The
Fundamental Physical Principles of sensing include Electric Charges,
Electrical, Gravitation Fields, Potentials, Resistance, Capacitance, Induction,
Magnetism, Piezoelectric or Thermoelectric Effects and Light and so on. Often
sensors based on different physical principles perform the same function.
Utilization of a few of them considerably reduces incorrect detections and
increases sensors redundancy and detectability. Controllable wireless sensors
can form a network thus enabling automation of business and industrial
processes in military, industrial and commercial applications. Wireless sensor
network is a group of devices performing sensing, data processing and wireless
ad-hoc data communications. This powerful synergy enables innovative
applications. A networked sensor can be a radar station, pollution monitor,
video camera, mobile phone, heart rate monitor, or just a simple ID tag. The
most popular communications standards in Wireless network include Wi-Fi IEEE
802.11a/b/g/n/as and ZigBee IEEE 802.15.4.
Capabilities
Occupancy and Motion Detectors
·
Ultrasonic
(Reflections and Doppler effects)
·
Capacitive
·
Optoelectronic
·
IR:
sensitive to heat waves
Position, Displacement, and Level
Sensors
·
Capacitive
& Inductive
·
Eddy
Current
·
Polarized
Light
·
Ultrasonic
Velocity and Acceleration Sensors
·
Video
CCTV
·
Radars
·
Capacitive,
Piezoelectric
·
Gravitational
Flow Sensors
·
Pressure
Gradient Technique
·
Thermal
Transport
·
Drag
Force
Light Detectors
·
Photodiodes
·
Phototransistor
·
Image
- Face Recognition System
·
Gas
Flame
Characteristics
·
Accuracy
·
Drift
·
Hysteresis
·
Linearity
·
Measurement Range
·
Minimum Detectable Signal
·
Precision
·
Repeatability
·
Selectivity
· Sensitivity
· Problems in Powering Wireless Sensor Nodes
· Sensors are sources of RFI/EMI
· Incorrect: rejection of a true existing objects; and acceptance of non-existing objects
· Sensor cross-sensitivities associated with environmental effects
· Ultrasonic sensors have low spatial selectivity
· Infrared motion detectors are susceptible to heat waves
· Fading effect of electromagnetic waves reflected from objects
· Ultrasonic signals corruption by waves reflected from objects
· Sensors failure because of insufficient reliability, selectivity, or noise immunity