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handbook of modern sensors

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16.1 Thermoresistive Sensors 479<br />

Fig. 16.13. Volt–ampere characteristic <strong>of</strong><br />

a PTC thermistor.<br />

It is important to understand that for the PTC thermistors, two factors play a key<br />

role: environmental temperature and a self-heating effect. Either one <strong>of</strong> these two<br />

factors shifts the thermistor’s operating point.<br />

The temperature sensitivity <strong>of</strong> the PTC thermistor is reflected in the volt–ampere<br />

characteristic <strong>of</strong> Fig. 16.13.According to Ohm’s law, a regular resistor with a near-zero<br />

TCR has a linear characteristic.ANTC thermistor has a positive curvature <strong>of</strong> the volt–<br />

ampere dependence. An implication <strong>of</strong> the negative TCR is that if such a thermistor is<br />

connected to a hard voltage source, 5 a self-heating due to Joule heat dissipation will<br />

result in resistance reduction. In turn, that will lead to a further increase in current and<br />

more heating. If the heat outflow from the NTC thermistor is restricted, a self-heating<br />

may eventually cause overheating and a catastrophic destruction <strong>of</strong> the device.<br />

Because <strong>of</strong> positive TCRs, metals do not overheat when connected to hard voltage<br />

sources and behave as self-limiting devices. For instance, a filament in an incandescent<br />

lamp does not burn out because the increase in its temperature results in an<br />

increase in resistance, which limits current. This self-limiting (self-regulating) effect<br />

is substantially enhanced in the PTC thermistors. The shape <strong>of</strong> the volt–ampere characteristic<br />

indicates that in a relatively narrow temperature range, the PTC thermistor<br />

possesses a negative resistance; that is,<br />

R x =− V x<br />

i . (16.39)<br />

This results in the creation <strong>of</strong> an internal negative feedback which makes this device a<br />

self-regulating thermostat. In the region <strong>of</strong> negative resistance, any increase in voltage<br />

5 A hard voltage source means any voltage source having a near-zero output resistance and<br />

capable <strong>of</strong> delivering unlimited current without a change in voltage.

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