SENSORS

Chapter 6
What is sensor
 A sensor measures a specific property
data and sends a signal to the computer.
 They can produce a stream of input data
automatically without any human
intervention.
 Usually this is an analogue signal so it
needs to be converted into digital data for
the computer to process. This is done
using by an Analogue -to-Digital Converter
(ADC)
Types of sensor
Sensors are used extensively in monitoring / measuring / data
logging systems, and also in computer control systems.
Following is the list of commonly used sensors:
 Light Sensor
 Temperature Sensor
 Infrared Sensor
 Motion Sensors
 Magnetic field sensors
 Gas sensor
 Pressure sensor
 Moisture and humidity sensor
 pH sensors
Why sensors are used

 Sensors can replace the need for a human

to detect and record these changes. As it is
a device and not a human doing this it may
be less chance of error and natural variance
in results.
 Sensors can also be used in situations to
collect data where it is too dangerous for a
human to work.
Advantage of sensor
data
Advantages of using sensors to collect data are:

 They can collect data far more frequently than a person.

 They are more reliable than a person, who may forget to take
readings.
 They are more accurate than a person who may misread the
signal.
 They can collect data from places where it is not possible for a
person to go such as inside a chemical or nuclear reaction vessel.

The disadvantage of using sensors is that: they may need a

power supply to work and may need regular calibration to check
their accuracy.
Light sensors

A light sensor is a device that detects light. It will

detect the ambient light level, meaning how bright
or dark it is. Light sensors are like our eyes.
 A light sensor are used in street lamps to measure the
ambient light level.
 when it gets too dark the lights will be automatically turned
on and automatically turned off when it becomes light again.
 Light sensors are used in many different ways and are built

into many of the devices and systems we use on a daily basis.

Light Sensor used in street lamps

 Photocells are light-sensitive sensors that respond to

the amount of light detected. When the light is too low,
such as at dusk or under heavy overcast skies,
the sensor tells the computing unit within the streetlight
to activate the flow of electricity. When the photocell
detects too much light, the sensor will deactivate the
streetlight (e.g., at dawn).
 Generally, street light controlling system is a simple
concept which uses a transistor to turn ON in the night
time and turn OFF during the day time. The entire
process can be done by a using a sensor namely LDR
(light dependent resistor).
 We have called the system “Motion Sensing Street
Lighting”, a radar lighting-control system that is
automatically activated as soon as movement is
Light Sensor used in street lamps
 Light sensors in security systems

 A security system can make

use of light sensors.
 The sensors can beam light
from one sensor to another.
 If a beam of right is broken
by a person or object going
through it.
 the nest sensor will
recognize this and send a
signal to a computer to tell
it the security system has
been breached.
Light sensors
 We may have a garage door that opens and closes at
the push of a button.
 A beam of light can be sent from sensors lining the
doorway that can check if anything is in the way.
 If the beam gets from one side to other without being
interrupted then the garage door can be triggered to
close safely. Otherwise, if the beam is interrupted then
the garage door can be stopped from closing to prevent
any accidental damage.
Light sensor in barcode and QR codes

 Barcode scanners found in most retailer

locations work using light sensor technology.
 The light emitted from the scanner
illuminates the barcode, which is read and
decoded by a sensor.
 Quick Response (QR) codes operate in much
the same way, though they contain more
information and typically can be read using a
Smartphone if the user has downloaded a
code reader.
 Light sensor in barcode and QR
codes

Light sensors can

be used in mobile
phone to set
brightness, these
also can be used
in other devices
such as barcode
& QR code
scanner & many
developing
technologies such
a robots
 Temperature Sensors
• A Temperature sensor is a device that measures heat generated
by an object or system. By measuring the change in heat, the
sensor can detect change in temperature.

• A temperature sensor will normally be one of two types;

