Mobile phones or smart phones are the product of extreme engineering. Looking back decades ago, you would not have thought that the mobile phone industry would undergo such revolutionary changes as it is now. Modern smartphones are full of cool features, which are accomplished through various sensors. The sensor provides an interface through which the mobile phone can interact with its external environment.
We will briefly discuss the following sensors.
1. Accelerometer
The accelerometer is an electromechanical device that supports axis-based motion sensing. The name is known. The accelerometer measures acceleration. It measures the general direction and tilt movement of the mobile device. These motion sensors are quite complex and can even be used to detect earthquakes. This is why your smartphone can track your steps without having to buy another external sensor. Information about the location of the phone is very important to the phone's software.
For example, the software uses this information to notify the display on the screen (landscape or portrait), or to notify Snapchat to place a cute little toy car around “bitmoji” while driving. This information is also input into augmented reality (AP) applications, making the environment around the user interactive and can be operated digitally.
2. Gyroscope
The job of the gyroscope is to enhance the function of the accelerometer. It helps the accelerometer understand the orientation of the phone by adding another axis. This additional shaft helps to improve accuracy. An example of a gyroscope at work is a 360-degree photo ball. Due to the additional information provided by the gyroscope, such photo circles usually look impressive.
For players, mobile games like Temple Run require them to tilt the screen to manipulate. Contrary to popular belief, a gyroscope senses the movement a person is initiating, not an accelerometer. The difference between the two lies in the range of motion. In such games, gamers only use small turns, not the actual movement of the phone in space.
The gyroscope inside the smartphone uses a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS). Compared with the traditional gyroscope that relies on wheels and gearboxes, the physical size of MEMS is small, so it can be embedded in an electronic board that can be installed in the phone.
3. Global Positioning System or Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has a wide range of applications in the technical field. Traditionally, everyone relied on physical maps to get directions. Hiking and road trips are often characterized by stopovers, reading maps and reference compasses to determine where a person is. People often get lost and it takes many hours to get back on track. The Global Positioning System (GPS) brought this sad situation to its head. The GPS system enables smartphone users to accurately know their location at a certain point in time. Its working principle is not rocket science.
The Global Positioning System (Gps) unit in the smartphone will get a ping from the satellite in space to determine which area you are driving or standing in. Contrary to popular belief, GPS does not use mobile data at all. The phone itself can use the phone information to calculate a position completely independent of the global positioning system. This is done by calculating the distance to the cell tower and roughly estimating the location of a person. The advantage of GPS that does not rely on mobile networks is that users can find their location even in areas where there is no signal reception. GPS is connected to multiple satellites and calculates the user's position based on the angle of the intersection. The pin pointing position can be boiled down to using longitude and latitude as markers.
GPS may struggle indoors or in thick clouds. This is because GPS cannot establish a lock. A GPS lock is needed to pinpoint a location. Locking requires communication with at least four satellites in order to establish an accurate position.
GPS should be used with care, because it will bring a huge loss to battery life.
4. Magnetometer
This kind of sensor also helps to calculate the position of the mobile phone in physical space. It measures the magnetic field, as the name suggests. It uses the base to give the direction of the compass.
For the main purpose of finding positioning, it works with data from GPS and accelerometers to determine the direction you are pointing and your location in the world.
5. Proximity sensor
Proximity sensors can detect the presence of any nearby objects without any physical contact with them. On smartphones, the sensor is usually located near the top ear. It uses a light detector and infrared LED to determine if you have a mobile device to your ears. If this is the case, it will disable the touch screen to prevent inadvertent operation of the phone on the cheek. The light used for this purpose is invisible to human eyes.
Although this sensor is useful, it has several disadvantages. Dirt is easy to accumulate on the sensor because of its positioning, unreliable performance on skin color, temperature and hair changes.
6.Fingerprint sensor
The fingerprint sensor has not been installed on smartphones until recently. By authenticating users before they access their smartphones, they provide a new layer of security. It can be used to unlock the phone on the screen and even encrypt the data on the smartphone. iPhone5S, HTC One Max and Samsung Galaxy S5 are all examples of smartphones with fingerprint recognition technology.
7. Thermometer
The smartphone is equipped with a built-in thermometer to measure the surrounding temperature. Some phones are a bit special and give readings of the external temperature and the internal temperature of the phone.
The internal temperature helps the phone to avoid overheating, or to warn the owner in advance if the heat level rises above an acceptable threshold. Some smartphones are mature enough to be turned off to prevent damage, if the heat level exceeds the threshold, this is usually the case for old batteries, so it will be very useful in the future.
8. Pedometer
A pedometer is a sensor tailored to count the number of steps a phone user takes. Although such data can usually be obtained through the device’s accelerometer, a dedicated pedometer is more efficient and more accurate. Some smart phones have this kind of sensor.
9. Barometer
Many smart phones, including the iPhone, have barometers. The barometer is used to measure air pressure. It is usually very convenient when detecting weather changes and using air pressure information to calculate altitude.
10. Ambient light sensor
The ambient light sensor measures the light in the room. This is then the phone's software to adjust the brightness of the screen, accordingly, if the automatic light adjustment function is enabled.
11. Radiation sensor
The radiation sensor detects harmful radiation. This is the latest sensor for smartphones. In areas where radiation proliferation is rampant, such sensors are very convenient for mobile phone users. Sharp Pantone 5 is the first mobile phone equipped with a radiation sensor. It is only released in Japan. The phone has a button, and when the button is pressed, a mobile phone application that can measure the area's radiation level is launched.
12. Microphone
Although most people may not think of a microphone as a sensor, it is actually this: the sound sensor is specific – just like your ears. It can help the phone to receive voice signals during a call or when recording audio clips.
13. Camera
Similar to a microphone, although most people may not think of a camera as a sensor, it is actually this: picture and video sensors are specific-just like your eyes. The camera uses the lens and sensor to capture video and pictures.
Concluding remarks
In the final analysis, the future of smartphones is the upgrade of sensors. Better mobile phones require efficient sensors, which are squeezed into smaller spaces to determine how things work. High-efficiency sensors, coupled with optimization and software adjustments, will greatly help to upgrade future smartphones to an area that we do not yet understand.
(Summarized by Easybom)
