A System Approach to Smart-Sensors and Smart-Actuators Design

Traditional sensor and actuator design focuses on the sensor or actuator elements themselves, since their interconnection to the rest of the system is well established in the related specifications <0>.

The advent of smart-sensors and smart-actuators requires a new design approach, where the focus of attention is wider and multi-disciplinary in nature. It is not enough to optimize the sensor or actuator itself; instead, a ‘systems’ approach is necessary and requires the understanding not only of sensors and actuators, but also of several other related technologies.

By following a systems approach, the sensor and actuator designs are not isolated processes but parts of an overall process that strives for total system optimization. We will attempt to review some aspects of the electronics side of it.