Ch 2 · Sensors — Sensing the World · Theory
Topic 2 of 8 in Automated Systems, Robotics & Control — 2 lessons.
Turning Physical Quantities into Data
A sensor measures a physical quantity and outputs a signal the system can read. You should recognise common types and what they measure:
Analogue to Digital
Most sensors produce a smooth analogue signal, but a microprocessor only understands digital (binary) data. An Analogue-to-Digital Converter (ADC) sits between them, sampling the analogue value and turning it into numbers — the same sampling idea you met with sound.