Unit II

Data Acquisition & Signal

Communication
Contents
 Signal Communication: Serial, Parallel; Synchronous, Asynchronous
 Introduction to DAQ, Types, Components of a Data Acquisition System (Sensor,

Signal conditioning, processing, controlling and storage/display/action)

 Data Acquisition: Signal collection, Signal conditioning – Isolation& Filtering,

Amplification
 Sampling, Aliasing, Sample and hold circuit, Quantization
 Analog-to-digital converters (4 bit Successive Approximation type ADC)
 Digital-to-Analog converters (4 bit R2R type DAC)
 Data storage Applications: DAQ in Household
 Digital Pressure Gauge, Digital Flow measurement, DVB Digital Video

Broadcast, AM/FM
Signal Communication

 Signal is function of time / Frequency

 Signal: information about behavior of certain phenomenon

 Types

Analog (Continuous Form)

Digital (Quantized Form)

Signal Communication

 Signal Communication needs to be efficient and reliable

 Representation of signal Communication

Signal Communication

 Types

Parallel

Serial

Synchronous

Asynchronous
Parallel Communication

 Consists of Separate wires

 To transmit 8 bit Data = 8 Wires are used

 To transfer data on parallel link = Separate line is used as

clock signal
 Function of wires (lines)

To inform the receiver that data is available

To inform the sender that data has been used

To inform the sender that its ready for next data

Parallel Communication
Serial Communication

 Each bit is sent over a single wire (i.e. one after another)

 No lines are used to convey clocks i.e. timing information

 If No clock information = receiver misinterprets arriving

data
 This may be due to bits being lost or too slow
Parallel Vs Serial Communication
Parallel Serial

Data transmitted simultaneously, as Data transmitted in linear fashion,

a single character one bit at a time

Multiple wires, running in parallel, Single wire to transmit data

transmit data

Faster data transmission speed Slower data transmission speed

Data transmitted over shorter Data transmitted over farther

distance distance

Increased noise and interference Reduced noise and interference

Expensive data transmission Economical data transmission

Example: IDE (Integrated Drive Example: USB, SATA (Serial Advanced

Electronics) connectors, PCI (Peripheral Technology Attachment)
Compone. Interconnect) expansion ports
Serial Communication

 Two types of serial transmission

(Based on how clock is embedded into serial data)

1. Asynchronous Serial Transmission

2. Synchronous Serial Transmission

Serial Communication

 Asynchronous Serial Transmission

 Sender and Receiver are not required to be present at the

same time during communication

 Data transfer: one bit at a time

 Time independent communication

 No clock signal used

 Transmission speed is slow

 Simple and cheaper

 Examples: Emails, Messages

Serial Communication

 Asynchronous Serial Transmission

Serial Communication

 Synchronous Serial Transmission

 Sender and receiver to be present at the same time

 Blocks of data are transferred at one time

 Time dependent communication

 Sender and receiver needs to be synchronized by external

clock
 Transmission speed is faster

 Complicated and expensive

 E.g. Telephonic Conversation, Chat, Video Conferencing

Serial Communication

 Synchronous Serial Transmission

Data Acquisition System
DAQ / DAS
Interfacing of Sensor to DAS/DAQ
Mechanical Amplifying
Sensors
System Electronics

Data Acquisition
Actuators System

Amplifying Data Acquisition Control System

Electronics System Micro-controller or
Computer
Interfacing of Sensor to DAS/DAQ
Interfacing of Sensor to DAQ/DAS
Example of DAQ/DAS
 Load Measurement system
Important Steps in DAS/DAQ
 Measuring the behavior of the system using the sensor

 Conditioning of the sensor output (Amplifying, Filtering)

 ADC

 Digital info: Acquisition, Processing, Recording

 DAC

 Conditioning of the Analog Signal (Amplifying, Filtering)

 Conditioning analog signal for actuator

 Interaction of the actuator with system to give desired

response
Important Steps in DAS/DAQ
 Signal Isolation

 Signal Filtering

 Amplification

 Signal Conditioning
Important Steps in DAS/DAQ
 Signal Isolation

-Used to transmit signal from a source to measuring

instrument without physical link

-Used to segregate potential signal disturbance sources

-If this disturbance source is not segregated, it will follow

the electrical path from sensor to processing circuitary

-Isolation types: Magnetic & Optical

-Magnetic: Transforms signal from voltage to magnetic

field -Signal is transmitted without physical connection

Important Steps in DAS/DAQ
 Signal Isolation

-Isolation types: Magnetic & Optical

-Optical: Uses electronic signal to modulate a signal

encoded by light transmission

-The decoded light transmission is used for input for next

stage of processing
Important Steps in DAS/DAQ
 Signal Filtering

Removing undesirable elements from signal

Removal of particular frequencies or frequency ranges

Not whole frequency spectrum includes meaningful data

E.g. 60 Hz AC Power lines generates noise if amplified and

creates interference
Important Steps in DAS/DAQ
 Amplification

Improves resolution of input signal

Raises signal to noise ratio

Important Steps in DAS/DAQ
 Signal Conditioning

ADC

DAC
Bit Width

 Analog signal is represented by arithmetic value

Digital Signal

Analog Signal

Bit
Sampling Theorem

 Reduction of continuous time signal to discrete time signal

 Sample is set of values at a point in time

 Extracting sample from continuous signal

Nyquist Sampling Theorem

 If the complete variation of signal of frequency ‘n’ with

respect to time is to be correctly obtained by sampling

then, the sampling rate or sampling frequency has to be at

least ‘2n’ & this rate is called as ‘Nyquist Rate’

