The use of various sensors and sensors in modern smartphones is caused by the producers’ willingness to beat the competition. For users, this “arms race” has only benefits because it gives them access to absolutely amazing technologies.
If you remove all sensors from your smartphone, it will lose an impressive part of its functions and turn into a fairly primitive device. Even such known actions as changing the screen orientation when moving the gadget to a horizontal position and automatically switching off the display during a call would not be carried out without sensors.
To gain competition on the market, manufacturers of modern mobile technologies will equip their devices with a huge number of sensors – this ultimately increases the functionality. In the article we will discuss all known smartphone sensors – including those that are installed in the latest models.
Table of Contents
Accelerometer and gyroscope
Accelerometer – one of the main sensors of the smartphone; is also called G sensor . The accelerometer function is based on measuring the smartphone’s linear acceleration along 3 coordinate axes. Data on device movements are collected and processed by a special controller – of course, this happens in a split second. He places a tiny sensor roughly in the middle of the smartphone housing. Independent replacement of the accelerometer in the event of a failure is excluded – you need to go to the service.
Who should thank programmers for smartphone accelerators? First of all, fans of racing simulators, capable of driving virtual cars by simply tilting the device left-right. This accelerometer allows the gadget to change the screen orientation from portrait to landscape when the user turns the device.
The accelerometer first appeared on the Nokia 5500 . This sensor caused great joy among supporters of an active lifestyle, because it allows the use of a pedometer.
The accelerometer has one major drawback: it can fix the position only when acceleration occurs – that is, when the gadget moves in space. The accelerometer is unable to determine the position of the device lying on the table. A “partner” sensor called a gyroscope is called to compensate for this deficiency. This sensor measures the speed of angular rotation and provides greater data accuracy compared to the accelerator. For a gyroscope that has undergone a calibration procedure, the error will not be more than 2 degrees.
The gyroscope is actively used in mobile games – in conjunction with an accelerator. In addition, the sensor enables optical camera stabilization, creating panoramic images (the gyroscope determines how many degrees the smartphone has been rotated), gesture control.
The first smartphone with a gyroscope was the iPhone 4 . Now the gyroscope is not exotic; (like the accelerometer) are equipped with most modern devices.
Proximity and lighting sensors
The presence of a proximity sensor (proximity sensor) in a smartphone is an objective necessity. If such a sensor were absent, the user would have to endure the inconvenience every time during a telephone conversation. All you have to do is touch the reset button with your cheek – and the call has been stopped, you need to call the subscriber again. The function of the proximity sensor is obvious: it blocks the gadget screen as soon as the user brings the device to his ear . This sensor allows the owner of the smartphone not only to communicate with comfort, but also to save battery power.
The proximity sensor “hides” under the windshield of a mobile device. It consists of 2 elements: a diode and a detector . The diode sends an infrared pulse (invisible to the human eye), and the detector tries to catch its reflection. If the detector succeeds, the screen is “dim”. The sensor can register only 2 states: ” foreign object is closer than 5 cm ” and ” foreign object is more than 5 cm “.
Samsung has achieved amazing results in experiments with the proximity sensor. Based on this sensor, the Korean manufacturer created a gesture sensor , thanks to which contactless control of the smartphone became possible. The first gesture sensor appeared on the Samsung Galaxy S3 – in 2012 it was a real breakthrough.
The light sensor is considered paired with the proximity sensor – as a rule, these two sensors are close together. The light sensor is the “oldest” of all sensors used in mobile electronics. It is also the simplest – from a structural point of view, this sensor is a semiconductor sensitive to photon flux. The light sensor function is not as responsible as the proximity sensor: the light sensor adjusts the brightness of the display according to the ambient conditions.
Some Samsung models (for example, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5) have RGB sensors installed . The RGB sensor can not only change the brightness of the display, but also adjust the proportions of red, green, blue and white on the screen.
The creators of Samsung Galaxy Note 4 have come to absurd: they taught the phablet sensor to measure lighting in the invisible range for humans – ultraviolet. With such an interesting innovation, the user can, for example, choose the optimal time for tanning.
Barometer and temperature sensor
A person with high sensitivity to sudden changes in atmospheric pressure must have a barometer application on their smartphone. For example, on Google Play one of these programs is called “Barometer“.
The sensor-barometer can not only warn the user about the approach of a cyclone – anticyclone; this is not even its main function. The sensor increases the efficiency and accuracy of the gadget GPS navigator. GPS satellites show where the desired place is in the world – but not at what altitude . This lack of their work is eliminated by a barometer. A pressure sensor can help find, say, a company office in a high-rise business center.
Mobile barometers are not new; pressure sensors could boast of more Sony Ericsson devices. However, in the modern market for gadgets equipped with such sensors a bit. Barometers are increasingly being installed on secure smartphones from manufacturers such as Conquest, Land Rover, iMan. In addition, pressure sensors are present in Xiaomi Mi5 and Cubot Dinosaur.
