Sensors General characteristicsand

Camshaft position sensor

Belu Mihai 1711 AE
Professor dr. ing. Mihai Dogariu
Automatic Systems
A sensor is a converter that measures a physical quantity and converts it into signal
which can be read by an observer or by an (today mostly electronic) instrument.
The name sensor comes from the Latin word sensus, which means to sense , and before
being adapted for technical systems , was and it is used to designate the capabilities of sense
organs of humans and living organisms to collect and analyze information from the environment
and to transmit those to the brain.
In this process, the physical measures, not electrical ones, are converted into electrical signals,
which the brain can take over and interpret and they stand at the basis of muscle coordination.
The biological model is often used in Mechatronics, so a reminder this sensorial systemis not
useless.
Another example could be a mercury-in-glass thermometer which converts the measured
temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated glass
tube. A thermocouple converts temperature to an output voltage which can be read by a
voltmeter. For accuracy, most sensors are calibrated against knows standards.
Fig 1 - Thermocouple
Sensors are used in everyday objects such as touch-sensitive elevator buttons (tactile sensor) and
lamps which dim or brighten by touching the base. There are also innumerable applications for
sensors of which most people are never aware. Applications include cars, machines, aerospace,
medicine, manufacturing and robotics.
Sensors classification
There are sensors for more than 100 physical measures, and if there are taken in account the
sensors for chemical substances, their number past well over a few hundreds. There are about
2000 distinct types of sensors, given in 100.000 models, worldwide.
The sensors can be classified in function of the technology used to build them:
Ferromagnetic materials technology
Micro systems and micro electronics technology
Thin layers technology
Thick layers technology
In function of the input physical measure sensors can be classified in:
Absolute sensors, when the electrical signal can represent all possible values of the input
physical measure, with respect to a chosen reference
Analog sensors, for which the output signal is permanently proportional with the input
physical measure
Digital sensors, for which the output signal can take a limited number of discrete values,
whichallow the quantification of the input physical signal.
Regarding the problem of number of possible values of the output signal, there are two
distinct classes:
Binary sensors, which show only two distinct output values
Sensors with a large number of values, in order to measure something between an
interval ; they can be analog or digital sensors
A good sensor obeys the following rules:
Is sensitive to the measured property only
Is insensitive to any other property likely to be encountered in its application
Does not influence the measured property
Regarding Automotive sensors there are:
Airfuel ratio meter
Blind spot monitor
Crankshaft position sensor
Curb feeler, used to warn driver of curbs
Defect detector, used on railroads to detect axle and signal problems in passing trains
Engine coolant temperature sensor, or ECT sensor, used to measure the engine
temperature
Hall effect sensor, used to time the speed of wheels and shafts
MAP sensor, Manifold Absolute Pressure, used in regulating fuel metering.
Mass flow sensor, or mass airflow (MAF) sensor, used to tell the ECU the mass of air
entering the engine
Oxygen sensor, used to monitor the amount of oxygen in the exhaust
Parking sensors, used to alert the driver of unseen obstacles during parking maneuvers
Radar gun, used to detect the speed of other objects
Speedometer, used measure the instantaneous speed of a land vehicle
Speed sensor, used to detect the speed of an object
Throttle position sensor, used to monitor the position of the throttle in an internal
combustion engine
Tire-pressure monitoring sensor, used to monitor the air pressure inside the tires
Torque sensor, or torque transducer or torquemeter measures torque (twisting force) on a
rotating system.
Transmission fluid temperature sensor, used to measure the temperature of the
transmission fluid
Turbine speed sensor (TSS), or input speed sensor (ISS), used to measure the rotational
speed of the input shaft or torque converter
Variable reluctance sensor, used to measure position and speed of moving metal
components
Vehicle speed sensor (VSS), used to measure the speed of the vehicle
Water sensor or water-in-fuel sensor, used to indicate the presence of water in fuel
Wheel speed sensor, used for reading the speed of a vehicle's wheel rotation
The crankshaft position sensor
A crank sensor is an electronic device used in an internal combustion engine to
monitor the position or rotational speed of the crankshaft. This information is used by
engine management systems to control the ignition system timing and other engine
parameters. Before electronic sensors were available, the distributor would have to be
manually adjusted to a timing mark on the engine. The crank sensor can be used in
combination with a similar camshaft position sensor to monitor the relationship between
the pistons and valves in the engine, which is particularly important in engines with
variable valve timing. This method is also used to synchronizea four stroke engine upon
starting, allowing the management system to know when to inject fuel. It is also
commonly used as the primary source for the measurement of engine speed in revolutions
per minute.
Fig 2 - Crankshaft sensor (1- Coli, 2- Soft iron,
3- Magnet, 4- Electrical connector)

Fig 3 - Crankshaft sensor position
Common mounting locations include the main crank pulley, the flywheel, the
camshaft or on the crankshaft itself. This sensor is the most important sensor in modern
day engines. When it fails, there is a chance the engine will not start, or cut out while
running.
The functional objective for the crankshaft position sensor is to determine the position
and/or rotational speed (RPM) of the crank. Engine Control Units use the info transmitted
by the sensor to control parameters such as ignition timing and fuel injection timing. The
sensor output can also be related to other sensor data including the cam position to derive
the current combustion cycle. This is very important for the starting of a four stroke
engine.
Sometimes the sensor may become burnt of worn out. The most likely causes of
crankshaft position sensor failure are exposure to extreme heat when you have a gasket or
crank problem, contamination from oil of other engine fluids leaked onto the sensor or
wear over a long period of time. When it goes bad, it stops transmitting the signal which
contains the vital data for the ignition and other parts in the system.
A bad crank position sensor can worsen the way the engine idles, the pistons fire, or the
acceleration behavior. If the engine isrevved up with a bad or faulty sensor, it may cause
misfiring, motor vibration or backfires. Accelerating might be hesitant, and abnormal
shaking during engine idle might occur. In the worst case the car may not start.
The first sign of crankshaft sensor failure, usually, is the refusal of the engine to start
when hot but will start again once the engine has cooled. Another type of crank sensor is
used on bicycles to monitor the position of the crank set, usually for the cadence
readout of a cycle computer. These are usually reed switches with a corresponding
magnet attached to a spoke on the wheel.