Novel and/or new sensor technologies - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: mngiggle
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2016, 07:31:28 pm
content: I'm putting together a talk on new sensor technologies for a regional technical seminar, and I want to make sure that in my digging through the semi companies (or what's left of them), Google, online journals, IEEE mags/journals, etc. I'm not missing out on any interesting stuff because of blinders I don't know I'm wearing.Anyway, I'm looking for new, newly available/affordable, or coming-soon sensor technology that could actually be used in a product in the near future, and since this community has quite a few pros and is pretty adept at sniffing out BS, I figured I'd throw it out here. Anybody have sensors or types of sensors that they're read about -- or better yet used -- recently that are particularly novel or interesting?(I know, this is going to sound like a "can you do my homework for me?" question, but it is what it is, I'm just hoping to be able to cover the things I haven't worked with personally yet.)

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2016, 07:57:57 pm
content: I am not aware of any new sensor technology on the horizon.The sensor technology that is dropping in price and seems to be flavor of the month is thermal imagaging.

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2016, 09:07:52 pm
content: Quote from: mngiggle on August 15, 2016, 07:31:28 pmThis looks interesting, and I think you can buy them, now, very recently released (at least by that company/version). I think they have been around for a long time, but use to be wickedly expensive, and NOT small or low powered. They even seem to be fairly cheap/affordable (but NOT that cheap, by any means), at least for some types of projects, such as robots.Quotehttp://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/imaging-and-photonics-solutions/proximity-sensors/vl53l0x.html?icmp=tt3945_gl_bn_jul2016

author: mngiggle
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2016, 10:07:38 pm
content: QuoteThank you! I remember seeing this mentioned elsewhere when it was announced, but completely spaced on it while working on this...We were trying to see if this was feasible (cheaply) at a previous company 10 years ago, but the errors built up too quickly when you weren't working entirely inside a chip. Plus I was inexperienced and very likely didn't have a clue how to do it correctly...

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2016, 12:49:51 am
content: Quote from: mngiggle on August 15, 2016, 10:07:38 pmI'd love to know how they do it. It does say something about a single photon avalanche device. Which sounds more like something you would find in a $499,999,999 CERN facility, rather than a tiny, affordable sensor, which does not need liquid Nitrogen cooling or anything special.The speed of light is so fast, I'm a bit surprised that they can so easily and readily measure it, over such small distances. I guess they have developed special techniques to make it possible. Possibly similar to how GPS systems, can cheaply measure distances, also related to the speed of light (electromagnetic waves).It does seem rather complicated inside it, from the little information, I have read about it, so far.

author: photon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2016, 07:06:43 am
content: Invensense has announced a fingerprint imager using an ultrasound sensor.http://ir.invensense.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=237953&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2103436

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2016, 07:29:30 am
content: Scanning MEMS based LIDAR modules?

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2016, 07:47:47 am
content: Quote from: MK14 on August 16, 2016, 12:49:51 amWhy? Silicon avalanche diodes have existed for a long time, with decreasing process sizes their integration on a low voltage device isn't that surprising.It's curious that they have an array of single photon detectors though. I guess an array with various attenuation factors and just picking the one which doesn't trigger spuriously too often was cheaper than trying to work with a conventional APD, less analog processing needed.QuoteA simple PICcan measure at 50 ps accuracy single shot and 3.5 ps with averaging.

author: mngiggle
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2016, 03:17:40 pm
content: Quote from: Marco on August 16, 2016, 07:29:30 amInteresting! Saw this recently too (not as far along, and laser currently not included)...http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/optoelectronics/mit-lidar-on-a-chip/

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2016, 08:40:41 pm
content: Quote from: Marco on August 16, 2016, 07:47:47 amI'd misunderstood it, to some extent, when I first read about these sensors.I thought they mean that it sends a SINGLE photon out. What they meant was that it receives/senses a single photon.I agree that there are methods of measuring timing very accurately. But still think that it is very clever to design such systems, and that there is probably major/complicated work involved in designing such things.So I would still love to know (in detail), how it works.Analogy:I would love to know (but already know many of the answers), how the moon landing worked, from start to finish.Your explanation is like saying, "it's simple, just sellotape a giant fire work (cheap PIC) on to the space capsule".The actual technical details of how the moon landing worked, gets very complicated.E.g.The method by which it continues to work, quickly and accurately, even in (outside) daylight conditions, makes its method of operation, interesting. As many solutions to problems like this, would not work well (or even at all), in daylight.Also how it can cope with black surfaces (only 3% returned light).Etc etc.EDIT:But anyway, thanks for telling me about using the PICs to make very accurate time measurements. I'd come across that technique in some PIC datasheets, I'd read, but not yet looked into it or how it worked. But I would have still thought that things like jitter and other technical issues. Still make things like that, technically difficult to do well/accurately.