OVERVIEW

Sensors are the core element of a measuring system. Sensors allow an electronic system to properly acquire data that should be stored, transmitted, processed. A touch-screen in a smartphone, a load cell in a weighting instrument, accelerometers and gyroscopes in a drone are only a few examples among the several applications that can be named. 

This course helps students develop skills in sensor-based electronic systems through a training program that analyzes these systems at different levels. In the first phase, the focus is on materials and on the relationship between their structure and properties. The following step is the study of the macroscopic behavior of structures that integrate both functional and structural materials, namely the "sensors." Finally, the program includes the analysis of electronic measurement systems that integrate sensors. A series of exercises and laboratory activities throughout the year complete this training program.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This subject will enable the student to understand the working principles of sensing systems. The teaching form combines lectures and lab activities. Lectures provide the basic knowledge about different sensors and the sensing mechanism driving their design. Lab activities stimulate the students to learn how to develop a sensing system.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course will enable the student to understand and analyze the construction and working principles of measuring systems; the focus will be in particular on sensors and signal conditioning. The course also aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between the structure and properties of materials to be integrated into complex systems for sensor applications. This is necessary to comprehend the operating mechanisms of sensors and to correlate them with design aspects.

The teaching form combines lectures and lab activities. Lectures will enable students to develop the necessary skills to characterize a measuring device by studying materials, transduction mechanisms, various types of sensors, and their applications. In laboratory activities, students apply the skills they have acquired, gaining familiarity with the design and implementation of sensors and measuring devices.

Attendance and active participation in the proposed educational activities (lectures and laboratories) and individual study will enable students to:

• To Understand: the behavior of functional and structural materials, the structure of an electronic measuring device, experimental characterization techniques in the field of sensors, and the scientific approach to measurement.
• To Analyze and evaluate the characteristics of different types of sensors available on the market.
• To Design and develop simple electronic systems based on sensors.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching plan is structured as follows. Lectures will enable the student to understand and analyze the working principles of different types of sensors. Lab activities will involve the students in practical tasks concerning the design of measuring systems.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The lecture plan is structured as follows:

- Measuring electronic systems: design principles and characterization of the sensor as a measuring device 

- Materials for electronics and sensors 

- Techniques and setup for material characterization 

- Devices for sensing systems

- Case study: design, implementation, and testing of tactile sensors.

 - Resistive sensors

- Capactive sensors

 - Piezoelectric sensors

- Magnetometers 

- Signal conditioning 

Practical exercises are also scheduled throughout the year, in which students will tackle topics such as finite element modeling, sensor characterization, the scientific approach to measurement, and the development of electronic measuring devices.

The lectures deal with topics such as the progress of electronics and sensing systems in the support of Society and Industry. Thus, this teaching contributes to the achievement of the following Targets of the UN SDGs 2030: 

8.2 Achieve higher standards of economic productivity through diversification, technological progress and innovation, also with particular attention to high value-added and labour-intensive sectors

9.4 (Improve infrastructure and sustainably reconfigure industries by 2030, increasing efficiency in the use of resources and adopting cleaner and more environmentally friendly technologies and industrial processes, ensuring that all states take action respecting their respective capabilities)

9.5 Increase scientific research, enhance the technological capabilities of the industrial sector in all states - especially in developing states - as well as encourage innovations and substantially increase, by 2030, the number of employees for every million people, in the research and development sector and expenditure on research – both public and private – and on development. 

Furthermore, the specific teaching method, which stimulates active participation and critical thinking of male and female students through open discussions and exercises in pairs, and the use of an inclusive language which facilitates the development of open and sensitive thinking vs needs of others, contribute to the achievement of objectives 4 - QUALITY EDUCATION and 5 - GENDER EQUALITY.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

W. D. Callister, D.G. Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering, 2015.

Smith & Hashemi, Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Mc Graw Hill

Fraden, J. Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs, and Applications. 4th ed. Springer, 2010.

Pallás-Areny, R, Webster J.G., Sensors and Signal Conditioning, 2nd Edition, Wiley, 2000 

Lecture notes

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

PAOLO GASTALDO (President)

RODOLFO ZUNINO

LUCIA SEMINARA (President Substitute)

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The final grade will be determined by the outcomes of a written exam, including both multiple choice tests and open questions, and practical exercises assigned during the year. 

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Federico Scarpa (federico.scarpa@unige.it ), the School's disability liaison.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The assessment will be based on:

1) Lab assignments. The goal is to evaluate the ability of properly exploiting the theoretical contents introduced in the lectures.

2) Written exam. The goal is to evaluate the levels of comprehension of the theoretical contents introduced in the lessons. The exam includes both multiple choice tests and open questions. The assessment of competences is certified in a progressive fashion: 
- a group of baseline questions aims to verify the minimal contents required to pass the exam (18-22)
- a group of reference tests aims to validate the expected average of competence and notions (23-28)
- a group of challenging questions highlights the acquisition of original and high-level skills (29-30 e Lode)

Exam schedule