Bridge Circuits

Stephen'Wilson'

RESISTIVE SENSORS
Fixed'resistance'+/5'small'change'R'
Examples:'
thermistors'
strain'gauges'
Generally,'we'measure'a'voltage'change'
Recall'5'Ohm s'Law'(E=I'x'R)'

R'''
R'

Voltage Dividers
Simple'half5bridge'

Vi'

Vo'='Vi'x'(R2/(R2'+'R1))'
Consider'the'case'when'R2'='R'+'R'

R1'

Vo'='Vi'x'(R2'+'R/(R2'+'R'+'R1))'
'R'is'small'

R2'+'R'

R2' R1'
What'happens'if'we'reverse'the'resistors?'

Vo'

Dividers vs. Bridge

Voltage'divider'is'simple!'
Always'a'DC'oset'though'
Possible'noise'problem'
Can'we'address'these'issues'
and'enhance'performance'?'

Wheatstone Bridge Circuit

One'sensor'conguraVon'

Output'Vo'is''Va'5'Vb'

So,'Va'='Ve'('R2+'R)/(R1+R2+'R)'

and'Vb'='Ve''(R4/R3+R4)'

R1'
Va'

Vo'='Ve((R4/R3+R4)'5'(R2+R/R1+R2+R))'

if'R1,'R2,'R3'and'R4'are'all'equal,'
Vo'='Ve/4'R'
'

Ve'

R2'+'R'

R3'
Vo'

Vb'
R4'

Bridge Sensitivity
Vo'='Ve/4'R''volts'per''
When'we'have'a'balanced'
bridge''and'small'changes,'
output'is'proporVonal'to'
excitaVon'voltage'and'linear.'
Can'we'improve'further'?'

Multiple sensors
Ve'
R1'
Va'
R2'+'R'

R3'+'R'
Vo'

Vb'
R4'

Excitation
Always'using'a'constant'
voltage'
Ve'
R1'
Va'
R2'+'R'

R3''
Vo'

Vb'
R4'

Self-Heating Effects
Ve'

TemptaVon'is'to'just'get'bigger!'
Recall:'E'='I'R'and'P'='I2R'
So,'what'happens'next?'
'

R1'
Va'
R2'+'R'

R3'
Vo'

Vb'
R4'

Self-Heating Effects

A^ribuVon'1'

other resistive sensors

Many'other'sensors'follow'the'
same'R'+'R'principle''
We'will'look'at'their'specic'
dierences'next.'

NTC'

Resistance,''

PTC'

RTD'
Temperature,''C'