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Automated Systems
Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

1. Sensors
Definition of a sensor:
An input device used to measure the physical properties of the surrounding environment.

Sensor Description

Purpose:

• Measures temperature of the surroundings

Example of uses:
Temperature
• Monitors the temperature in a central heating system/greenhouse

• Monitors the temperature of a chemical process

• Checks whether the water in a kettle is boiling

Purpose:

• Measures amount of water in a sample, for example soil

Moisture Example of uses:

• Monitors the water levels in soil in a greenhouse

• Monitors the water levels in a food processing factory

Purpose:

• Measures amount of water vapor of the surrounding air

Humidity Example of uses:

• Monitors humidity levels in a greenhouse/building/factory

• Checks whether the air is dry enough in a spray-painting garage

Purpose:

• Measures light brightness in an environment

Example of uses:
Light
• Monitors light intensity in automatic street lighting

• Monitors the brightness of the environment in greenhouse

• Automatically switches on a car's headlights when it gets dark

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Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

Purpose:

• Detects motion by using invisible infra-red beam that is picked up by a

Infra-red
detector; if the beam is broken, then motion is detected
(Motion)
Example of uses:

• Detects motion in a room for a security system/burglar alarm system

• Detecting whether a person is approaching automatic doors

• Counts people entering/leaving a building

Purpose:

• Measures the amount of pressure applied

Example of uses:
Pressure
• Detects intruders in a security system/burglar alarm system

• Checks the weight of a vehicle

• Monitors a process where gas pressure is important

Purpose:

• Measures the acidity or alkalinity levels

Example of uses:
pH
• Monitors the acidity or alkalinity levels in the soil in a greenhouse

• Pollution monitoring in rivers

• Monitors acidity levels in a chemical process

Purpose:

• Detects presence of a gas in the surroundings

• Measures the amount of a gas in the surroundings

Example of uses:
Gas (e.g. O2 or
• Monitors pollution levels in a river or in the air
CO2)
• Monitors O2 and CO2 levels in a greenhouse

• Checks for CO2 leaks in a power station

• Monitors oxygen levels in a car exhaust

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Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

Purpose:

• Measures the changes in magnetic fields

Example of uses:
Magnetic field
• Counting vehicles that cross a bridge

• Monitoring vehicles that enter a car park

• Used in anti-lock braking systems (ABS) in motor vehicles

Purpose:

• Measures noise/sound levels in the surroundings

Acoustic/Sound Example of uses:

• Picks up noise levels (e.g. footsteps) in a burglar alarm system

• Detects the sound of liquids dripping at a faulty pipe joint

Purpose:

• Measures changes in velocity (speed and direction) which includes

vibrations, acceleration and deceleration
Accelerometer
Example of uses:

• Used in cars to measure rapid deceleration and apply air bags in a crash

• In mobile phones to detect change between landscape and portrait mode

Purpose:

• Detects the presence of a nearby object

Proximity
Example of uses:

• Detects when a face is close to a mobile phone screen

Purpose:

• Measures the amount of liquid/gas flowing through an environment

Example of uses:

Flow • Monitors gas flow in pipes

• Monitors flow in respiratory devices and inhalers in hospitals

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Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

Purpose:

• Measures the level of a liquid in a certain space

Level Example of uses:

• Measures the level of a petrol tank in a car

• Detects leaks in air conditioning

2. Automated Systems
Definition:
A combination of software and hardware designed and programmed to work automatically
without the need for any human intervention.

An automated system consists of:

• Sensors to take readings
• Microprocessor to process data
• Actuators to do mechanical output // Output devices to display data

Definition of Microprocessor:
A type of integrated circuit contained on a single chip.

