BE 420 - Sensors and Instrumentation for Biological Systems

Instructor: Daniel M. Jenkins
Office: Agricultural Science 415L
Office Hours: TBA & by appointment
Telephone: 956-6069
Email: danielje@hawaii.edu

Grading:	Lab Reports & Projects:	45%
	Midterms (2):	15% each
	Final:	25%

Textbook:

Experimental Methods for Engineers (7th Ed.). J.P. Holman. 2001. McGraw Hill. ISBN# 0073660558

References:	Medical Instrumentation (3rd Ed.). Webster, J.G. 1998. John Wiley & Sons.
	Chemical Sensors and Biosensors. Eggins, B.R. 2002. John Wiley & Sons.
	Process Control Instrumentation Technology (7th Ed.). Johnson, C.D. 2002. Prentice Hall.

WebCT Site:	Course notes will be posted on WebCT:
	(Log on with your UH username and password, then select "MAN:Sensrs & Instrum for Biol Syst")

Prerequisites:

EE 160 (co requisite), EE 211, or consent.

Catalog Description:

4 units. Principles of common physical and chemical sensors. Interfacing sensors to different electronic circuits and data acquisition systems. Electronic detection and quantification of biomolecules (biosensors). Applied control for biological processes.

Syllabus

Week	Lecture	Lab
1	Fundamentals of measurement: error, precision, accuracy, calibration, standards...	Calibration and uncertainty analysis.
2	Instrumentation fundamentals: review of system dynamics, ideal op-amp characteristics, circuit analysis, and Laplace transforms.	Fundamental dynamics of sensor and instrumentation systems.
3	Sensors for environment: principles of temperature and humidity sensors; heat and mass transfer limitations.	Environmental sensors: temperature and humidity.
4	Metallic and piezoresistive strain gages: priciples and use to measure strain, force, pressure, acceleration. Higher order dynamic characteristics.	"Seismic" sensors for force, pressure, and acceleration. Analysis of higher order systems.
5	Piezoelectric transducers: principles, applications, instrumentation, characteristics at low frequency.	Excitation (electrical and mechanical) of piezoelectric materials; resonance; analysis of low frequency characteristics.
6	Sensors for position and displacement-principles and applications.	Application of LVDTs, encoders, potentiometers.
7	Optical sensors, principles and applications: Current sources, LED's, photoamplifiers, optoisolators. Advanced optical systems-optical filters, gratings, photodiode arrays, fiber optics.	Flash duration, optical density. Application of advanced systems-optical rangers, pyrometers, and fluorometers.
8	Basis of electrochemical potential. Redox reactions and ion-permeable membranes. Operation of potentiometric and amperometric electrodes. Impedance buffering. Temperature compensation.	Potentiometric electrodes for cations and pH. Impedance buffering with instrumentation amplifiers. Amperometric electrodes for O2.
9	Origin and measurement of bioelectric potentials. Active filters	Design and application of EKG.
10	Biosensor principles and design: challenges of specificity, sensitivity, durability, and miniaturization. Enzyme and chemical binding kinetics.	Design of a rudimentary biosensor: optical or amperometric enzyme sensor for glucose.
11	Introduction to applied systems for data acquisition and control-PC or programmable logic controllers.	Programming tutorial (LabVIEW or relay ladder logic).
12	Fundamentals of computer architecture and digital interfacing. Timers and counters.	Continue programming-addressing and interfacing external hardware.
13	Digital interfacing to power circuits.	Final project: process control.
14	Basics of (applied) control systems.	Final project: process control.
15	Open for contingencies, exams, review, and student evaluations.	Presentations of final project.

* Note that some topics above will require more or less than 1 week to cover, and the syllabus should not be considered an absolute guide to the amount of time spent on each topic.