These discussions will take place partly at the IIoT & Cyber Security Forum and the Embedded Electronics Platforms Conference scheduled for November 16, 2022.
Sensors are the drilling platforms of the information society because they extract the raw material called data. Whether we're talking about smart cities, smart energy, smart homes, smart healthcare, or smart factories, we'll always find sensors hidden beneath the term "smart." And these sensors are becoming increasingly "intelligent" by taking on signal preparation and processing tasks alongside their normal measurement and recording responsibilities.
Expectations for this growing sector remain high. MarketWatch analysts expect the global sensor market to double in the coming years, rising from $80 billion in 2021 to $161 billion in 2030. Members of the Sensors & Measurement Association reported that revenue grew by 20% in 2021 compared to the previous year. A distinctive feature of this industry is its high level of innovation intensity. Around 11% of revenue is allocated to research and development, the highest level in Germany.
Smartphones are driving the sensor market.
Smartphones remain one of the biggest drivers of growth in the sensor market. Around 1.35 billion smartphones were sold worldwide in 2021, according to the German online platform Statista. High-end models sold today come with up to 14 sensors packed inside. Camera quality remains the most crucial single selling point. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is equipped with Sony's new 1-inch camera sensor, a feature that greatly improves the brightness of nighttime photos. Samsung's 200-megapixel sensor, with the world's smallest pixels, offers an incredible 14-bit color depth (4 trillion colors). In addition to image sensors, you'll likely find MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensors made by Bosch Sensortec embedded in smartphones. These facilitate screen rotation, orientation in virtual reality applications, navigation, and many other actions.
These sensors are also used in medical and automotive technology.
The story of MEMS sensors began long before they became indispensable components of every smartphone and before entirely new classes of devices emerged, such as fitness trackers, drones, virtual reality headsets, smartwatches, and smart sensor nodes for the Internet of Things (IoT). Initially, they played a crucial role in automotive applications like airbags and electronic stability control (ESP). Today, cars are equipped with more than 50 of these tiny sensors, including those manufactured by electronics manufacturers such as Analog Devices, Bosch, Hamamatsu, Infineon, Murata, Panasonic, and STMicroelectronics.
These are complemented by radar, lidar, ultrasound, and "simple" cameras: only the interaction created by sensor fusion allows complex driver assistance systems, including advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), to create a sufficiently detailed view of the entire environment. The interior is "filmed" with the help of elements such as Osram's Icarus 3D sensor system. This system monitors the driver, detecting if they doze off for even a second or show advanced signs of drowsiness.
Thermal infrared sensors (thermopiles) manufactured by Excelitas provide another form of contactless monitoring. They are used in ear and forehead thermometers to obtain exceptionally accurate measurements. Disposal sensors are increasingly used in certain medical procedures as a low-cost alternative and a way to prevent infections in hospitals. The Thermometrics single-use sensor, manufactured by Amphenol Advanced Sensors, continuously measures the skin temperature of newborns in incubators. In addition, Sensirion provides ventilator manufacturers with MEMS-based disposal fluid flow sensors.
Sensors for Industrial Applications:
The manufacturers in the diverse market for industrial sensors have little in common with the high batch numbers seen in the consumer and automotive industries. This raises development and production costs, and consequently, the prices of sensor systems. However, a study by Michaela Rothhöft of the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences and the German Association of the Mechanical Engineering Industry (VDMA) revealed that mechanical engineering companies are increasingly interested in smart sensors. One-third of the surveyed companies plan to store sensor data in the cloud and use digital twin sensors. The survey also revealed that each mechanical engineering company uses an average of five sensor manufacturers as suppliers.
Many of these manufacturers will be attending electronica 2022. A large number of suppliers are engaged in fierce competition in the area of condition monitoring, which forms the basis for predictive maintenance. For example, Analog Devices supplies three-axis MEMS acceleration modules with integrated analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), microcontrollers, fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), and statistics. In contrast, the new inertial sensors manufactured by STMicroelectronics have a special processor optimized for machine learning placed right next to the sensor on the chip. As a result, intelligence travels from the cloud or from "at" the edge directly "to" the edge. Complex operations such as pattern recognition and anomaly detection become much more efficient and productive.
Visitors to the trade fair will be able to see how smart sensors can optimize their company's value creation during the Embedded Electronics Platforms Conference on November 16, 2022, and at the IIoT and Cybersecurity Forum, among other areas. Hardware developers won't want to miss the Electrical Connectors and Measurement Technology Forum, taking place in Hall 3 on Thursday, November 17, 2022, which covers the latest technological highlights and trends in sensors and measurement technology.
