How Smart Sensors Work?

Basically, a smart sensor consists of 5 basic components which are the base sensor, power supply, microprocessor, memory and communication module.

A base sensor is a common sensor responsible for detecting physical quantities. A power supply is to supply power to the computing resource and perhaps to the sensor base. A microprocessor is a computing component, which enables the sensor to perform some data calculations in order to measure quantities and take action based on these analyses. Memory is dedicated to storing measured values and calculated data, and also stores the software logic that controls how the sensor handles this data. The communication module is the one that transmits and receives data between sensors and external devices over the same network or the Internet.

Essentially a raw base sensor used to provide sensing capability, it is designed to measure physical quantities and produce analog signals. These analog signals need to be processed before they can be used, and here comes the role of the microprocessor. An integrated microprocessor in the smart sensor will filter the signal noise and convert the base sensor signal to a usable format. It will also have some software functions that will do some calculations to calculate the values and maybe take some action on the specific values. A memory card is also built-in to store the sensor's measured data and operating parameters. And finally, a communication module integrated into the sensor will allow connection to external devices through a private network or the Internet.