(Editor’s Note: This article, translated from ulinkmedia. )
Sensors have become ubiquitous. They existed long before the Internet, and certainly long before the Internet of Things (IoT). Modern smart sensors are available for more applications than ever before, the market is changing, and there are many drivers for growth.
Cars, cameras, smartphones, and factory machines that support the Internet of Things are just a few of the many applications markets for sensors.
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Sensors in the Physical World of the Internet
With the advent of the Internet of Things, the digitization of manufacturing (we call it Industry 4.0), and our continuous efforts for digital transformation in all sectors of the economy and society, smart sensors are being applied in various industries and the sensor market is growing faster and faster.
In fact, in some ways, smart sensors are the “real” foundation of the Internet of Things. At this stage of iot deployment, many people still define iot in terms of iot devices. The Internet of Things is often viewed as a network of connected devices, including smart sensors. These devices can also be called sensing devices.
So they include other technologies like sensors and communications that can measure things and convert what they measure into data that can then be applied in different ways. The purpose and context of the application (for example, what connection technology is used) determines which sensors are used.
Sensors and Smart Sensors – What’s in the name?
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Definitions of Sensors and Smart Sensors
Sensors and other IoT devices are the foundation layer of the IoT technology stack. They capture the data our applications need and pass it on to the higher communication, platform systems. As we explain in our introduction to iot technology, an iot “project” can use multiple sensors. The type and number of sensors used depend on project requirements and project intelligence. Take an intelligent oil rig: it can have tens of thousands of sensors.
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Definition of Sensors
Sensors are converters, like so-called actuators. Sensors convert energy from one form to another. For smart sensors, this means that sensors can “sense” conditions in and around the devices they are connected to and the physical objects they use (states and environments).
Sensors can detect and measure these parameters, events, or changes and communicate them to higher-level systems and other devices that can then use the data for manipulation, analysis, and so on.
A sensor is a device that detects, measures, or indicates any specific physical quantity (such as light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure, or similar entity) by converting them into any other form (primarily electrical pulses) (from: United Market Research Institute).
Parameters and events that sensors can “sense” and communicate include physical quantities such as light, sound, pressure, temperature, vibration, humidity, presence of a particular chemical composition or gas, movement, presence of dust particles, etc.
Obviously, sensors are an important part of the Internet of Things and need to be very accurate because sensors are the first place to get data.
When the sensor senses and sends information, the actuator is activated and operational. The actuator receives the signal and sets the motion it needs to take action in the environment. The image below makes it more tangible and shows some of the things we can “feel”. IoT sensors are different in that they take the form of sensor modules or development boards (usually designed for specific use cases and applications) and so on.
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Definition of Smart Sensor
The term “smart” has been used with numerous other terms before it was used with the Internet of Things. Smart buildings, smart waste management, smart homes, smart light bulbs, smart cities, smart street lighting, smart offices, smart factories and so on. And, of course, smart sensors.
Smart sensors differ from sensors in that smart sensors are advanced platforms with onboard technologies such as microprocessors, storage, diagnostics and connectivity tools that convert traditional feedback signals into true digital insights (Deloitte)
In 2009, the International Frequency Sensors Association (IFSA) surveyed several people from academia and industry to define a smart sensor. After the shift to digital signals in the 1980s and the addition of a host of new technologies in the 1990s, most sensors could be called smart sensors.
The 1990s also saw the emergence of the concept of “pervasive computing”, which is considered an important factor in the development of the Internet of Things, especially as embedded computing advances. Around the mid 1990s, the development and application of digital electronics and wireless technologies in sensor modules continued to grow, and the transmission of data on the basis of sensing and so on became increasingly important. Today, this is evident in the Internet of Things. In fact, some people mentioned sensor networks before the term Internet of Things even existed. So, as you can see, a lot has happened in the smart sensor space in 2009.
Post time: Nov-04-2021