Disadvantages of sensor

Sensors come with some major disadvantages too. Some of the disadvantages of different types
of sensor are:-

1. Limit Switch Sensor:

 It requires physical contact with target.
 It has very slow response.

2. Photoelectric sensor:
 The lens are subjected to contamination.
 Sensing range are affected by color and reflectivity of the target.

3. Capacitive sensor:
 It is very sensitive to extreme environmental changes.

4. Ultrasonic sensor:
 Low resolution.
 It is highly sensitive to temperature changes.

5. Pressure sensor:
 Sensitivity to lower electrostatic discharge (ESD) voltages.
 Higher cost due to lower manufacturing volumes.

6. Bio sensor:
 Relatively poor sensitivity for many of the clinically relevant targets and
qualitative or semi-quantitative results.

Reference: https://www.plctutorialpoint.com/2015/05/types-of-sensors-
advantages.html
Significance of sensor

Sensors science and engineering is relevant to virtually all aspects of life including safety,
security, surveillance, monitoring, and awareness in general. Sensors are central to industrial
applications being used for process control, monitoring, and safety. Sensors are also central to
medicine being used for diagnostics, monitoring, critical care, and public health.

There are many significant innovations and inventions begin made daily. Micro- and
nanotechnology, novel materials, and smaller, smarter, and more effective electronic systems
will play an important role in the future of sensors.

Sensors in various industries are used for different applications, both in routine and
commercial. The recent rise of sensor systems in industrial demonstrations showcases their
exceptional capacities. Sensors link multiple devices and systems and enable various machines
to communicate to track systems and equipment at each facility. The combination of local
computational power and the Internet of Things (IoT) has turned ordinary sensors into
intelligent sensors such that the measured data are calculated locally in a sensor module in a
complex manner. Sensors have become incredibly compact and highly portable with their
expanded capacities such that they can be connected to difficult to access and potentially
hazardous devices, which make devices into high-tech intellectuals.

Sensors in the field of health and wellness

Innovative sensor technologies in the areas of ambient assisted living, health, fitness
and prevention are used in a wide range of applications.

Biosensors for monitoring body chemistry

A new generation of tissue-integrated sensors from the Californian company Profusa
enables people to monitor their individual body chemistry in an innovative way. The
biosensors are not isolated from the body, but work completely integrated within the
body tissue - without metal devices and without electronics. Applications are planned
for fitness, wellness and health. Especially for chronically ill persons this sensor
technology offers more safety and a relief in everyday life.
High-tech sensor for blood glucose measurement
The new blood glucose measurement with the high-tech FreeStyle Libre sensor is
designed to make life significantly easier for diabetics who require insulin. The sensor
developed by Abbott is attached to the upper arm and allows blood glucose
measurement with a discrete scan. The sensor makes the usual stinging obsolete and
also provides much more insight into the course of glucose than before.
Safety mats with integrated sensors
Safety mats in themselves are nothing new. However, it is innovative to supplement
conventional fall mats with fall mat sensors that register load changes on the mat and
quickly call for help via a call system.

Sensor Drug Dispenser

Drug donors equipped with sensors alleviate the problem of forgetting to take
medication. The drugs to be taken are first presorted in several compartments. The
device then reminds you to take the medication by a signal and provides the required
medication at the desired time. The alarm only stops when a sensor detects that the
tablets have actually been taken.

Smart Textiles
Textiles with integrated sensor technology are increasingly used in the health and
wellness sector, but also in care. Older people, athletes and risk patients in particular
benefit from innovative sensor technologies. For example, textiles with sensors can not
only monitor movement but also control body temperature and breathing for bedridden
persons or babies. Sensor materials can be used for a wide variety of purposes:

Measurement of the fluid level in the body (too low/too high)

Measurement of skin resistance
Recording of vital functions (heartbeat, breathing rhythm, temperature)
Measurement of pressure and deformation (e.g. pressure point detection)
Monitoring of movement sequences (athletes, elderly persons)
Since the sensors incorporated in the textiles are much thinner than a hair, they are
hardly noticed by the wearer of the garment. Also, some sensors do not require a power
source, as they generate electricity themselves
 Sensor technology in vehicles
With cameras, infrared and ultrasonic sensors and radar sensors, driver assistance
systems, such as autonomous emergency braking systems or parking aids, make
everyday life easier and also increase safety on the road. Car manufacturers have been
offering automatic parking assistants for about ten years that use ultrasound sensors at
the front and rear to assist the handlebars when parking. The car misses the parking
space, the steering wheel locks in itself and the driver only has to operate the throttle
and brake.

