Common Sensor Types in the Internet of Things

Internet of Things (IOT) is the most popular technology buzzword in recent years. It refers to the collection, sharing and analysis of data, and creating value from it. But without accurate data, the Internet of Things will also become a pair of useless technologies. Therefore, the importance of sensors and actuators enables them to perceive the world around them and act accordingly.

Learn about sensors and actuators

The Internet of Things consists of several technical layers that enable ordinary things to share data and ultimately provide intelligence, autonomous action and value, and these are largely dependent on the quality of the data itself. Therefore, sensors and actuators are an indispensable part of the Internet of Things technology, and are also the success or failure factors in the development of every Internet of Things system.

Obviously, sensors and actuators are very important for the Internet of Things, but what are they? A sensor, also called a transducer, is a device whose task is to monitor events or changes in the surrounding environment and convert these physical phenomena (such as temperature, light, air temperature, movement, chemical substances, etc.) into the output signal, then be interpreted meaningfully. On the other hand, actuators can be viewed as tools that have the opposite function of sensors. By interpreting the signal from the control system and converting it into mechanical motion, the actuator actually changes its physical environment through various simple actions, including but not limited to opening or closing valves, changing the position or angle of other equipment, etc.

Although ordinary electronic sensors and actuators have existed for decades and are ubiquitous in modern industrial applications, the emergence of the Internet of Things has opened up new possibilities for sensor and actuator applications, not only in the industrial field, but also in the commercial and domestic sectors. As an indispensable driver of the Internet of Things, sensors and actuators help monitor, control and simplify operations in various fields, from smart cars to rainforest protection. The Internet of Things has completely changed the way they are used and expanded their scope of application. It allows sensors to be used in powerful, cloud-based analysis software to develop intelligent solutions for machines, people, and the environment.

Considering all the above factors, there is no doubt that in order to maintain its rapid development, the Internet of Things needs more and more efficient (preferably low-cost) sensor solutions. Reliable sensors and actuator systems are the basis for building every smart deployment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the existing IoT sensor solutions and options. Next, let us explore the most commonly used sensor types in IoT projects.

Sensor type s

Sensors can be standalone devices, or they can be embedded in ordinary objects or machines to make them smart. According to the physical phenomenon to be measured, it can be divided into several different categories. The following are some of the most widely used sensor types in the Internet of Things.

▲Temperature sensor

This most basic sensor is suitable for a variety of IoT use cases, in which it is essential to track the thermal conditions of the air, work environment, machines, or other objects. Temperature sensors are particularly useful in manufacturing plants, warehouses, weather forecasting systems, and agriculture, where soil temperature monitoring aims to provide a balanced and maximized crop growth environment.

▲Humidity sensor

Although their most obvious and widespread use is to report and forecast weather in weather stations, it is surprising that humidity and moisture sensors are also widely used in agriculture, environmental monitoring, food supply chain, HVAC, and health monitoring.

▲Light sensor

Depending on the intensity of ambient light, smart TVs, mobile phones or computer screens can adjust the brightness through light sensors, but sensors used to detect ambient light are not only common in consumer electronics, but also in smart city applications. They are increasingly used to adjust the level of street lights or city lighting to improve economy.

▲Sound and noise sensor

Smart sound sensors can monitor the noise level in a given environment. The sound sensor system can measure and provide data to help prevent noise pollution, so it is getting more and more attention in smart city solutions.

▲Water level (liquid level) sensor

In order to prevent natural disasters, the data collected by water level monitoring sensors can be used in flood warning systems for analysis and prediction. In addition to environmental protection, the sensor can also be used in various industrial applications to control and optimize manufacturing processes.

▲Presence and proximity sensor

By emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation, this type of sensor can sense the presence of its target object and determine the distance between the two. With their high reliability and long life, they have quickly entered many IoT fields such as smart cars, robots, manufacturing, machinery, aviation and even smart parking solutions.

▲Motion sensor

Smart building systems are probably the most common IoT use case for motion sensors. Although this obvious fact is generally correct, in addition to helping monitor private or public spaces from intrusion and theft, the use of motion sensors is expanding to energy management solutions, smart cameras, automation equipment, and many other aspects.

▲Gyro sensor

The task of this sensor is to detect rotation and measure angular velocity, which makes it ideal for navigation systems, robots, consumer electronics, and manufacturing processes that involve rotation. For more daily IoT applications, gyro sensors are increasingly installed in IoT devices used by athletes to accurately measure body movements to analyze and improve their sports performance.

▲Chemical sensor

Sensors that detect compounds (solid, liquid and gas) are essential elements in industrial safety systems, environmental protection solutions, and scientific research. In addition, they have gained a firm foothold in air quality monitoring supported by the Internet of Things, which helps cities combat the harmful effects of air and water pollution.

▲Image sensor

Image sensors convert optical data into electrical pulses, enabling connected devices to observe the surrounding environment and use the insights gained from the data analysis provided to take action. (Source: Internet of Things) Whenever smart devices are required to "see" the surrounding environment, image sensors are used, including smart vehicles, security systems, military equipment such as radar and sonar, medical imaging equipment, and of course digital camera. (read more)

Actuator type s

Actuators, as the name suggests, can act on their immediate environment to enable the machines or equipment they are embedded in to operate correctly. Although they are small and rarely seen during operation, their work effects can be felt in vehicles, industrial machines or any other electronic equipment involving automation technology. According to its construction mode and role in a specific IoT environment, it can be divided into four main categories:

▲Linear actuator-used to move objects or components in a straight line.

▲Rotary actuators—they can achieve precise rotational movement of equipment components or entire objects.

▲Relay actuators-this category includes electromagnetic-based actuators for operating lights, heaters and even power switches in smart cars.

▲Solenoid valve actuators-as part of the locking or triggering mechanism, they are most widely used in household appliances. They also act as controllers for gas and water leakage monitoring systems based on the Internet of Things.

To sum up

The sensor seems to be a trivial small device that can feed data to the Internet of Things system, and this is the real basis for building machine intelligence. On the other hand, actuators represent the driving force behind every intelligent enterprise. In both cases, the Internet of Things is not only interested in how they perceive and operate, but also in how they can make things faster and better.