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Lahore Garrison University

CSC383- Internet of Things
Week4
Topic:
Sensors and their Working
Semester- Fall 2020

Waqar Azeem
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
Lahore Garrison University
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Overview of previous lecture

 Hardwares IoT implementation

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Preamble

 As all real world things can be made Io-things; for which first making the the things a
system is more important.
 Importance of Sensor and Actuators for making Io-Things.

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Sensors and Actuators
• Sensors:
– They are mainly input components
– They sense and collect surrounding information

• Actuators:
– They are mainly output components
– They alter the surrounding
Sensors
• A sensor is a device that receives a stimulus and
responds with an electrical signal.
Actuators
• Hardware devices that convert a controller
command signal into a change in a physical
parameter
– The change is usually mechanical (e.g., position or
velocity)
– An actuator is also a transducer because it changes
one type of physical quantity into some alternative
form
– An actuator is usually activated by a low-level
command signal, so an amplifier may be required to
provide sufficient power to drive the actuator
Types of Actuators
1. Electrical actuators
– Electric motors
• DC servomotors
• AC motors
• Stepper motors
– Solenoids
2. Hydraulic actuators
– Use hydraulic fluid to amplify the controller
command signal
3. Pneumatic actuators
– Use compressed air as the driving force
Computer Process Control System

Transformation Process

Continuous and Discrete Continuous and Discrete

Parameters Variables

Actuators
Actuators Sensors
Sensors

DAC
DAC ADC
ADC
Computer
Computer
Controller
Controller
Output Devices Input Devices
What is a Stimulus?
• Motion, position, • Sound
displacement • Moisture
• Velocity and • Light
acceleration • Radiation
• Force, strain • Temperature
• Pressure • Chemical presence
• Flow

Visual Sensor Ultrasound Sensor Infrared Sensor

Sensor as Energy Converter
• This conversion can be direct or it may require
transducers

• Example:
– A chemical sensor may have a part which converts the
energy of a chemical reaction into heat (transducer)
and another part, a thermopile, which converts heat
into an electrical signal
Physical characteristics of Sensing
• Charges, fields, & • Heat transfer
potentials • Light
• Capacitance
• Magnetism
• Induction
• Resistance
Sensor Types: HW & SW
• Hardware-based sensors
– Physical components built into a device
– They derive their data by directly measuring specific
environmental properties
• Software-based sensors
– Not physical devices, although they mimic hardware-
based sensors
– They derive their data from one or more hardware-
based sensors
Sensor List of Smartphones
Sensor Function Type Software-based or
Hardware-based
Accelerometer Motion Sensor Hardware-based
Gyroscope Motion Sensor Hardware-based
Gravity Motion Sensor Software-based
Rotation Vector Motion Sensor Software-based
Proximity Position Sensor Hardware-based
GPS Position Sensor Hardware-based
Orientation Position Sensor Software-based
Light Environmental Sensor Hardware-based
Thermometer Environmental Sensor Hardware-based
Barometer Environmental Sensor Hardware-based
Humidity Environmental Sensor Hardware-based
Accelerometer
• An accelerometer is a sensor which measures the tilting
motion and orientation of a mobile phone. The Apple
iPhone was the first popular mobile phone to make
the accelerometer a key feature of its user interface.

• An accelerometer is an electromechanical device that will

measure acceleration forces. These forces may be static, like
the constant force of gravity pulling at your feet, or they could
be dynamic - caused by moving or vibrating the accelerometer.
• What are accelerometers useful for?
Accelerometer
• How it Works
GyroScope
• Gyro sensors, also known as angular
rate sensors or angular
velocity sensors, are devices that sense
angular velocity. Angular velocity. In
simple terms, angular velocity is the
change in rotational angle per unit of
time. Angular velocity is generally
expressed in deg/s (degrees per second).
Orientation Sensor

