Biomedical Instrumentation Practice Test: Physiological Transducers — Flashcards

Physiological transducers are devices that convert one form of energy into another. They are often used to convert non-electric phenomena associated with physiological events into electric quantities. 

Some types of physiological transducers are:
Displacement transducers: Used to measure the movement of liquids through the heart valves. They can be converted into pressure transducers by attaching a diaphragm to the moving member of the transducer.
Piezoelectric transducers: Convert displacement or pressure into an electrical value.
FNIR transducers: Introduce two or more wavelengths of light through a tissue volume to evaluate the chemical composition. They are used to measure changes in the concentration of oxygenation and deoxygenation in the tissue volume.
Physiological pressure transducers: Highly accurate and robust piezo-resistive transducers.
Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDT): Used for measuring physiological pressure. They generally work in conjunction with carrier amplifiers.
Isometric force transducers: Measure the force of contraction of isolated tissues under conditions of constant force.
Isotonic transducers: Measure displacements with pre-adjusted loads. They are used for measuring the contraction amplitude of isolated muscles in organ bath studies. 

When selecting pressure transducers, you can consider things such as: 
Accuracy, Pressure type, Pressure range, Signal output, Ambient and media temperature, Wetted material, Body material, Enclosure rating. 

Topics include: Transducers Classification, Transducers Characteristics, Position Transducers, Pressure Transducers, Temperature Transducers, Photoelectric Transducers, Optical Fiber Sensors, Biosensors, & Smart Sensors.

Related: Biomedical Instrumentation Practice Test: Bioelectric Signal & Electrodes