Sensor technology in home and garden

More and more electronic devices use sensors to perform tasks in the home and garden.
In connection with the Internet, devices can also be linked together and increase
security and convenience via smart home solutions. This so-called Internet of Things
(IoT) includes networks of data-collecting sensors, cloud computing and machine-to-
machine communication.

The range of applications for sensor technology in the home is broad, from sensor-
controlled burglary and fire protection through the control of heating and lighting to
modern household control. For example, there are already cleaning robots that clean
the apartment independently, regardless of the floor covering. Sensors and cameras
ensure that the apartment is cleaned at all angles and that the vacuum cleaner can
avoid obstacles. The same principle applies to wiper and window cleaning robots or
automatic lawn mowers. Water damage in the home caused by washing machines or
dishwashers can also be prevented in future by water sensors. For example, the Loxone
Water Sensor Air detects incoming and outgoing water and immediately sounds an
alarm via a mini-server. Sensor-controlled irrigation systems are also very useful in
gardening. Watering does not take place after pre-programmed times, but, as with the
VIRACUBE, only when the plants actually need water.

Reference: https://www.lead-innovation.com/english-blog/how-sensors-make-our-everyday-
life-easier#:~:text=Intelligent%20sensor%20systems%20are%20omnipresent,also%20increase
%20in%20the%20future.
Usage in Industrial Application

Industrial processes are, in their essence, physical, chemical, electrical, or mechanical steps that
result in the manufacturing of a product. Highly-developed process industries have well-defined
and documented processes. It is essential to continuously measure, and accurately control, the
status of each production process to avoid unintended component changes and unstable
production conditions. It is also important for the success of a process to maximize the
performance of underlying equipment by monitoring the state of production equipment and
utility facilities, and performing optimal maintenance management. That is why industrial
sensors and instruments are designed for both process monitoring and asset monitoring.

Process Monitoring
Process monitoring sensors are used to monitor the status of products and processes in
a plant. These sensors, which are placed in production processes, continuously detect
the state of measurands and transmit them to control units as process data. Control
units then compare the transmitted signal with a target value, convert the difference
into a controlled variable, output it, and give the change to the measurand state. By
repeating this loop, "feedback control" is performed to keep the monitored object in a
stable, controlled state.

These sensors require a continuous, real time data feed, and high-speed response.
These reliable sensors fine-tune processes in real time to eliminate blind spots, enabling
high-quality production, and optimal plant operation.

Asset Monitoring
Asset monitoring sensors play a vital role in monitoring the equipment in a plant. The
data they retrieve and transmit forms the basis of analysis and alerts. By analyzing
sensor output data, it is possible to diagnose the health of plant equipment. This
diagnosis is then used for alarm management, the predictive maintenance of
equipment, and more efficient maintenance patrols. Highly-responsive sensors can help
prevent plant accidents, increase process uptime, and improve the lifetime value of
equipment.

A wide variety of sensors and sensing systems are available for almost any process. The
ability to collect reliable and accurate process data is critical to achieving any level of
process control. Process plants could employ the latest control systems or cloud/edge-
based data collection techniques, and still witness process failures if detection and
 reporting are flawed. Today’s sensing systems form a holistic suite ensuring that they
function as a unit to achieve optimal process and asset management, and ultimately,
process success.

These sensing units are employed in a variety of industries operating with different levels of
process automation because data detection is a very important first step to success in any
process industry.

Reference: https://www.yokogawa.com/special/sensing-technology/usage/