications of thermistor are given below:

1. Used for measurement and control of temperature.

2. Used for providing time delay.
3. Used as temperature compensation element in electronic equipment.
 THERMISTORS(Cont’d)

Question:
For a thermistor with β= 4,000 K, find (a) the thermistor resistance, and
(b) The temperature coefficient at 37.0ºC given the R0 = 7355V at 0ºC.
 THERMOCOUPLES
A thermocouple is an active temperature transducer that produces a small
unique voltage according to the temperature.

• It consist of two dissimilar metal wire joined together at both end.

-Thomas Seebeck
 THERMOCOUPLES
 When two wires of dissimilar metals are joined at both ends and one
end is at a higher temperature than the other, there is a continuous flow
of current in the wire.

 This current is called the thermoelectric current.

 When one junction is disconnected, a voltage called the Seebeck
voltage can be measured across the two metal wires.
 THERMOCOUPLES
Seebeck voltage eAB is proportional to the temperature variation 𝝙T
with a proportional constant 𝜶 called the Seebeck coefficient.

The relationship is given by:

eAB =𝜶𝝙T
• Seebeck coefficient is different for different Thermocouples!
 Empirical Laws of Thermocouples
The following three empirical laws are important facts that enable thermocouples to
be used as practical temperature measurement devices:

1. The law of homogeneous circuit : It states that “ For a thermocouple of metals A

and B, the output voltage is not affected by the temperature along metal A or B.
2. The law of intermediate metals : It states that “The output voltage is not affected
by the use of a third metal in the circuit provided that the new junctions are at the
same temperature.
3. The law of intermediate temperature: It states that “For the same thermocouple,
the output voltage V31 where the temperature at the junctions are T3 and T1,
respectively, is equal to the sum of the output voltages of two separate
measurements with junction temperatures T3, T2, and T2, T1 (i.e., V31 5 V32 1
V21)