Sensors – Integration with Embedded Systems and Applications (part 1)

According to Lao Tse quoted – To experience without abstraction is to sense the world, to experience with abstraction is to know the world. He further stated that, the two experiences are differentiable; their development distinct but their effect is the same.

However, this piece will address sensor in embedded system and how it is integrated to perform computational work otherwise known as digitisation as well as applications in our society today. What is sensor? Sensor is a device capable of detecting physical object within our environment by producing an output into a readable form by other instruments.

Sensor and Embedded System Integration

Hardly can design engineers present sensor device without considerable analysis and design with embedded systems, unlike in primitive days of its use. In modern technical analysis and integration, today sensor design engineers are commonly referred to as Embedded Design Engineer or Analogue Design Engineer – this group of expertise are very scarce to get, though.

Sensor is an analogue device that can be integrated to microcontroller by a method commonly used by design engineers called analogue digital conversion (ADC). Sensor circuitry board equipped with an embedded components:

a)      Central processing unit; in embedded system, small device with a chip is known as microcontroller, processes with computational power

b)      Small memory – Random Access Memory (RAM) or Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM).

c)      Communication device ( radio transmitter and receiver commonly concatenated as transceiver)

d)      Programming interface.

Listed components A to D above integrated to a single device called Sensor Node. Sensor node is small intelligent and miniaturise device capable of performing sensing, computation and processing. Thousands of sensor nodes could be networked together for different applications, such as monitoring of an environment, weather stations and monitoring of animals movement in a farm.  Let me pin-point this, sensor nodes are often networked together wirelessly – i will not delve into this but in my subsequent article (Part 2).

Sensor Applications

Sensors can be applied according to their types. Though, electronics components could be difficult to select and interfacing. Nevertheless, I will briefly address the following sensors:

A   Temperature Sensor

B   Light Sensor

C   Pressure Sensor

A  Temperature Sensor

Temperature sensor has wide range of applications; the common ones are an environment monitor or weather station. It could also be used to sense temperature inside rooms and to control the appropriate heating or cooling systems. This type of sensor is quite often design with datalogger as well as temperature recorder.

Temperature sensor designed with datalogger with temperature recorder; is used in shipment of farm produce to different destinations or locations around the world   – e.g. shipment of fruits, vegetables leaves, frozen foods and flowers to ensure that they get to market in their best condition.  In addition, it is use to carry important hospital products such as shipment of blood products and pathology sample, in ensuring that the critical substances are not exposed to adverse temperature.

B light Sensor

Light sensor is commonly use for monitoring natural light levels, and employ its output to control artificial –lighting systems.  This could be further enhanced to use for security detector, how? Combination of this sensor with a straight light source such as LED, continuous sensor seeing the LED makes everything normal and OK. However, whenever the light is interrupted this indicates that something or person has just passed between the directional light source (LED) and Sensor.

C   Pressure Sensor

Pressure sensors are mostly use in measuring air pressure for weather monitoring and prediction by meteorologists. It can also be used in automobile – to measure manifold pressure in cars. Pressure sensor is use in measuring water level in washing machines, and in biomedical applications such as measuring blood pressure.

Conclusively, embedded design engineer or analogue design engineer intends to perform tasks or roles in sensor applications, students and graduates – computer engineering/science, electrical electronics engineering and physics/physics with electronics or whoever is aspiring to become a modern engineer and/or industrial engineers who wish to ground well their knowledge in building sensors and integration with microcontroller and applications to real world activities.

Please fill free to contact PAWAAK Technologies Ltd   www.pawaak.com for components selection and development support assistance.

To get learned more about programming sensor nodes and wireless sensor networks. We are ready to get you real time response to your literal requests and/ or services request within a reasonable and an appreciative time-frame.

Services provide are in two folds for universities, students, graduates and industries as well as corporate entities:

1) Training Consultancy

1. PAWAAK Technologies is willing to provide raw analysis i. e. A well fabricated technical analysis for designing of Temperature sensor or Light sensor with low cost optimum performance microcontroller such as PIC based Data logger.
2. In –house or Industrial laboratory designing and implementation/testing.
3. We could also provide an application design and download. Traditionally, embedded C programming language on Linux platform.

2) Components Supply

PAWAAK Technologies could also provide supply service of electronic/electrical components for industrial design engineers or universities who in the nearest future intend to develop sensors applications.

Olawale Shakir Bakare

MSc Embedded Computer Systems Engineering UK, Sigbed Member US.

‘Wale Bakare also writes for EBN the premier online community for global supply chain professionals, EBN part of United Business Media Inc, USA.  Mr. Bakare also moderates for blogs with Internet Evolution Group – group that shares ideas and thoughts on internet technology and its developments. Internet Evolution is also a US based organisation, part of UBM Inc USA. And he belongs to member of Google group for Software Testing (QC) & Software Quality Assurance Group – software/embedded products testing technicians.

Co – Founder/CTO PAWAAK Technologies Ltd

Website: www.pawaak.com Phones: +447901236822  Email addresses:  | [email protected] |

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