IoT Sensor Working and Its Applications

The term IoT stands for Internet of Things and it is the most significant as well as promising technology nowadays. Some of the researchers in the market estimated that there are a billion devices are connected with sensors like wearables, smartphones, etc. Currently, every sensor plays an essential role in the Internet of Things. These sensors are mainly used for detecting or monitoring the quality of air, health status, home security, etc. Similarly, these sensors are used in IoT for monitoring the process of production, so named as IoT sensor. Because of these reasons, one has to know about its importance, working, and its usage to obtain information.

What is an IoT Sensor?

There are different types of sensors available in the market which is used for different applications like to collect the data from the environment. In an IoT ecosystem, there are two main things we have to consider like the internet & the physical devices such as actuators & sensors. The sensor and network connectivity in the IoT mainly located in the bottom layer. The main function of this is to collect the information. This bottom layer in the IoT is a very important part, and it includes connectivity of network to next layer like the gateway & network layer.

The main function of these sensors is to gather information from the surroundings. The connection of these to IoT can be done directly otherwise indirectly once the conversion of signal & processing is done. All the sensors are not similar because different IoT applications need different kinds of sensors. For example, the interfacing of digital sensors with a microcontroller with the help of SPI bus (Serial Peripheral Interface). Although for analog sensors, either ADC otherwise Sigma-Delta modulator can be applicable for changing the data into SPI o/p.

Types of IoT Sensors

The different types of IoT sensors available in the market. Here is the IoT sensors list with its working is discussed below.

Temperature Sensor

The temperature sensor is used to detect the heat energy which is produced from an object otherwise nearby area. These sensors are applicable for the Internet of Things (IoT), which includes from manufacturing to farming. The main role of these sensors in manufacturing is for temperature monitoring of machines. Similarly, in the agriculture field, these sensors are used to monitor the temperature of plants, soil, and water.

Temperature sensors are thermistors, thermocouples, ICs (integrated circuits), and RTDs (resistor temperature detectors). The applications of temperature sensors mainly include refrigerators, ACs, etc.

Smoke Sensor

Smoke sensors have been using in various applications like homes, industries, etc. These sensors are very convenient as well as easy to use by the arrival of the Internet of Things. Also, by adding a wireless connection to smoke detectors, the additional features can be enabled to increase security & ease.

Motion Sensor

The motion sensor is used for security reasons however these are also used in hand dryers, energy management systems, automatic parking systems, automatic door controls, automated toilet flushers, automated sinks, etc. These sensors are also applicable for the Internet of Things to check them with the help of computer otherwise smartphone.

Humidity Sensors

Humidity sensors are used to monitor the level of humidity in the amount of vapor of water within the air. Otherwise, it will influence the comfort of human & several industrialized processes. The units for measurement humidity is RH (relative humidity), D/F PT (/frost point) & PPM (parts per million).

Pressure Sensor

The pressure sensors are used in IoT for monitoring devices and systems which are determined by force signals. As the range of pressure is outside the threshold stage, then the device gives an alert to the user regarding the issues that must be fixed. The best example of a pressure sensor is BMP180, which can be used in PDAs, mobile phones; external device, GPS navigation devices, etc. These sensors are also applicable in aircraft and smart vehicles to decide altitude & force correspondingly. In a motor vehicle, TMPS (tire pressure monitoring system) can also be used for giving an alert to the driver while tire pressure is extremely less & it could make unsafe driving situations.

Gas Sensor

Gas sensors are mainly used for detecting toxic gases. The most frequently used technologies are photo-ionization, semiconductor, and electrochemical. There are different types of gas sensors are available based on technical specifications & advancements to expand the connectivity of wired & wireless arranged within IoT applications.

IR Sensors

Infrared sensors are mainly used to measure the heat which is produced by objects. These sensors are used in the various applications of IoT like healthcare for monitoring the flow of blood, BP, etc. These sensors are used in smartphones for controlling, wearable devices for detecting the amount of light, detection of blind-spot within vehicles, etc.

Accelerometer Sensor

Accelerometer sensors are utilized in aircrafts vehicles, smartphones. Similarly, these are used in different applications to identify the direction of an object, tilt, tap, shake, positioning, and motion, vibration, or shock. Types of accelerometers are like capacitive, Hall-effect & piezoelectric.

Image Sensor

Image sensors are applicable in medical imaging systems, media house, thermal imaging devices, digital cameras, night-vision equipment, sonars, radars, & biometric systems. These sensors are used in the retail industry for monitoring the visiting count of the customers in the store with the help of network like IoT. The applications of image sensors mainly include offices, corporate buildings for monitoring the employees.

Proximity Sensors

Proximity sensors are used to detect the existence or nonexistence of a near object with no physical contact. These sensors are classified into different types like capacitive, inductive, ultrasonic, magnetic, and photoelectric. These sensors are frequently used for process monitoring, control, and object counters.

This is all about an overview of IoT sensors. These sensors play a key role in our daily life. These are used to check your health status, home security, air quality, and are extensively used within the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) to observe the process in production. Internet of Things allows detection, heightened surveillance, and monitoring to combine for improving health & increasing safety. What are IoT sensor protocols?