Factors to be considered while selecting a sensor or actuator
Selecting a sensor and/or actuator is one of the most important design considerations as it involves balancing diverse (and often conflicting) requirements. As the number of sensors/actuators deployed in real/practical use cases is large, it is almost impossible to replace deployed field devices if they are found to be unsuitable later. Hence it is better to perform the required due diligence during the initial selection stage. Accordingly, this section provides guidance regarding the key factors that should be kept in mind while shortlisting the field devices:
- Data and usage considerations: This covers the type of data required and its purpose and it will cover aspects such as the type and size of the sample. Most of the applications perform the following collectively or in isolation:
- Object recognition
- Object presence/absence
- Level/quantity monitoring
- Distance ranging
- Initiating movement either linear, rotary, or oscillatory...