As the Orientation sensor &
Gravity sensors are less accurate, They cost low.
So, they are used in low cost android phone.
Auto-rotation is a software in Android which
gets the information from Accelerometer and
changes the your screen orientation.
Pressure sensors
• These sensors are used in IoT systems to monitor systems and
devices that are driven by pressure signals. When the pressure
range is beyond the threshold level, the device alerts the user
about the problems that should be fixed. For example, BMP180
is a popular digital pressure sensor for use in mobile phones,
PDAs, GPS navigation devices and outdoor equipment. Pressure
sensors are also used in smart vehicles and aircrafts to determine
force and altitude, respectively. In vehicle, tyre pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is used to alert the driver when tyre
pressure is too low and could create unsafe driving conditions
• Applications: Pressure sensors are used in touch screen
devices, weather monitoring devices and in automotive industry.
Barometer
• Air pressure
• the barometer is probably used on the phone to
aid in correcting altitude measurements by the
GPS." ... The atmospheric pressure is directly related
to elevation, so a barometer can very easily be
used as an altimeter, measuring your altitude
IOT and Sensors
• In many cases, IoT devices are dependent on
sensors to sense what is going on in the world
and then the data is processed to continue the
work. These sensors are most important part of
devices and hence used extensively in IoT setup.
In this article, we will discuss some of the
commonly used types of sensors and what they
are used for.
Some common types of IoT sensors
• Temperature sensors
• These devices measure the amount of heat energy generated from an object or
surrounding area. They find application in air-conditioners, refrigerators and
similar devices used for environmental control. They are also used in
manufacturing processes, agriculture and health industry.
•
Temperature sensors can be used almost in every IoT environment, from
manufacturing to agriculture. In manufacturing, sensors are used to monitor
the temperature of machines. In agriculture, these can be used to monitor the
temperature of soil, water and plants.
•
Temperature sensors include thermocouples, thermistors, resistor temperature
detectors (RTDs) and integrated circuits (ICs). Some common types of
temperature sensors are shown in Fig. 2.
Humidity sensors
• The amount of water vapour in air, or humidity,
can affect human comfort as well as many
manufacturing processes in industries. So
monitoring humidity level is important. Most
commonly used units for humidity measurement
are relative humidity (RH), dew/frost point (D/F
PT) and parts per million (PPM).
• Applications: Humidity sensors are mostly
used in thermostats and other weather related
IoT Devices.
Interfacing with Arduino
Motion sensors
• Motion sensors are not only used for security
purposes but also in automatic door controls,
automatic parking systems, automated sinks,
automated toilet flushers, hand dryers, energy
management systems, etc. You use these sensors in
the IoT and monitor them from your smartphone or
computer. HC-SR501 passive infrared (PIR) sensor
is a popular motion sensor for hobby projects.
Motion sensors working
Interfacing PIR with Ardiuno
 Gas sensors
• These sensors are used to detect toxic gases. The sensing technologies
most commonly used are electrochemical, photo-ionisation and
semiconductor. With technical advancements and new specifications,
there are a multitude of gas sensors available to help extend the wired
and wireless connectivity deployed in IoT applications.
Gas sensors Interfacing
Smoke sensors
• Smoke detectors have been in use in homes and
industries for quite a long time. With the advent
of the IoT, their application has become more
convenient and user-friendly. Furthermore,
adding a wireless connection to smoke detectors
enables additional features that increase safety
and convenience.
Optical Sensors
• Optical sensors have been a great use in digital cameras for
years. Optical Sensors can emit, receive and convert the
light energy into digital signals. These sensors work by
detecting electromagnetic energy and then sending the
results to processing units. As digital cameras are one of the
most important physical devices in IoT, Optical sensors are
sure to have continued applications in the future.
• Applications: Among other places, Optical Sensors are
used in mining operations, oil refineries and chemical
plants.
Image sensors

• These sensors are found in digital cameras, medical

imaging systems, night-vision equipment, thermal
imaging devices, radars, sonars, media house and
biometric systems. In the retail industry, these
sensors are used to monitor customers visiting the
store through IoT network. In offices and corporate
buildings, they are used to monitor employees and
various activities through IoT networks.
Image Sensors
IR sensors
• These sensors can measure the heat emitted by
objects. They are used in various IoT projects
including healthcare to monitor blood flow and
blood pressure, smartphones to use as remote
control and other functions, wearable devices to
detect amount of light, thermometers to monitor
temperature and blind-spot detection in
vehicles.
IR sensors
IR sensors
• For Data Communication
IR sensors
• RC5 Communication Protocol
RC5 Communication Protocol
RC5 Communication Protocol
https://github.com/z3t0/Arduino-IRremote
• An infrared sensor is a sensor which is used to sense certain characteristics of its surroundings by
either emitting or detecting infrared radiation. It is also capable of measuring the heat being
emitted by the objects.Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM), Murata, Melexis MLX90614, Intersil
ISL29021 are among the few IOT IR sensors used in industries.
• They are now used in a variety of IoT projects, especially in Healthcare as they make monitoring
of blood flow and blood pressure simple. They are even used in a wide array of regular smart
devices such as smartwatches and smartphones as well. Other common use includes home
appliances & remote control, breath analysis, infrared vision (i.e., visualize heat leaks in
electronics, monitor blood flow, art historians to see under layers of paint), wearable electronics,
optical communication, non-contact based temperature measurements, automotive blind-angle
detection.
• Therefore, sensors can collect critical information about the environment, allowing for early
detection of environmental disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, etc., thus saving lives. Again,
better surveillance and tracking tools allow authorities to detect when crime has occurred and
respond much faster, keeping citizens safer.
• In today’s “smart” world, sensors play an important role in our everyday life and in IoT.Sensors
monitor our health status (e.g., a heartbeat), air quality, home security, and are widely used in the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to monitor production processes.Sensors can collect critical
information about the environment, allowing for early detection of environmental disasters like
earthquakes, tsunamis, etc., thus saving lives.IoT enables heightened surveillance, monitoring,
and detection, which all combine to improve health and increase safety.This is particularly
interesting for organizations like local or city governments, which need to ensure the health and
safety of their residents, but also extends to large businesses supporting their employees.
• Proximity sensors
• These sensors detect the presence or absence of a nearby
object without any physical contact. Different types of
proximity sensors are inductive, capacitive, photoelectric,
ultrasonic and magnetic. These are mostly used in object
counters, process monitoring and control.
• Applications: These sensors are mostly used in retail
industry, parking and museums etc. for safety and
security.
Ultrasonic sensor
Magnetic Contact Sensor
Usefulness of sensors
• Attaching sensors to things and interconnecting them via Internet allows
organizations to track real-time locations, monitor performance, improve
workflows, and optimize utilization. Examples: A “smart” boating solution
enables boat owners to check in on their boat(s) from afar and make sure all
systems are functioning correctly.And, a car tracking solution allows personnel
at the auction locations to quickly locate the vehicle(s) they’re looking for,
rather than manually search through thousands of parked cars.
• Smart irrigation systems serves as one of the numerous best examples of use of
sensors and IoT. Sensors sense soil moisture and helps decide whether to water
soil or not. If the irrigation system receives information about the weather
from its internet connection, it can also know when it’s going to rain and decide
not to water the crops today because they’ll be watered by the rain anyways.
• Thus, sensors serve a big role to establish IoT. The various types of sensors
used inIoT may be discussed as follows:
Anatomy of a Wireless Sensor Node

• Whether you’re designing a wearable device, an interactive lighting

system, or even a jet engine, the building blocks of an IoT device are
remarkably similar. Here are the three main components for a
wireless sensor node:
• Sensors – gather information about the environment and condition
signals before transmitting to the microprocessor.
• Microcontrollers – process the signal from sensors, determine
appropriate responses, manage power consumption and local
memory.
• Communication – wireless chips, radio modules and protocols
needed to transmit the information between devices and to the cloud.
• For some applications, like a home thermostat, taking sensor readings and making adjustments several
times an hour is sufficient. The room temperatures will not change very rapidly and it will take the sensors
several minutes to register a change. Other applications, like a conveyor belt in an automated factory, could
require frequent monitoring. A sudden change in the load could cause its motor to groan and smoke if
quick adjustments are not made. No matter what you're designing, having a clear understanding of the
application and the environmental factors is essential to selecting the right components for the job.
• In each of these examples, the task of the sensors, microcontrollers and communications circuitry is very
much the same:
• Sensors take readings of the temperature produced by the HVAC system (heating, ventilation, air
conditioning), or the conveyor belt speed produced by the motor drivers. The signal conditioning circuitry
amplify (and, often, linearize) the output of the sensors so that it can be read by the microcontroller.
• Microcontrollers process the sensor readings to monitor and react to a room’s temperature or to asses a
conveyor belt’s speed and adjust the motor’s controls.
• Communication components use its connection to cloud computing resources to further analyze the data
generated by the conveyor belt sensors, or to share the updated temperature to a homeowner’s mobile app.
• Regardless of what type of sensors are employed (ambient light, environmental temperature, motor speed,
etc.), regardless of the processor bit-width of the microcontroller (8-, 16- or 32-bit), regardless of the
communications loop (WiFi, ZigBee, or Bluetooth), the sequence of collecting and evaluating data from a
remote sensor loop remains mostly the same.
• How IoT Sensor Nodes Work
• No matter what a sensor node is used for, it will likely spend much of its
time asleep – as much as 95% of it, in fact. A change in the sensor’s
environment – such as movement, temperature, pressure – will bring
the sensor to life.  This will wake the microcontroller, which will search
its memory for something familiar to assess “What have we got here?”
• Most of the time the answer will be something to the effect of “nothing
to worry about.” The processor will inform whatever is attached to its
communications port and go back to sleep. This chain reaction will be
much pretty the same, regardless of whether a system is controlling a
smart oven’s temperature, monitoring an industrial machine tool, or
checking on your home’s security with a smartphone.
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Lecture Outcomes

 How sensors and actuators can made a simple real world thing to a system and than a
system to an I-o-Things
 Working of Sensors and actuators

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Q&A

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References

These lecture notes were made from following source:

 Internet of Things Principals and Paradigms by Rajkumar Buyya, imprint of Elsevier

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Reference for Further Study
• Hardware solutions
• https
://www.postscapes.com/trackers/video/the-inte
rnet-of-things-and-sensors-and-actuators
/
• Connection of sensors with hardware solutions
• https://
dzone.com/articles/introduction-to-iot-sensors