Basic sensor technology
What is a sensor?
Sensors, sometimes referred to as ”transducers,” help us interact with the
world around us through an electrical or a mechanical device. The
technology measures or detects some property of the environment or
changes to that property over time. With one of the first temperature
sensors based on copper resistor developed in the late 1800s, there has been
rapid advancement in sensor technologies. Nowadays, even if you look
around you, you’ll see different forms of sensors everywhere. Smartphones,
laptops, cars, microwave ovens — you name it, and it will probably have at
least one sensor in it.
What types of sensors are there?
There are two types of sensors depending on what kind of property they
record. If the sensor captures data about the environment outside the
system in which it is present, it is an exteroceptive sensor. “Extero” means
outside or from the surroundings, and some common examples are
camera, LiDAR, radar, and ultrasonic/sonar sensors . Contrary to that, a
sensor is proprioceptive if it records data about the system itself.
“Proprios” means internal or one’s own, and some common examples
include GPS, inertial measurement unit (IMU) , and position sensors .
Sensors also categorize as digital or analog based on the type of output they
provide.
What is a sensor used for?
Industry applications
Sensors can be used anywhere one can think of. “Sensors can improve the
world through diagnostics in medical applications ; improved performance
of energy sources like fuel cells and batteries and solar power; improved
health and safety and security for people; sensors for exploring space and
the known universe; and improved environmental monitoring,” says The
Electrochemical Society. Let us now look into some of the applications in
which sensors play a vital role.
Manufacturing industry
With the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), sensing
technologies have become a core part of the manufacturing process.
Sensors enable industries to monitor, control, and automate the process and
increase safety. Sensors bring forth various benefits in manufacturing like
improved operational efficiency, improved asset management, and more
responsive product development.
The different types of sensors used for manufacturing are:
Temperature sensors
These are some of the most common in the manufacturing industry. A
temperature sensor is a crucial component that measures the temperature
change and allows us to monitor and control the heat flow in the process.
These sensors help us by providing freeze protection in water lines by
constantly tracing the heat supplied to the pipes or by limiting the heat
generated in loaded electrical machines, which can be lethal, both for the
device and humans, if not monitored.
Some standard temperature-sensing technologies indicate temperature
according to a change in the output voltage or resistance. Infrared sensors
are also employed for measuring the temperature at a large scale, as they
detect temperature by intercepting a portion of emitted infrared energy of
the object or substance without being in contact with the surface.
Pressure sensors
A pressure sensor is a device that measures the pressure in an environment
and converts it into an electrical signal. This signal is variable voltage or
current, and the range differs for different manufacturers. Potential
applications include monitoring pressure in compressors, cylinder tanks,
and hydraulics. They also play a pivotal role in detecting leaks in
equipment, thereby helping to avoid unnecessary loss of assets.
For such purposes, the MLH08KPSB01A Industrial Pressure
Sensors from Honeywell serve as a perfect example. These are heavy-duty
pressure sensors that work in the range of 6 bar to 550 bar and have
multiple output options, making them much more flexible and compatible
with existing systems. The MLH series sensors come with application-
specific integrated-circuit technology, increasing the value and
performance. Together with industry-standard electrical connectors and
pressure ports, they offer enhanced reliability and user flexibility.
Flow sensors
These sensors measure the flow rate for a liquid or a gas in a tube or a pipe.
Flow sensors measure changes in the fluid’s physical attributes and
calculate its flow using electrical or mechanical subsystems. They are
essential for applications in which the flow rate needs to be maintained
(e.g., pumping fuel into IC engines). Medical industries, HVAC, and
various intelligent energy applications extensively use flow sensors.
Learn about the top sensors used in smart manufacturing .
Automotive industry
According to a report by Argonne National Laboratory, the automotive
sensor market is driven by increased demand for convenience, comfort,
safety, efficiency, and environmental protection. With the rise in electric-
vehicle technology these days, systems like autonomous driving are being
implemented, relying entirely on sensors.
Some of the essential types of sensors used in the automotive industry are:
LiDAR
LiDAR sensing involves shooting light beams into the environment and
measuring the reflected return to map the environment completely. LiDAR
usually includes a spinning element with multiple stacked light sources and
outputs a 3D point-cloud map, which is excellent for assessing scene
geometry. It is an active sensor with a light source and therefore is not
affected by the environment’s lighting. So LiDAR does not face the same
challenges as cameras when operating in poor or variable lighting
conditions.