Proper and Improper Sampling
Aliasing
 Aliasing cause due to wrong sampling

 Caused when sampling frequency < 2 x Signal frequency

 Aliasing creates different signal when reconstructed from

samples taken from continuous signal

Reconstructed Actual
Signal Signal
Aliasing
Sample and Hold Circuit
 Used in ADC

 Used to stabilize the voltage while it is being converted to

digital value
 Consist of voltage holding capacitor and voltage follower

 Switch is closed = O/p Voltage Equal to I/p Voltage

 Switch is Open = Capacitor holds voltage corresponding to

last sample value

Quantization (to subdivide)
 Used in ADC to create series of digital values

 Entire data range is divided into L equal intervals of length

 QInput sample values are

subdivided into finite set

 The output is assigned to

discrete value
 Types: Uniform &

Nonuniform
Analog / Digital Signal
Analog System

Digital Control
System
Analog to Digital Converter

 Engineering Signals are continuous and vary over time

 Analog- Digital Conversion process

Analog to Digital Conversion
1-bit analog to
digital
conversion

2-bit analog to
digital
conversion

3-bit analog to
digital
conversion

Higher the number of bits, better is the conversion accuracy

Analog to Digital Converter
Working of ADC

2n (Where, n= No of bit)
Working of ADC
 Two step process

 Quantization

Continuous analog input into discrete output states

 Coding

Assigning Digital Code word of number to each output

Working of ADC
 Two step process

 Quantization

Analog Quantization size Q is given by,

Where, (Vmax – Vmin) = Range of ADC

n = No of O/P States

= Bit of ADC
Successive Approximation
Register Type ADC
 SAR = 0

 SAR Start, MSB= 1

 DAC Produces analog voltage

= Digital Code output of SAR

 If Analog voltage exceeds Vin

Comparator resets SAR to 0

 If Analog voltage doesn’t exceed Vin

bit is left at 1
Successive Approximation
Register Type ADC
Analog / Digital Converter

 Example

 12 Bit DAC Input Range 0 to10 V

 Detects 2.4 mV change

 Change

 12 Bit DAC Input Range -10 to10 V

 Detects 4.8 mV change

 Change
Analog / Digital Converter:
Problem
Analog / Digital Converter:
Problem
DAC
 Voltages are summed together to produce analog output
DAC

 Three voltages are

summed together
 Three-bit Binary code is

represented by switches
 Center and bottom

switches are on analog

output is 6 Volts
R 2 R Digital to Analog Converter
 4 Bit DAC using R 2 R Approach
R 2 R Digital to Analog Converter
 For binary input 0001: b0 Switch is connected to Op-Amp

 Similarly, & &

R 2 R Digital to Analog Converter
 For binary input 1111: voltage V0 is then equal to:

…In general, for 4-Bit

DAC
R 2 R DAC Example
 An 8-bit R-2R DAC has a Vref of 10 Volts. The binary input is

10011011. Find the analog output voltage.

 6.0546 Volts
R 2 R DAC Example (Method II)
 An 8-bit R-2R DAC has a Vref of 10 Volts. The binary input is

10011011. Find the analog output voltage.

  Solution

𝟐𝟖
Voltage Amplifier
 Non inverting type voltage amplifier

 Amplifies voltage output

 Voltage I/P is applied to non-inverting terminal

 Gain is positive & greater than unity

 Feedback resistor Rf to give stable, self corrected and

unsaturated output

 Rf 
Vout  Vin 1  
 R2 
Current Amplifier
 Current amplification by step by step process

 Use of multiple transistors

 β (Gain of Transistor) = =

 Output current = Input Current x Gain β

DAQ Industrial Application
 In electronic factories to gather test data collected from

Circuit board, to Calibrate electronic equipment, to record

process calibration history

 To monitor temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc.

 In scientific labs to gather data from experiments.

 In refrigerated warehouses for temperature

measurements
Digital Pressure Gauge
 Consists of Pressure transducer, Power source, Signal

conditioner
Digital Pressure Gauge
 Consists of Pressure transducer, Power source, Signal

conditioner
Digital Flow measurement
 Magnetic Flowmeters (Unit I)

 Vortex Flowmeters

 Ultrasonic Flowmeters (Unit I)

Digital Flow measurement
 Vortex Flowmeters
Digital Video Broadcasting
 Used for Satellite, Cable television

 For Formats like MPEG (Moving Picture Experts group)

Digital Video Broadcasting
 Used for Satellite, Cable television

 For Formats like MPEG (Moving Picture Experts group)

AM FM
 AM: Amplitude Modulation
AM FM
 FM: Frequency Modulation