Sensors and Actuators

Dr. Clarence W. de Silva is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He earned his PhDs from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1978) and the University of Cambridge, England (1998), and an honorary DEng from the University of Waterloo (2008). He has published and edited numerous books, chapters, journal articles, and conference papers. His recent books include Mechanics of Materials (Taylor & Francis/CRC, 2014), Mechatronics—A Foundation Course (Taylor & Francis/CRC, 2010); Modeling and Control of Engineering Systems (Taylor & Francis/CRC, 2009); and Sensors and Actuators: Control System Instrumentation (Taylor & Francis/CRC, 2007).

"… Professor de Silva has provided us with yet another excellent engineering undergraduate textbook. The content is uniquely both broad and focused providing the opportunity to explore a wide range of different aspects of engineering instrumentation and applications in detail. However, more impressive still is the exceptional presentation clarity of the material which covers the full range of engineering interests from analytical fundamentals, modeling approaches, component selection methods and design techniques. Included are extensive examples and case studies highlighting the practical application of basic concepts, analysis tools and design strategies."—Chris K Mechefske, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada"This book is essential in the area of sensors and actuators as it provides comprehensive information for students at undergraduate and graduate levels and also researchers, scientists and engineers."—Farbod Khoshnoud, Brunel University London"I have taught the instrumentation course in the Mechanical Engineering Department at my university for ten consecutive years. I switched the textbook for the course to first edition of this book when it first became available, because I and my faculty colleagues felt it was crucial that our instrumentation course cover "the whole picture" of instrumentation, including actuators and impedance matching and signal conditioning issues. I have always felt that de Silva’s book was the best available in that regard. And I look forward, now, to working, likewise, with this, the second edition of the book. Thank you!"—Martin C. Berg, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington"This book provides an excellent introduction for bachelor students into the design of complex systems containing multiple sensors and actuators. The illustrative examples and problems help students to quickly grasp the fundamental concepts and to see the trade-offs in the system design process. The book offers an excellent basis for designing a course on sensors and actuators."—Sander Stuijk, Eindhoven University of Technology"In addition to providing circuits and examples of sensors and actuators, this book develops entire system awareness, describing methods commonly used in industry for integrating components to function as a complete system. This type of knowledge is critical in today’s highly instrumented metric-centric world."—IEEE Electrical Insulation, January/February 2017

• Instrumentation of an Engineering System. Component Interconnection and Signal Conditioning. Performance Specification and Instrument Rating Parameters. Estimation from Measurements. Analog Sensors and Transducers. Digital and Innovative Sensing. Mechanical Transmission Components. Stepper Motors. Continuous-Drive Actuators. A: Probability and Statistics. B: Reliability Considerations for Multicomponent Devices. Answers to Numerical Problems.