Proximity sensors
Sometimes also referred to as ultrasonic sensors, these are used as parking
assists, helping to park a vehicle safely and conveniently. Proximity
sensors emit high-frequency sound pulses, which are then reflected by any
obstacle near the car. The sensor receives the reflected pulse, and the time
taken for the bounceback is calculated.
Prototyping such technologies before actually implementing them as a
product in real life is essential, and for that, sensors like the MOD_CH101-
03-01 Proximity Sensor from InvenSense are used. Its sensing distance
ranges from 300 to 1,200 mm and operates at a maximum voltage of just
1.98 V. The module’s electronic interface is via a standard eight-pin flat
flex cable and comes with a 45˚ field of view.
Oxygen sensors
For automotive applications, oxygen sensors evaluate the measurement of
oxygen gas levels in the vehicle’s exhaust system. By comparing the
oxygen concentration in exhaust gas and oxygen in the air, these sensors
indirectly compute the air-fuel ratio entering the engine. Like the previous
sensors we saw, oxygen sensors provide variable voltage levels as output
proportional to the oxygen level. Oxygen sensor applications are not just
limited to automotive but are also used immensely in medical applications.
Learn more about sensor technologies used in the modern vehicle .
AI-enabled internet of things
Thanks to recent advancements in sensor technologies, we are witnessing a
new era of smart sensors . These “smart sensors” contain a base sensor
along with a dedicated microprocessor that filters or processes the collected
data to then provide a highly reliable output signal. By combining AI-based
software with these sensors, we can perform edge computing with ease
after collecting the sensor data locally. These sensors comply with various
communication standards such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee, thus
making its way into AIoT.
Some of the sensors used for these applications are:
Image sensors
Image sensors are solid-state devices that can convert photons into
electrical signals for displaying or storing optical images electronically. In
the IoT, these are used for remote surveillance through cameras, and when
combined with AI, these cameras can detect human faces and track them as
long as they are within the camera frame.
An excellent example of one such sensor is OV04686-H67A Image
Sensor from OmniVision Technologies. This 1/3-inch sensor supports
1080p resolution with 120 fps and delivers best-in-class low-light and
infrared performance. The OV04686 operates with a maximum voltage of 3
V and consumes 163 mA in active mode and as low as 1 mA in standby
mode.
IMU sensors
IMU sensors measure the acceleration experienced by an object due to
inertial forces or mechanical excitation. They usually consist of an
accelerometer, a gyroscope, and sometimes a magnetometer. They provide
indications of the pitch, roll, and heading of a moving system using these
three sensors. IMU sensors are widely used in smartwatches and
smartphones to track the user’s fitness activities and leverages IoT to
display the information and statistics in a user-friendly format like charts or
graphs.
The BHI260AP AI Smart Sensor from Bosch is an example of how IMU
sensors are integrated with AI. This smart sensor includes a 32-bit
programmable microcontroller along with a six-axis IMU, all in one
package. It automatically tracks a wide variety of fitness movements and
can provide relative and absolute orientation. All this is possible because of
the support of a self-learning AI software platform for fitness tracking.
BHI260AP operates at 1.8 V with an ultra-low power consumption of 386-
μA rating.
Humidity sensors
Humidity sensors detect moisture levels in the environment. Capacitive,
resistive, and thermal conductive types are some of the more common
humidity sensors. They are used where controlled moisture levels are
necessary, like for medical equipment, including pharmaceutical
processing. Weather-monitoring systems also use these sensors for remote
monitoring of humidity through IoT or other technologies.
Future of sensor technologies
As sensor applications continue to grow, so does the demand for sensors.
One thing to note is that a lack of reliable sensors would cripple most
automation industries. So producing high-quality sensors is essential, and
with the increase in competition among manufacturers, sensors are
becoming cheaper than ever before. The data collection of the physical
parameters with precision will also be a deciding factor for sensors used in
automation. Hence, reliability factor would be given a prior requirement for
sensors, even if the cost factor increases significantly.
Additionally, advancements in AI technologies will demand a precise
dataset generated from the sensors. This data will be used for training AI
models for classification and regression problems, and thus, sensors will
become smarter and more accurate in the future.