Sensors - Adding intelligence to your project

30 Sep 2017 POSTED BY Vignesh Dhanasekaran

Want to give Intelligence to your project ? how does it know about its surrounding, physical characteristics, How does it work ?

It is with the help of this sensors the robot gets intelligence, Sensors play a vital role in robotics and automation.

Sensors are detectors that have the ability to measure some type of physical quantity, It is with the help of these sensors Automation is possible.

Sensors are classified into Distance Sensors,Line Sensors, Weather Sensors, Gas Sensors, Flex Sensors, Accelerometers/Gyroscopes, Current Sensors, Etc. Let us see in this blog Where, When & Why we are using these sensors.

Main parameters to look into while selecting a sensor: Output type, Sensitivity, Operating Voltage

Output Type: It is the main thing that has to be noted while looking for a sensor there are two types of output that is generated from sensors - Analogue & Digital. When we use an ADC(Analog to Digital Converter) to measure the output it is known as Analogue Sensor. If the output of the sensor is binary ie. if it is either low or high it is a digital sensor.

Sensitivity: It is the rate at which the sensor responds to change in a parameter that is being sensed.

Operating Voltage: It is the voltage at which the sensor operates, you must be very careful while selecting sensors, if you give lesser voltage to it it might not have any response but if you give more voltage then the rated voltage the sensor might get damaged or burnt.

Distance Sensors:

These are the sensors that can be used for finding the distance of a object.

Line Sensors:

This is the type of sensor used in line following robot that is used in automated guided vehicles.

Weather Sensor:

These are the type of sensor that are used in detecting the atmospheric data like, pressure, humidity and temperature.

Gas Sensors:

These are the sensors that can be used for detecting the presence of gas depending on the sensor type.There is a toggle switch available to switch the sensor from digital to analogue.

Flex Sensors/force Sensor:

The flex/force sensor is a type of sensor that is basically a resistor that changes due to deformation in its shape. You need to connect a resistor of 1k ohm to measure the resistance.

Accelerometer & Gyroscopes Sensors:

The accelerometer detects the angle of tilt and the Gyroscope is used for detecting the force of tilt.

Current Sensor:

It is a sensor used for measuring the current flowing through it. The current sensor gives an analog output in accordance with the current passing through the ‘IN’ and ‘OUT’ pins on the board.

Other Sensors:

Apart from the other sensors there are few more sensors that perform specific functions, like magnetometer, PIR sensor and the Water level sensors.

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