How sensors are making an impact in the IoT and pandemic era

The electronics industry has seen increased demand for sensors and their components with a projected annual growth rate of 8% through the end of the decade, according to market research from Fact.MR.

Growth can be attributed to the evolution of sensor technology, which has made it easier and cheaper to design and create sensors for more applications than ever. 

Sensors now have a wider range of uses, leading to innovations from companies and increased return on investment in data-driven and connected technologies. More sensors are being used in the industrial space, with companies adopting industrial IoT to ensure predictive maintenance, factory automation, and collaborative robots working alongside the employees

Sensors have also enabled the creation and use of new applications for smart agriculture and vertical farming. There are now remote operations of solar and wind farms and energy storage facilities with high-efficiency levels. Transportation safety stands to be improved with advanced lidar and advanced image sensors for autonomous and advanced driver-assist systems. 

They also enable transportation electrification, especially in battery management systems that require accurate voltage and temperature sensing to operate safely. 

IoT and Covid-19

The proliferation of sensors is driven heavily by the Internet of Things (IoT), a confluence of trends and products integrating connected smart device technologies and automation. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased awareness about the use of sensors for protecting public health, noted Lew LaFornara, vice president of supplier marketing at TTI Inc., an electronics components distributor. The need to protect customers and employees led companies to incorporate temperature monitoring in their building access systems. 

Even though the virus is no longer the threat it used to be, companies still want tomonitor air quality, especially in public buildings, schools and workplaces. In office and industrial environments, there are next generation sensors for indoor air quality that enable companies to monitor their work environment to maximize HVAC system efficiency and improve the health of the workers. Cisco recently opened a New York City office with various sensors connected to networks and management software.

Cables and connectors

With the use of sensors across various devices and applications, innovators will need to change design elements, especially sensor connectors. Historically, most sensors are connected physically. 

An increase in the volume of generated data requires faster data rates. Cables need EMI/RFI shielding to ensure data is transmitted reliably. Deploying sensors outdoors and other other harsh conditions means that the sensor and the connector need to have an IP rating of IP67 or more. When used in a medical environment, the connector may require IP68 watertight sealing, safe mating with lock systems and easy cleaning. 

The trend is to position cables, connectors and sensors close to the physical environment such as mounting a sensor on a car shaft. This will expose the connectors to higher temperatures, extreme vibrations, poor weather and chemicals.

Some sensor connections are wireless and their numbers are on the rise. Engineers can conveniently use remote applications with wireless sensors for automobile systems, remote generators, and wind turbines. 

New Standards  

There are several connector interface protocols, and ongoing standardization efforts that will lead to an International Electrotechnical Commission standard. Connector manufacturers such as Molex, Amphenol, TE Connectivity and others are pushing to bring to market quick-lock, pull/push systems, LaFornara said.

Another trend is single-pair Ethernet, which will provide full-duplex high-speed 10/100 Base T up to 1000 feet away. Lowering the overall costs and ensuring the cable has less weight means Ethernet is more flexible for robotics within newer generations of smart factories. Manufacturers also continue to focus on making their connectors adaptable to harsh environments and increasing the IP and overall reliability. 

Meeting design challenges

With sensors innovation on the rise, design challenges still have to be addressed including overall size, energy consumption, packaging, and ability to operate reliably under harsh conditions. Other challenges include having to re-create other board components apart from the sensors and make them lighter and smaller without compromising performance. There may be a higher degree of integration with several sensor outputs inside the same package. 

Another problem is reducing power used for generating sensor data which might be solved with a solar cell or other new energy source. 

These challenges are not insurmountable, but Ryan Gil, a hiring specialist at Resumes Planet, noted a growing shortage of qualified sensor developers. “A time may come when the industry becomes short on talented sensor developers,” he said recently.