General advantages of using automated systems:

• Take more accurate readings than humans
• Higher productivity than humans
• Can work 24/7
• Produce more consistent results than humans
• Less expensive in the long run than employing humans
• Work continuously with no breaks..
- .. so any necessary action is initiated immediately
• Increases safety..
- .. as employees do not need to do dangerous tasks
• Can increase jobs/skills..
- .. as employees are needed to learn/maintain the equipment
• No need for workers to do repetitive tasks..
- .. so they can use their time on more skilled tasks

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Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

General disadvantages of using automated systems:

• A faulty sensor can give false results
• Subject to cyber attacks
• Expensive to set up/install
• Needs more maintenance than traditional systems, which is expensive
• May lead to deskilling of the workforce

2.1 Domestic applications

Regulating the temperature in an air conditioning system

Steps:
1 Temperature sensor continually sends digitized value/reading to the microprocessor
2 Microprocessor compares temperature data with stored value/pre-set value
3 If the temperature value is greater than or equal to the stored value, the
microprocessor sends a signal to an actuator to turn on the cooling unit
4 If the temperature value is less than the stored value, the microprocessor sends a
signal to an actuator to turn off the cooling unit
5 The whole process repeats until the user turns off the system

Detecting intruders in a security syetem/burglar alarm system

Steps:
1 Sensors continually send digitized value/reading to the microprocessor:
§ The infra-red sensor picks up the movement of an intruder in the building
§ The acoustic sensor picks up sounds such as footsteps or breaking glass
§ The pressure sensor picks up the weight of an intruder
2 Microprocessor compares data from sensors with stored values
3 If data is inside the acceptable range, then no action will be taken

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Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

4 If any of the incoming data values are outside the acceptable range, then the
microprocessor sends a signal to actuator to :
§ A siren to sound the alarm
§ A light to start flashing
5 The alarm continues to sound, and lights continue to flash until the system is reset
with a password

2.2 Transport

Adaptive cruise control

Steps:
1 Proximity sensor on the car continually sends digitized
value/reading to the microprocessor
2 Microprocessor calculates the distance to the car in front
3 Microprocessor compares the calculated distance to a stored value (safe distance)
4 If distance between vehicles is less than the safe distance, a signal is sent by the
microprocessor to actuator to:
- Apply brakes
- Reduce throttle
5 If the distance between vehicles is greater than the safe distance, the microprocessor
will send a signal to the actuator to:
- Release brakes
- Increase throttle
6 The whole process repeats until the driver switches off the adaptive cruise control
system

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Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

2.3 Industrial applications

Control of a nuclear power station

Steps:
1 Sensors continually send digitized values/readings (temperature, pressure, flow, level,
etc.) to the microprocessor
2 Microprocessor compares data from sensors with stored values
3 If values are inside the accepted range, no action will be taken by the microprocessor
4 If any value is outside the accepted range, a signal is sent by the microprocessor..
5 ..to actuators to open/close water pumps, valves, gas pumps, etc.
6 The whole process repeats until the system is turned off

2.4 Science

Monitoring chemical processes in a laboratory

Steps:
1 Sensors continually send digitized values/readings to the microprocessor
- Temperature sensor to measure the temperature
- Pressure sensor to measure the pressure
- pH sensor to measure the pH
- Level sensor to measure the level of the liquids in the experiment
- Flow sensor to measure the flow of the gas and liquid in the experiment
2 Microprocessor compares data from the sensors with stored value/pre-set value
3 If the sensor data is greater than or equal to the stored value, the microprocessor
sends a signal to the screen to display a warning message and to a buzzer to sound an
alarm
4 If the sensor data is less than the stored value, no action will be taken
5 The whole process repeats until the monitoring process stops

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Ch.4: Automated Systems Eng. Omar El Safty

2.5 Gaming applications

Gaming console controllers

Sensors used:

• Accelerometer
- Measures and responds to tilting the gaming device
forward/backward and side to side
• Proximity sensor
- In-touch pads that can detect finger position, thus increasing user awareness

Main advantage of automated systems in gaming:

Allow increased human interaction with the game.

2.6 Retail

Automatic stock control

Steps:
• Product ID scanned from barcode reader
• Product ID is searched in the stock database
• If the product is found, it decrements the product stock by 1/quantity sold
• If the product is not found, an error message is displayed
• If stock is below a certain level, the system automatically re-orders stock from the
suppliers

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