Sensor Technology Facilitating IoT Connectivity

Sensor intelligence, in addition to supporting IoT connectivity, provides numerous other benefits such as predictive maintenance, more flexible manufacturing, and increased efficiency.

Fremont, CA: Sensors are an essential component of IoT success, but they are not the typical types that simply translate physical variables into electrical impulses. They had to grow into something more sophisticated to play a technically and commercially feasible role in the IoT context. IoT highlights how manufacturers have responded with better fabrication, more integration, and built-in intelligence, culminating in the concept of smart sensors, which is now widely used. It will become clear that, in addition to supporting IoT connectivity, sensor intelligence provides numerous additional benefits such as predictive maintenance, more flexible manufacturing, and increased productivity.

IoT and Smart Sensors

Traditionally, sensors have been functionally simple devices that transform physical variables into electrical signals or changes in electrical characteristics. They can also function as the Internet of Things (IoT) components. Multiple sensors' data can be aggregated and correlated to infer conclusions about latent problems; for example, temperature and vibration sensor data can be utilized to detect the onset of mechanical failure. In some circumstances, the two sensor functions are integrated into the software to form a soft sensor; in others, the functions are provided in a single device.

Smart sensors are Internet of Things components that convert the physical variable being measured into a digital data stream suitable for transmission to a gateway. A built-in CPU unit executes the application algorithms (MPU). These can perform filtering, compensation, and any other signal conditioning duties required by the process. The intelligence of the MPU can also be employed for a variety of additional tasks, easing the pressure on the IoT's more central resources. Additionally, the MPU can detect when production parameters begin to deviate from acceptable standards and generate warnings; operators can then take corrective action before a catastrophic failure happens.

If necessary, the sensor could operate in "report by exception" mode, transmitting data only when the measured variable value considerably differs from previous sample values. This decreases the stress on the central computer resource and the power requirements of the smart sensor - a critical benefit in most cases, as the sensor must operate on battery power or energy harvesting in the absence of connected electricity.

Sensor self-diagnostics can be integrated into the smart sensor if the probe contains two parts. Any emerging drift in the output of one of the sensor elements can be identified instantly. Additionally, if a sensor fails completely — for example, as a result of a short circuit — the operation might continue using the second measuring unit. Alternatively, a probe may incorporate two sensors that communicate with one another to provide enhanced monitoring feedback.