School of Computing Science and Engineering

Course Code: CSIO4700 Course Name: IoT for Industries

Sensors – Classification &

selection criteria

Faculty Name: Mr. C.Vairavel Program Name:

Prerequisite/Recapitulations

• Basic knowledge about IoT

Objectives

• TO Study about Sensors – Classification & selection criteria

Sensors

• Sensor is a device that when exposed to a physical phenomenon (temperature,

displacement, force, etc.) produces a proportional output signal (electrical,
mechanical, magnetic, etc.).
• The term transducer is often used synonymously with sensors. However, ideally,
a sensor is a device that responds to a change in the physical phenomenon.
• On the other hand, a transducer is a device that converts one form of energy into
another form of energy.
• Sensors are transducers when they sense one form of energy input and output in
a different form of energy. For example, a thermocouple responds to a
temperature change (thermal energy) and outputs a proportional change in
electromotive force (electrical energy).
• Therefore, a thermocouple can be called a sensor and or transducer.
Classification

• Linear/Rotational sensors
• Acceleration sensors
• Force, torque, and pressure sensor
• Flow sensors
• Temperature sensors
• Proximity sensors
• Light sensors
• Smart material sensors
• Smart material sensors
Linear/Rotational sensors

• Linear/Rotational variable differential transducer (LVDT/RVDT)

• High resolution with wide range capability
• Very stable in static and quasi-static applications
• Optical encoder
• Simple, reliable, and low-cost solution
• Good for both absolute and incremental measurements
• Electrical tachometer
• Resolution depends on type such as generator or magnetic pickups
• Hall effect sensor
• High accuracy over a small to medium range
• Capacitive transducer
• Very high resolution with high sensitivity
• Low power requirements
• Good for high frequency dynamic measurements
• Strain gauge elements
Linear/Rotational sensors

• Strain gauge elements

• Very high accuracy in small ranges
• Provides high resolution at low noise levels
• Interferometer
• Laser systems provide extremely high resolution in large ranges
• Very reliable and expensive
• Magnetic pickup Gyroscope
• Output is sinusoidal
• Inductosyn
• Very high resolution over small ranges
Acceleration sensors

• Seismic accelerometer
• Good for measuring frequencies up to 40% of its natural frequency
• Piezoelectric accelerometer
• High sensitivity, compact, and rugged
• Very high natural frequency (100 kHz typical)
Force, torque, and pressure sensor

• Strain gauge
• Good for both static and dynamic measurements
• Dynamometers/load cells
• They are also available as micro- and nanosensors
• Piezoelectric load cells
• Good for high precision dynamic force measurements
• Tactile sensor
• Compact, has wide dynamic range, and high
• Ultrasonic stress sensor
• Good for small force measurements
Flow sensors
• Pitot tube - Widely used as a flow rate sensor to determine speed in aircrafts
• Orifice plate - Least expensive with limited range
• Flow nozzle, venturi tubes
-Accurate on wide range of flow -More complex and expensive
• Rotameter
-Good for upstream flow measurements -Used in conjunction with variable inductance sensor
• Ultrasonic type
-Good for very high flow rates -Can be used for both upstream and downstream flow measurements
• Turbine flow meter
-Not suited for fluids containing abrasive particles -Relationship between flow rate and angular velocity is
linear
• Electromagnetic flow meter
-Least intrusive as it is noncontact type -Can be used with fluids that are corrosive, contaminated, etc.
-The fluid has to be electrically conductive
Temperature sensors
• Thermocouples -This is the cheapest and the most versatile sensor
- Applicable over wide temperature ranges (-200∞C to 1200∞C typical)
• Thermistors -Very high sensitivity in medium ranges (up to 100∞C typical)
-Compact but nonlinear in nature
• Thermodiodes, thermo transistors -Ideally suited for chip temperature measurements
-Minimized self heating
• RTD—resistance temperature detector
-More stable over a long period of time compared to thermocouple
-Linear over a wide range
• Infrared type -Noncontact point sensor with resolution limited by wavelength
• Infrared thermography -Measures whole-field temperature distribution
Proximity sensors
• Inductance, eddy current, hall effect, photoelectric, capacitance, etc.
• Robust noncontact switching action
• The digital outputs are often directly fed to the digital controller
Light sensors
• Photoresistors, photodiodes, photo transistors, photo conductors, etc.
• Measure light intensity with high sensitivity
• Inexpensive, reliable, and noncontact sensor
• Charge-coupled diode
• Captures digital image of a field of vision
Smart material sensors
• Optical fiber
• As strain sensor - Alternate to strain gages with very high accuracy and bandwidth
- Sensitive to the reflecting surface’s orientation and status
• As level sensor - Reliable and accurate
• As force sensor -High resolution in wide ranges
• As temperature sensor - High resolution and range (up to 2000∞C)
Smart material sensors
• Piezoelectric
• As strain sensor - Distributed sensing with high resolution and bandwidth
• As force sensor - Most suitable for dynamic applications
• As accelerometer -Least hysteresis and good setpoint accuracy
• Magnetostrictive
• As force sensors - Compact force sensor with high resolution and bandwidth
-Good for distributed and noncontact sensing applications
• As torque sensor -Accurate, high bandwidth, and noncontact sensor
Micro- and nano-sensors
• Micro CCD image sensor
• -Small size, full field image sensor
• Fiberscope
• -Small (0.2 mm diameter) field vision scope using SMA coil actuators
• Micro-ultrasonic sensor
• -Detects flaws in small pipes
• Micro-tactile sensor
• -Detects proximity between the end of catheter and blood vessels
Selection Criteria
• Range—Difference between the maximum and minimum value of the sensed
parameter
• Resolution—The smallest change the sensor can differentiate
• Accuracy—Difference between the measured value and the true value
• Precision—Ability to reproduce repeatedly with a given accuracy
• Sensitivity—Ratio of change in output to a unit change of the input
• Zero offset—A nonzero value output for no input
• Linearity—Percentage of deviation from the best-fit linear calibration curve
Selection Criteria
• Zero Drift—The departure of output from zero value over a period of time for
no input
• Response time—The time lag between the input and output
• Bandwidth—Frequency at which the output magnitude drops by 3 dB
• Resonance—The frequency at which the output magnitude peak occurs
• Operating temperature—The range in which the sensor performs as specified
• Deadband—The range of input for which there is no output
• Signal-to-noise ratio—Ratio between the magnitudes of the signal and the noise
at the output
References

1. Vijay Madisetti and Arshdeep Bahga, “Internet of Things (A Hands-on-

Approach)”, 1st Edition, VPT, 2014
2. Michahelles, “Architecting the Internet of Things”, ISBN 978-3- 642-19156-5 e-
ISBN 978-3-642-19157-2, Springer
3. Francis daCosta, “Rethinking the Internet of Things: A Scalable Approach to
Connecting Everything”, 1st Edition, Apress Publications, 2013
4. CunoPfister, Getting Started with the Internet of Things, O‟Reilly Media, 2011,
ISBN: 978-1-4493-9357-1.
5. https://nasscom.in/system/files/secure-pdf/IoT_in_India_report_05072016.pdf