Profession sensor engineer

Sensor engineers design and develop sensors, sensor systems and products that are equipped with sensors. They plan and monitor the manufacture of these products.

Personality Type

• Investigative / Realistic
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Control engineering

  Subdiscipline of engineering that focuses on controlling the behaviour of systems through the use of sensors and actuators.

• Mathematics

  Mathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to prove the truth or falsity of these conjectures. There are many fields of mathematics, some of which are widely used for practical applications.

• Design drawings

  Understand design drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.

• Physics

  The natural science involving the study of matter, motion, energy, force and related notions.

• Sensors

  Sensors are transducers that can detect or sense characteristics in their environment. They detect changes in the apparatus or environment and provide a corresponding optical or electrical signal. Sensors are commonly divided in six classes: mechanical, electronic, thermal, magnetic, electrochemical, and optical sensors.

• Electronic equipment standards

  The national and international quality and safety standards and regulations with regards to the use and manufacture of electronic equipment and its components, such as semiconductors and printed circuit boards.

• Electronic test procedures

  Testing protocols that enable a variety of analyses of electronic systems, products, and components. These tests include the testing of electrical properties, such as voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, and inductance as well as the testing of specific electronic components, such as the electron tubes, semiconductors, integrated circuits, and batteries. These tests include visual inspection, performance tests, environment tests, and safety tests.

• Electricity principles

  Electricity is created when electric current flows along a conductor. It entails the movement of free electrons between atoms. The more free electrons are present in a material, the better this material conducts. The three main parameters of electricity are the voltage, current (ampère), and resistance (ohm).

• Electricity

  Understand the principles of electricity and electrical power circuits, as well as the associated risks.

• Engineering principles

  The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.

• Environmental legislation

  The environmental policies and legislation applicable in a certain domain.

• Electronics

  The functioning of electronic circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including programming and applications. Apply this knowledge to ensure electronic equipment runs smoothly.

• Microsensors

  Devices with a size smaller than 1 mm that can convert a non-electric signal, such as temperature, into an electrical signal. Because of their size, microsensors offer better accuracy, range, and sensitivity compared to larger sensors.

• Environmental threats

  The threats for the environment which are related to biological, chemical, nuclear, radiological, and physical hazards.

Skills

• Analyse test data

  Interpret and analyse data collected during testing in order to formulate conclusions, new insights or solutions.

• Conduct literature research

  Conduct a comprehensive and systematic research of information and publications on a specific topic. Present a comparative evaluative literature summary.

• Conduct quality control analysis

  Conduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.

• Perform scientific research

  Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.

• Model sensor

  Model and simulate sensors, products using sensors, and sensor components using technical design software. This way the viability of the product can be assessed and the physical parameters can be examined before the actual building of the product.

• Approve engineering design

  Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.

• Develop electronic test procedures

  Develop testing protocols to enable a variety of analyses of electronic systems, products, and components.

• Read engineering drawings

  Read the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.

• Prepare production prototypes

  Prepare early models or prototypes in order to test concepts and replicability possibilities. Create prototypes to assess for pre-production tests.

• Abide by regulations on banned materials

  Comply with regulations banning heavy metals in solder, flame retardants in plastics, and phthalate plasticisers in plastics and wiring harness insulations, under EU RoHS/WEEE Directives and China RoHS legislation.

• Record test data

  Record data which has been identified specifically during preceding tests in order to verify that outputs of the test produce specific results or to review the reaction of the subject under exceptional or unusual input.

• Adjust engineering designs

  Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.

• Report analysis results

  Produce research documents or give presentations to report the results of a conducted research and analysis project, indicating the analysis procedures and methods which led to the results, as well as potential interpretations of the results.

• Use technical drawing software

  Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.

• Test sensors

  Test sensors using appropriate equipment. Gather and analyse data. Monitor and evaluate system performance and take action if needed.

• Design sensors

  Design and develop different types of sensors according to specifications, such as vibration sensors, heat sensors, optical sensors, humidity sensors, and electric current sensors.

• Design prototypes

  Design prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.

• Operate scientific measuring equipment

  Operate devices, machinery, and equipment designed for scientific measurement. Scientific equipment consists of specialised measuring instruments refined to facilitate the acquisition of data.

• Perform data analysis

  Collect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB