How IoT Works: Understanding Sensors

The hype around the Internet of Things (IoT) has been ongoing for years, with Gartner estimating that by 2020, there will be 20 billion devices connected to the internet. The IoT has countless use cases across various industries including logistics, healthcare, maintenance, manufacturing, and construction. The ultimate goal of applying IoT in businesses is to save time and money while increasing efficiency. For example, in manufacturing, IoT can be used to monitor machines for overheating or excessive vibration. This enables manufacturers to apply preventive maintenance rather than reactive maintenance, thus avoiding unplanned and costly downtime. But how does IoT work? Typically, an IoT solution consists of four basic components: 1. Sensors 2. Network connectivity 3. Data processing 4. User interface We will start with the first element in our series on “How IoT Works”: Sensors. What are sensors? The IoT workflow begins with sensor devices. Sensors are not new; they have been used by organizations for a long time (Did you know the first sensor was invented in the 19th century?). However, with the rise of IoT, the role of sensors has greatly enhanced. Sensors are devices that monitor and respond to some input from the physical environment. The specific inputs can be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure, or any of many other environmental phenomena. The output is typically converted directly into human-readable information on the sensor or transmitted electronically via a network for reading or further processing. In the case of IoT, sensor devices are the field hardware used to collect data from their environment. Types of Sensors Today, IoT sensor devices can connect to almost anything, but each IoT use case requires specific types of sensors. Here are some of the most commonly used types of IoT sensors and their use cases. ▲Temperature Sensors Temperature sensors play a critical role in many IoT applications, for example, maintaining the right temperature is crucial for many manufacturing processes. Using IoT sensors to monitor temperature remotely allows for predictive maintenance and reduces costly downtime. Another use case for temperature sensors is cold chain monitoring in the food and pharmaceutical industries. ▲Level Sensors For example, in waste management, level sensors ensure that bins are emptied only when needed. Another use case for level sensors is measuring tank levels in liquid asset inventory (e.g., fuel). ▲Accelerometer Sensors Measuring acceleration is useful in many use cases, such as monitoring vehicles. Accelerometer sensors can also be used to monitor excessive vibration in machines or unauthorized movement of stationary objects (anti-theft protection). ▲Humidity Sensors Measuring humidity is crucial for many manufacturing processes, including pharmaceuticals and papermaking. Humidity sensors can also be used for greenhouse monitoring. ▲GPS Trackers GPS trackers are used to track the geographical location of assets, for instance, they can be used in vehicles or containers. Current Challenges Several factors limit the use of IoT sensor devices. Primarily: 1. Size2. Price3. Battery life It is challenging to find sensor devices that are small, inexpensive, and have a long battery life (e.g., five years). Many sensor devices today are still quite bulky; for example, GPS tracking devices can be as large as a smartphone. And size is also related to battery life: the longer the battery life, the larger the battery, and the larger the sensor device. However, as technology advances, the combination of size, price, and battery life of sensor devices will improve in the near future. What’s Next in the IoT Workflow? Now that we have installed the sensor devices, it’s time to send the collected data out. In IoT applications, sensors connect to a network (Wi-Fi, LPWAN, cellular, etc.) and transmit the collected data over the network, with the destination typically being a cloud-based service platform for data processing.

Author: Anni Junnila

Source: IoT Home Network