TE Connectivity has written an insightful white paper on “Top Tips for Designing with Miniature Sensors” which has become very popular with the increased manufacturing of IoT products. 

“As design engineers continually look to pack more features into smaller footprints, sensors have been consistently shrinking in size. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT),

which is adding intelligence and connectivity to an array of devices and spurring the development of new applications, is now accelerating that trend,” the paper notes.

Miniature sensors have “several considerations” engineers should be aware of while making use of the benefits they have over their larger components. The paper notes some products have either failed or could have been more efficient if the designers had taken some of the issues mentioned below. 

1. Make sure the sensor is actually measuring what it’s supposed to be

measuring.

2. Be particularly aware of the kind of environment the sensor is expected

to operate in, and ensure you adequately protect it.

3. Save space by looking for opportunities for the sensors and other components

in the design to do double duty.

TE Connectivity is working on “more smart sensors, which can analyze signals and make decisions locally based on the results, to hit the market. Some are currently being field tested. In some cases, the packaging might be able to perform double duty, saving on precious space. For

example, if the electronics need electromagnetic shielding, the packaging could be made

of material that provides both structural integrity and shielding”.

The link in the title of the paper provides more details for those interested.