Transcript Introduction to Engineering and Technology Concepts

Introduction to Engineering and
Technology Concepts
Optical and Fluid Technologies
Objective
• Students will define optical and fluid technologies.
Optical Technologies
• “Could you imagine a trip to the grocery
store and having to manually punch in the
bar code numbers for each type of food
item you purchase instead of scanning it?
What other types of scanning devices
make our lives easier?”
Optical Technologies
• Optical Technologies consider the
reaction to visible light waves
• Optical properties include color (waves
that are reflected), optical transmission
(ability to pass light waves), and optical
reflectivity (ability to reflect light waves)
• Think about microscopes, lasers, fiber optics,
bar code readers, and scanners…how do they
play a role in our lives?
Optical Sensors
• Optical sensors can be used as a monitoring device, in
which levels of light or changes in the intensity of light
can be measured
Photo Cell
Voltmeter
Light
Optics and Communication
• We’ve been seeing how science and other
subjects relate to technology.
• In truth, communication and optics have a lot to
do with each other.
• Information has been transmitted with light for
many years.
• One of the first kinds of methods used was
smoke signals.
• More recently, flags and flashing lights have
been used to convey information
Fiber Optics
• Still, the aforementioned techniques are limited
by the distance the information can be sent.
• Fiber optics are channels that guide light waves
through internal reflection over some distance.
• Internal reflection means that when the light
waves strike the outer edge of the fiber, they
are reflected back towards the center.
• Optical communication of this type is called
guided optical transmission, which began
development in the 1960s
Fiber Optics (continued)
• A typical fiber-optic cable has three layers.
• The outside layer is a protective plastic coating.
• The middle layer is called cladding, which reflects light
waves back into the glass fiber.
• The inner layer is a strand of glass called the core. The
individual core strands are as small as human hairs.
• Several hundred of these strands are bundled together into
larger cables, with each of these waveguides carrying
numerous messages.
• In fact, billions of bits of information per second can move
down an optical fiber.
• Besides communication, fiber optics are finding their way
into the medical field in the endoscope device, which can
look inside the human body…possibly preventing
unnecessary surgery
Fluid Power Systems
• Fluid Power Systems use either liquids or
gases to transfer power from one place to
another
• Systems that use air are called pneumatic
systems.
• Liquids are used in hydraulic systems
References
• Wright, R. (2004) “Technology” The
Goodheart-Willcox Company, Inc.