• Contact sensors and
• Non-contact sensors
• Contact temperature sensors need to have actual physical
contact with an object to measure its temperature. The object
could be solid, liquid or gas.
• A non-contact temperature sensor measures energy that is
transmitted or radiated from an object.
• Many household items use temperature sensors to regulate
their temperature such as refrigerator and oven.
• A heating system in our household uses a particular kind of
temperature sensor called a thermostat.
 Infrared sensor
• Another sensor that
measures temperature
in an infrared sensor.
Infrared sensors detect
infrared radiation that
emits from a person or
object.
• Infrared waves are
emitted by many
things but they can not
be seen by the human
eye.
 Infrared sensor
1. We can use an
infrared sensor
to control our
television.
2. Infrared
sensors can be
used in a special
kind of camera.
The infrared camera will detect infrared
waves being radiated by a person or
object. It can be used when pursuing a
criminal on the run from their crime.
3. Infrared cameras can also used in
Formula 1 racing to show how hot the
tyres on a car are. This allows a team to see
if their current set of tyres is too hot. A
viewer is often shown this images too in the
television coverage and this can make
interesting viewing for fans.
4. Infrared technology is used in
astronomy to view objects in the
universe that can not be detected
through the use of a normal camera.
Most objects in the universe, such as stars,
radiate infrared waves. These waves can not
be seen by the human eye .
5. Aerospace engineers can also use
infrared technology, to monitor the
heat of an airplane in flight to see if
any areas are in particular stress and
at risk of damage.
 Motion Sensor
 A motion sensor detects movement. They are
also known as motion detectors. One of the
most common uses of motion sensor in a
security system
 The two main ways are through detecting
heat (this would use infrared technology)or
bye sending out microwaves that bounce off
objects and would detect a change in the usual
pattern if a moving object were to interrupt
them.
 Motion sensors can be used in lighting rooms
in a business or even a household. This also
can be used in automatic doors and
gaming.
 Motion Sensor
oBusinesses have started using motion
sensors to detect when a person walks
into a room so that the lights are turned
on when they do.

oBoth Sony and Microsoft now have their

own version of movement-controlled
gaming, accelerometer. This kind of
motion sensor will detect any rotation,
tilting and direction of the remote and
communicates this to the computer
system. This kind of sensors can also be
used in mobile phones, tablets to
 Magnetic field sensors
• Magnetic sensors detect changes in magnetic
fields. They measure the strength and direction of
a magnetic field and respond to this changes.

• The earth itself has a magnetic field and magnetic

field sensor can be used to detect where north,
south, east and west are.

• These kind of sensor exist in our mobile phones

and are called ‘magnetometers’ they allow an
application on our phone to act as a compass for
us.

• Magnetic sensors in a mobile phone could also be

 Gas Sensors
 A gas sensor detects the presence of gas in a certain area and
can trigger a response if the amount gets too high or too low.

 Gas sensors are often used to detect the presence of carbon

monoxide on our home, business or larger area. A carbon
monoxide detector, that contains a gas sensor, can be places
in the rooms of a household or business that makes use of a
gas central-heating system or gas fireplace.

 Gas detectors can be used in many areas of industry. They can

be used in nuclear energy plant to detect any gases that could
cause fire and a potentially critical situation.

 Used in waste water treatment plants to detect toxic gases.

 Pressure Sensors
 A pressure sensor measure the pressure of a liquid
or a gas.

 Lots of pressure sensors are used in our daily lives to

measure the pressure of liquid flowing through
pipes. It is extremely important for the pressure of
such things to be measured as if too much liquid is
flowing through a pipe it may burst.

 Pressure is measured by causing a certain material

used in the area, for example inside the pipe, to
conduct electricity at a certain rate. The level will be
matched to a set level of pressure that can be
monitored. If more liquid flows through, causing too
 Moisture and humidity sensors
 A moisture sensor measures the amount of moisture in a certain
material whereas a humidity sensor measures the amount of
moisture in the air, along with its temperature.
 The most common use of a moisture is in detecting the moisture
levels in soil. Getting the correct level of moisture into soil is vital
when farming crops.
 Through measuring the moisture in the soil, a farmer can create
an automated system that will water the crop automatically when
the moisture levels of the soil get too low. It will also alert them
when the water levels become too high so that action can be
taken to make sure the crop is not ruined.
 Another name for a humidity sensor is a hygrometer. They
measure the amount of water vapor present in the air and the
current temperature of the air.
 The two of these measures together are known as humidity.
Humidity sensors can be used in places such as museums & art
 pH Sensor
• A pH sensor measures how acidic or alkaline a material is. The
pH is measured on a scale. The Value 7 of a ph scale means a
material is ph neutral. A ph of less than 7 indicates a material is
acidic and a ph of more than 7 indicates a material is alkaline.
• It is extremely important that the pH is correct for the water that
we drink in order for us to remain healthy. The pH of the most
pure water would be 7, so most water treatment plants will try
and get as close as possible to this.
• A water treatment plant will measure the pH of the water that it
holds to make sure that it does not become too acidic or too
alkaline. It could be very damaging to their reputation if they
were to risk this happening.
• In aquariums this sensor are used.
 Actuators
Sometimes outputs can be a movement or an
action. An actuator is a mechanical output
device that Produces movement‘ .The moving
Part of an actuator is usually connected to
another device in order to move that device.
Actuators can rotate‘ open, close, Push and
Pull an object. They apply movement through
the use of energy and the energy is converted
into motion. Actuators are used for tasks
such as:
. controlling a robotic arm
. spinning a fan
. pumping water.