Intelligent sensor

An intelligent sensor is a sensor that takes some predefined action when it senses the appropriate input (light, heat, sound, motion, touch, etc.).

The sensor has to do the following tasks:

An intelligent sensor integrates both analogue and digital subsystems, combining sensing, signal conditioning, conversion, compensation, and communication functions in one unit. Each element contributes to transforming a physical quantity into reliable digital information suitable for higher-level processing.

The main components are:

Because the tasks are performed by microprocessors, any gadget which mixes a sensor and a microprocessor is usually called an intelligent sensor.

To qualify as an intelligent sensor, the sensor and processor must be part of the same physical unit. A sensor whose only function is to detect and send an unprocessed signal to an external system which performs some action is not considered intelligent.

Ubiquitous Sensor Networks (USN) is used to describe a network of intelligent sensors that could, one day, become ubiquitous.