Temperature sensors, unlike barometers, are present in most smartphones – but you cannot measure the temperature outside of them. We are talking about internal thermometers , whose task is to ensure that the gadget does not overheat. There can be many such sensors in one smartphone: the first controls the graphics accelerator, the second – the processor cores and so on. In the event of overheating, the internal thermometer automatically stops charging or reduces the output current.
Gadgets on external thermometers have also been discovered , but they are still “surprised.” The first smartphone with a built-in thermometer was Samsung Galaxy S4. The sensor proved necessary to improve the performance of the pre-installed S Health application.
Unfortunately, external thermometers of mobile devices have a significant disadvantage – low accuracy. The data is distorted due to the heat emitted by the user’s body and the inside of the device itself. Developers have not yet been able to solve this problem.
For the needs of the S Health application, another interesting sensor was installed on the Samsung Galaxy S4 – a hygrometer . This sensor measures the humidity level, giving the user the ability to effectively control the indoor climate.
What sensors enable health monitoring?
A person who aspires to lead a healthy lifestyle does not hurt to get a gadget equipped with the following sensors.
Pedometer (pedometer)
The pedometer’s task is to calculate the distance traveled by the user based on the number of steps taken. The accelerometer can also perform this function, but the accuracy of its measurements leaves much to be desired. The pedometer as a separate sensor appeared for the first time on the LG Nexus 5 smartphone .
Heart rate monitor (heart rate sensor)
The built-in heart rate monitor is one of the Samsung Galaxy S5 innovations. The creators of Samsung recognized that the heart rate sensor was missing so that the S Health program could be considered a full-fledged personal trainer. Among users, the Samsung heart rate monitor has not yet become popular because it is fussy enough. To provide accurate data, the sensor requires close contact with a part of the user’s body where the blood vessels are not deep – for example, with the tip of a finger. Jogging while holding your finger on the sensor is a small pleasure.
Blood oxygen sensor (SpO2 sensor)
This sensor determines the degree of oxygen saturation in the blood. It is only available on 2 Samsung smartphones (Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge) and is “sharpened” in the S Health application. In the device, the SpO2 sensor is connected to the camera flash and heart rate monitor. The user only needs to activate the appropriate application and put his finger on the flash for 30-40 seconds – after which he will see the measurement result in percent on the gadget screen.
dosimeter
This sensor is equipped with a Sharp Pantone 5 smartphone released in Japan, whose function is to measure radiation. For the Japanese, this function is important because after the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011, they are forced to monitor the radiation background more closely. There are no smartphones with dosimeters on the European market.
Fingerprint and retina scanners
Users who think that the first fingerprint sensor appeared on the iPhone 5S are wrong. Telephones that can scan fingerprints have previously been issued. In 2004 Pantech GI 100 clamshell sold with similar technology. Seven years later, Motorola introduced the Atrix 4g with a fingerprint sensor. In both cases, users were very happy with the technology.
When in 2013 Apple built a fingerprint scanner in the “Home” button of the iPhone 5S, “apple” was applauded by both experts and ordinary consumers. Apple had more luck in the era: in the “zero” question about the security of non-cash payments it was not so sharp.
The fingerprint scanner saves the user the need to use digital passwords to protect the data stored in the gadget. Passwords are easy to crack; Cheating on the fingerprint sensor is sometimes more difficult (although it is also possible).
Now installing fingerprint scanners on smartphones has become fashionable. Such technology is used not only by many years of market leaders – Samsung, Apple, HTC – but also by promising Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Meizu.
The retina scanner provides even more security than the fingerprint sensor – in fact, this is another level of biometric protection. Proponents of technology claim that getting a fingerprint is a feasible task (after all, a person leaves them everywhere). Get the same copy of the retina can not be in any way.
The idea of equipping your smartphone with a retina scanner is also not new. In 2015, Asian manufacturers (Vivo, Fujitsu) experimented with this sensor, in 2016. The trend was supported by the little-known company Celestial Homtom. However, this technology was discussed only after Samsung contacted it – the iris scanner was installed in the Galaxy Note 7.
The sensor in the note differs from those on smartphones from Chinese companies. Samsung’s idea can be called revolutionary, because in note 7 there is a camera that is only responsible for eye scanning . In contrast, “Chinese” reads information from the retina using a selfie camera.
The method used by gadgets from the Middle Kingdom is ineffective. The fact is that the eye must be scanned using an infrared (IR) beam, but on front cameras the IR spectrum is usually filtered – after all, this is why self-portraits get worse. It turns out that Samsung is so far the only smartphone manufacturer that does not force users to choose between the quality of self-help and the security of personal data.
Conclusion
Every modern smartphone is equipped with at least 5 sensors. In flagship models, the number of sensors reaches a “hell of a dozen“, and the manufacturers do not intend to stop there. IBM experts predict that as soon as 2017 gadgets will get a sense of smell, so they can warn the user, for example, about the high concentration of gas in the air and the presence of influenza virus in the air. We are looking forward to innovation – should we finally continue?
