Types Of Sensors And Their Uses In Various Industries

Sensors are of many types, shapes and sizes. Depending upon the type of environment, they are used to detect and respond to any kind of variation or change in it. With the advent of the Internet of Things ( IoT) technology, sensors are now a part of everything we use in our daily lives. For instance, inductive proximity sensors are used in parking lots of malls, airports, stadiums and other places to tell about the available parking space.

Let us see various types of sensors being used in devices around us.

1. Temperature sensors: these sensors detect the amount of heat energy generated by the source and change this data into readable units. Thermometers are the most basic type of temperature sensors. They are also used in agriculture to measure soil temperature which is necessary for good crop growth.

2. Humidity sensors: These sensors are used to measure the amount of moisture present in the air of other gas. Humidity sensors are commonly used in HVAC systems( heat, vent and air conditioning) and meteorology stations to predict and report weather conditions.

3. Pressure sensors: As the name suggests, these sensors are used to detect any change in the pressure of the gas or liquid and data is sent to the connected system. It is used in leak testing which happens due to decay and in water system manufacturing to detect any drop in pressure.

4. Level sensors: To detect the change in the level of liquids, powders and granular substances, level sensors are used. One common example of use is in oil manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing and water treatment.

5. Accelerometers: These are sensors that detect the change in velocity of an object with respect to time. The use case is smart pedometers and monitor the driving fleet. 

6. Gyroscope: Unlike inductive sensors that use electromagnetic induction, gyro meters measure the angular velocity of an object by measuring rotation around the axis along with the speed. They are used in anti-skid systems, car navigation, motion sensing in video games and camera-shake detection systems.

7. Gas sensors: These sensors can detect the change in the quality of the air by sensing the presence of toxic gases. So, their obvious use will be in industries like oil and gas mining and chemical research and manufacturing.

8. Infrared sensors: Infrared sensors are used to detect the infrared radiations and heat emitted by an object. They also detect heat. Televisions use infrared sensors to detect signals sent from a remote control. Art historians use infrared sensors to detect the hidden layers in paintings to determine if the art piece is fake or original or altered by restoration methods.

9. Optical sensors: Rays of light is converted to electrical signal with the help of optical sensors. They are used in the biomedical field for breath analysis and heart-rate monitors.

An optical sensor will help drivers notice things like signs and obstacles while driving or parking.

The world around us is full of man-made marvels. Each day new technologies and innovations take place to ease human lives and this has become possible with the help of inductive sensors.

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