Smart sensor interfaces

The importance of integrated microsystems is continuously growing because of the combination of two trends: the progress of the silicon sensor technology and the introduction of new circuit techniques for designing the interface circuits. This paper reviews the most common issues in smart sensor design in terms of three examples, UV detection system, a magnetic vector probe and an air conditioning multisensor, which require increasingly complex and sophisticated interface circuits. The experimental results reported demonstrate the effectiveness of the microsystems approach in several application areas.