2K18/ECE/163

Shubham Gupta
Electronic Instrumentations and Measurement

ASSIGNMENT – 3
Q-1) Write about four smart sensors.
1.Optical Sensors
A sensor which measures the physical quantity of light rays and convert it into
electrical signal which can be easily readable by user or an electronic
instrument/device is called optical sensor. Optical sensors are loved by IoT experts,
as they are practical for measuring different things simultaneously. The technology
behind this sensor allows it to monitor electromagnetic energy, which includes,
electricity, light and so on.

Due to this fact, these sensors have found

use in healthcare, environment monitoring,
energy, aerospace and many more
industries. With their presence oil companies,
pharmaceutical companies and mining
companies are in a much better position to
track environmental changes while keeping
their employees safe.

Their main use can be found in Ambient light

detection, digital optical switches, optical
fibres communications , due to Electrical isolation best suited for oil and gas
applications, civil and transportation fields, High speed network systems, elevator
door control, assembly line part counters and safety systems.

Following are key type of optical sensors:

1. Photodetector: It uses light sensitive semiconductor materials like photocells ,
photodiodes or phototransistors to work as photodetector
2. Fiber Optics : Fibers optics carry no current, So its immune to electrical &
electromagnetic interference and even in damaged condition no sparking or shock
hazard happens.
3. Pyrometer : It estimates the temperature of an object by sensing the colour of the
light and Objects radiate light according to their temperature and produce same
colours at same temperature.
4. Proximity & Infrared : Proximity use light to sense objects nearby and Infrared
are used where visible light would be inconvenient.
It is clear that IoT has become incredibly popular, and current trends show that it is
the future. It simply helps with automation of various processes, making these
systems quite useful for both regular consumers and businesses.

When you consider the fact that all of the measured data is collected and can be
analyzed, it is obvious that IoT is going to become even smarter in the future.

2.Accelerometer Sensors
Accelerometer is a transducer that is used to measure the physical or measurable
acceleration experienced by an object due to inertial forces and converts the
mechanical motion into an electrical output. It is defined as rate of change of velocity
with respect to time

These sensors are now present in millions of

devices, such as smartphones. Their uses
involve detection of vibrations, tilting and
acceleration in general. This is great for
monitoring your driving fleet, or using a smart
pedometer. In some instances, it is used as a
form of anti-theft protection, as the sensor can
send an alert through the system if an object
that should remain stationary is moved.

They are widely used in cellular & media

devices, vibration measurement, Automotive
control and detection, free fall detection, aircraft and aviation industries, movement
detection, sports academy/athletes behavior monitoring, consumer electronics,
industrial & construction sites etc.

There are various kinds of accelerometers and following are few mainly used in IoT
projects:
1. Hall-effect accelerometers : Hall-effect accelerometers are using Hall principle
to measure the acceleration, it measures the voltage variations caused by changes
in a magnetic field around them.

2. Capacitive accelerometers : Capacitive accelerometers sensing output voltage

dependents on the distance between two planar surfaces. Capacitive accelerometers
are also less prone to noise and variation with temperature.
3. Piezoelectric accelerometers: Piezoelectric sensing principle is working on the
piezoelectric effect. Piezo-film based accelerometers are best used to measure
vibration, shock, and pressure.
Each accelerometer sensing technology has its own advantages and compromises.
Before selecting, it’s important to understand the basic differences of the various
types and the test requirements.

3.Gas Sensor
Gas sensors are similar to the chemical ones, but are specifically used to monitor
changes of the air quality and detect the presence of various gases. Like chemical
sensors, they are used in numerous industries such as manufacturing, agriculture
and health and used for air quality monitoring, Detection of toxic or combustible gas,
Hazardous gas monitoring in coal mines, Oil & Gas industries, chemical Laboratory
research, Manufacturing – paints, plastics, rubber, pharmaceutical & petrochemical
etc.
Following are some common Gas sensors:
• Carbon dioxide sensor
CO2 sensor is an instrument for the measurement of carbon dioxide gas. The
most common principles for CO2 sensors are infrared gas sensors (NDIR) and
chemical gas sensors. Measuring carbon dioxide is important in monitoring
indoor air quality, the function of the lungs in the form of a capnograph device,
and many industrial processes.

• Nitrogen oxide sensor

NOx sensor is typically a high-
temperature device built to
detect nitrogen oxides in
combustion environments such
as an automobile, truck tailpipe
or smokestack.
• Oxygen sensor
It is an electronic device that
measures the proportion of
oxygen (O2) in the gas or liquid being analysed. It was developed by Robert
Bosch GmbH during the late 1960s under the supervision of Dr. Günter Bauman.
The original sensing element is made with a thimble-shaped zirconia ceramic
coated on both the exhaust and reference sides with a thin layer of platinum and
comes in both heated and unheated forms. The planar-style sensor entered the
market in 1990 and significantly reduced the mass of the ceramic sensing
 element, as well as incorporating the heater within the ceramic structure. [1] This
resulted in a sensor that started sooner and responded faster.
Breathalyzer
A breathalyzer is a device for estimating blood alcohol content (BAC) from a breath
sample. Breathalyzer is the brand name (a genericized trademark) for the
instrument that tests the alcohol level developed by inventor Robert Frank
Borkenstein. It was registered as a trademark on May 13, 1954, but many people
use the term to refer to any generic device for estimating blood alcohol content.

4.Motion sensors
A motion sensor does what you think it does
– it detects motion and movement in an area.
These sensors stand guard when you are not
home; they can alert you if there is movement
within your home, or if your doors or windows
have been opened or closed. Motion sensors
become an extra pair of eyes for you, alerting
you to unwanted activity in your home such as
a teen sneaking out (or in), or if a child enters
a restricted area in the home such as a
medicine cabinet.

Motion sensors are also great for helping to

save energy. These sensors can be
connected to lighting or the thermostat to help control the energy usage in a room
based on the occupancy of the room e.g. it will turn the lights out if no one is in the
room or adjust to an energy efficient temperature when the room is unoccupied.

Motion sensors can also be connected to video, so not only do you get a notification
that a sensor has been tripped, but the sensor can activate video recording to capture
footage of the intrusion.

A multi-sensor combines several sensors into one device. Some of the combined
capabilities include motion, temperature, light, humidity, vibration, and UV.

Not all motion sensor are created equal. Here is a quick run down of the different
types of motion sensors you can use:

• Passive Infrared (PIR): Detects body heat (infrared energy). These are the
most widely used sensors for home security. They detect heat and movement
creating a protective grid – if a moving object blocks multiple grid zones and the
infrared energy levels change, the sensors are tripped.
• MircoWave (MW): The sensor sends out microwave pulses to measure the
reflection off moving objects. MW sensor cover more area than the infrared
sensors, yet they are expensive and vulnerable to electrical interference.
• Dual Technology Motion Sensors: Dual technology motion sensors use
multiple technologies, such as passive infrared (PIR) plus Microwave (MW) –
an active sensor, to monitor an area. Both sensors must be tripped in order to
trigger the alarm helping to reduce the instances of false alarms.
• Area Reflective Type: Emits infrared rays from an LED. Using the reflection of
those rays, the sensor measures the distance to the person or object and
detects if the object is within the designated area.
• Ultrasonic: Sends out pulses of ultrasonic waves and measures the reflection
off a moving object.
• Vibration: Detects vibration. There are two main sensor types in this category
– the accelerometer and the Pieozoelectric device.