In fact, sensors have existed for a long time.

The first thermostat came out in the late 1880s, and infrared sensors began to appear in the late 1940s. The Internet of things and its corresponding industrial Internet of things (iiot) are raising the use of sensors to a new level.

Broadly speaking, sensors are devices that detect and respond to environmental changes. Inputs can come from a variety of sources, such as light, temperature, motion, and pressure. Sensors output valuable information. If they are connected to the network, they can share data with other connected devices and management systems.

Sensors are critical to the operations of many enterprises today. They can warn you before potential problems become major problems, enabling enterprises to carry out predictive maintenance and avoid expensive downtime. Data from sensors can also be used for trend analysis, enabling business owners to gain insight into key trends and make informed evidence-based decisions.

Sensors come in many shapes and sizes. Some are specially built and contain many built-in single sensors that allow you to monitor and measure many data sources. In a brownfield environment (urban land to be redeveloped), sensors are critical to include digital and analog inputs so that they can read data from traditional sensors.

There are many types of IOT sensors, and there are more applications and use cases. Here are 10 popular types of IOT sensors and some use cases.

Temperature sensor

The temperature sensor measures the heat energy in the heat source so that it can detect temperature changes and convert these changes into data. Machinery used in manufacturing usually requires a specific level of ambient and equipment temperature. Similarly, in agriculture, soil temperature is a key factor for crop growth.

Humidity sensor

Humidity sensors are used to measure the amount of water vapor in air or other gases. They are commonly used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in industrial and residential fields. They can be found in many other areas, including hospitals, and weather stations to report and predict weather.

Pressure sensor

Pressure sensors can sense changes in gases and liquids. When the pressure changes, the sensor will detect these changes and communicate them to the connected system. Common use cases include leak testing, which may be the result of attenuation. Pressure sensors are also useful in the manufacture of water systems because they can easily detect fluctuations or drops in pressure.

Proximity sensor

The proximity sensor is used for non-contact detection of objects near the sensor. These types of sensors usually emit radiation beams such as electromagnetic fields or infrared. There are some interesting use cases of proximity sensors.

For example, in retail, proximity sensors can detect movement between a customer and a product he or she is interested in. Users can be notified of any discounts or special offers for products located near the sensor. Proximity sensors can also be used in shopping malls, stadiums and airport parking lots to indicate the availability of parking lots. They can also be used on assembly lines in chemical, food and many other types of industries.

Liquid level sensor

The liquid level sensor is used to detect the liquid level of substances such as liquid, powder and granular materials. Liquid level sensors are used in many industries, including oil manufacturing, water treatment, beverage and food manufacturing plants. The waste management system provides a common use case because the level sensor can detect the level of waste in the trash can or dustbin.

Accelerometer

The accelerometer can detect the acceleration of the object, that is, the change rate of the object’s velocity with time. The accelerometer can also detect the change of gravity. The application cases of accelerometer include intelligent pedometer and monitoring driving fleet. They can also be used as anti-theft protection to alert the system when an object that should be stationary is moved.

Gyroscope

Gyroscope sensors measure angular rate or velocity, usually defined as measuring velocity and rotation around an axis. Use cases include cars, such as car navigation and electronic stability control (anti slip) systems. Other use cases include motion sensing for video games and camera shake detection systems.

Gas sensor

These types of sensors monitor and detect changes in air quality, including the presence of toxic, combustible or harmful gases. Industries using gas sensors include mining, oil and gas, chemical research and manufacturing. A common consumer use case is the familiar carbon dioxide detector used in many families.

Infrared sensor

These types of sensors sense the characteristics of the surrounding environment by emitting or detecting infrared radiation. They can also measure the heat emitted by objects. Infrared sensors are used in a variety of Internet of things projects, including health care, because they simplify the monitoring of blood flow and blood pressure. TV sets use infrared sensors to interpret the signals sent by the remote control. Another interesting application is that art historians use infrared sensors to view hidden layers in paintings to help determine whether a work of art is original or forged, or changed through the repair process.

Optical sensor

Optical sensors convert light into electrical signals. Optical sensors have many applications and use cases. In the automotive industry, cars use optical sensors to identify signs, obstacles and other things that drivers will notice when driving or parking. Optical sensors have played a great role in the development of driverless vehicles. Optical sensors are very common in smart phones. For example, ambient light sensors can extend battery life. Optical sensors are also used in biomedical fields, including respiratory analysis and heart rate monitors.