TRANSDUCER
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
|
Vol. (num.) |
2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3608 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
Some device or system that conveys matter , energy
or
information
from a system, or
subsystem
to another one or, from or to the
environment .
J. MILLER defines three types of transducers: input , internal and output
transducers, all related to
information
processing. For
matter-energy
transport he uses three other labels, namely:
ingestor , converter
and
extruder , which obviously correspond to the three information
transducers.
Some authors, as for example T. ÖREN use the concept of “ energy transducer” in the following way:
- “An
energy
transducer is a device that either:
1) converts an input energy
into an
output energy
that is of a different nature than the
input energy
or
2) provides knowledge
about the
input energy .
An active transducer directly generates an output
signal . A passive transducer requires additional excitation energy , which is modified by the transducer“ (1990, p.12).
ÖREN distinguishes the three following types of transducers:
- “The first type of transducer is an
energy -converting device that can sense energy
(heat, radiation, or sound) and convert it into electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, or another form of
output signal . Examples include microphones, thermocouples and piezoelectric transducers…
- “The second type of transducer: 1) receives stimulation from a physical
situation
or condition that is the object of
measurement
(the measurand) and 2) converts that stimulation into a definitely associated
signal
that is more appropiate or convenient as
input
to a
measurement
system.
- “A computer
program
is a
knowledge
transducer. Similar to any energy transducer, a computer
program
has an
input knowledge
and an
output knowledge ” (ÖREN, 1990, p.13).
MILLER's input , internal, and output
transducers are other example of ÖREN's third type, but not only in man made
mechanisms , since they exist at the eight complexity
levels
described by MILLER from the
cell
to the supra-national system with various kinds of
energy
and
information
inputs
and
outputs .
Moreover, it seems that the word “ knowledge ”, as used by ÖREN in the present context, could be replaced by the word “ information ” (see B. ZEIGLER comments on “ knowledge ” and internal representation , 1986).