Sensor technology is the cornerstone of intelligence in various industries, which provides original input for data processing and intelligent decision-making in the digital world by converting various information in the physical world into digital signals. As the gateway from the physical world to the digital world, sensors play a vital role in a wide range of industries, not only sensing changes in the environment, but also enabling real-time monitoring and management of complex systems. At the Shenzhen International Sensor & Application Technology Exhibition, which will be held from April 14 to 16, 2024, Supplyframe had an in-depth exchange with 17 executives from sensor manufacturers. At this industry event, executives discussed the future trends of the sensor industry and shared their innovative sensor products in different application areas.
Industrial sector
The industrial sector is one of the most widely used and mature downstream markets for sensors. The use of sensors in industry is important for improving production efficiency, ensuring operational safety, optimizing product quality and achieving sustainable development. On the production line, the sensor can monitor the operation status of machinery and equipment in real time, and once an abnormal situation is found, it can send an alarm in time to avoid production accidents. At the same time, the sensor can also collect various data in the production process to help enterprises achieve refined management and improve production efficiency and product quality. "Aosong Electronics' application solutions in the industrial field are comprehensive and in-depth, and we help the intelligent and automated upgrade of the industrial field by providing high-performance sensors and related solutions. Ma Pengfei, innovation and development manager of Aosong Electronics, said: "Aosong Electronics monitors and measures the supply and use of electricity, gas, water, oil, heat and other similar gases or liquids through gas/liquid flow, vacuum gauge, pressure, temperature and humidity and other sensors, collects real-time data in a timely manner, and uploads it to the data center management platform for analysis and processing, so as to realize the intelligent cooperation of massive industrial entity equipment, and realize the intelligent cooperation of pressure, Automatic measurement and control of the working environment of equipment such as temperature, as well as predictive maintenance and automation of mechanical production equipment. ”
Ma Pengfei, Innovation and Development Manager of Aosong Electronics
ADI also introduced its own solutions at the show, including OtoSense Smart Motor Sensors (SMS), Precision Signal Conditioning AFEs for Pressure Sensors, Magnetic Sensors, and iToF Technology. ADI's OtoSense Smart Motor Sensor (SMS) combines a variety of sensor technologies and AI algorithms to reduce industrial equipment downtime and help customers reduce costs and increase efficiency in O&M. Zhenyu Cai, Director of Industrial Marketing, Analog Devices China, said, "SMS is a new attempt for us to combine the original semiconductor hardware and software technology with the corresponding algorithms to bring some AI capabilities to the industry. Two 1002 sensors, one accelerometer, magnetic sensor and temperature sensor are attached to the motor. Through the vibration of the motor, SMS will upload some characteristic values to the cloud, and there is a very mature AI algorithm in the cloud, which will extract some characteristic values of the motor and analyze the running status of the motor, which can help customers predict 9 different motor problems and improve the overall operation and maintenance efficiency of customers. ”
Zhenyu Cai, Director of Industrial Markets, Analog Devices China
Optical fiber technology is widely used in the field of communication, from the trunk transmission of optical fiber to the metropolitan area network, to the fiber to the home, fiber technology can be seen everywhere. Another application direction of optical fiber is in the field of light sensing, the reason why optical fiber sensing technology is not as widely used as communication, firstly, because the application scenarios are more complex, and secondly, the iteration of optical sensing technology is subversive and fragmented. However, it is worth pointing out that optical fiber sensing has many advantages: passive, no heat, intrinsic safety insulation, high temperature resistance, passive sensing, no interaction with the measured object, no electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic interference resistance, suitable for complex electromagnetic environment, small size of the sensing unit, can be implanted in the structure, multi-point multiplexing or quasi-distributed measurement, long signal transmission distance, high measurement accuracy, short response time, high bandwidth, etc. Shao Hongfeng, general manager of Shangning Zhigan, introduced: "Shangning Zhigan has a very core grating technology in China, compared with traditional fiber grating products, the strength of our products is high, and the company's downstream applications are mainly oriented to the field of new energy, and are widely used in wind turbine blade strain and defect monitoring, energy storage facility temperature detection, data center power environment monitoring and other fields. ”
Shao Hongfeng, general manager of Shangning Zhigan
The digitalization of the industrial industry is inseparable from data, and the source of data is these sensors in the surrounding area. Sensors are the gateway to a core piece of hardware that converts physical quantities into numbers. These numbers are then transmitted to the cloud, and the analyzed algorithms make decisions to make the device terminal intelligent. TE's vibration sensors also use a combination of software and hardware to help customers improve equipment operation and maintenance efficiency. BW Tan, General Manager of Sales & Marketing Asia Pacific at TE's Sensors Division, said: "Vibration sensors can be used in almost every device. TE's vibration sensors, such as the 8911 series, not only collect vibration data, but also add edge computing and analysis, a combination of software and hardware, very early judgment of the wear and tear in a few months or years, and long-term accumulated data can establish the characteristics of equipment for predictive maintenance. ”
BW Tan, General Manager, Sales & Marketing, Asia Pacific, TE Sensors
Bi Yanfeng, the sensor technology engineer of Hongji Technology, brought a set of solutions for 24-hour wireless multi-point temperature acquisition and processing of industrial production equipment at this exhibition, which includes a wireless temperature detector at the front end, and then transmits it to the data logger through wireless signals, and the data logger is connected to the data visualization software on the PC or the cloud. This solution focuses on wireless convenient placement, small size, long battery life, good stability, and can be applied to bearings, gears, electric motors, outdoor environmental monitoring and other fields.
Hongji Technology wireless multi-point temperature detection system
The market for industrial sensors is very promising and promising. With the in-depth application of 5G, artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies, the importance of sensors in industrial automation, intelligent manufacturing and other fields has become increasingly prominent. As a key component of information acquisition, sensors play a vital role in improving industrial production efficiency, optimizing product quality, and realizing intelligent management.
Automotive
The automotive field is another important downstream market for sensor applications, and the continuous progress of sensor technology and the reduction of costs have made them more and more widely used in the automotive field, especially the rise of intelligent networked vehicles, sensors play an increasingly important role in improving automotive performance and safety. The working environment of construction machinery is harsh, which has extremely high requirements for the stability and reliability of parts, and metal-based MEMS pressure sensors are suitable for applications with high reliability, high stability and harsh environment requirements, especially in the field of construction machinery and automobiles. Wang Weizhong, Executive Deputy General Manager of Qitai Sensing, said: "Metal-based pressure sensors are widely used in fields with high impact resistance and reliability requirements because metal materials are used as substrate materials for its elasticity and impact resistance. Typical applications are in the construction machinery industry and automobiles for automatic ESP and ESC applications, as well as for high-pressure common rail applications for diesel engines. At present, these fields are basically monopolized by foreign products, so as our independent intellectual property rights of pressure sensors, the future growth space is very large. Therefore, Qitai Sensing will continue to make efforts in this field, and will continue to penetrate in the field of construction machinery and automobiles in the future. ”
Wang Weizhong, executive deputy general manager of Qitai Sensing
Lidar is an important part of the perception system of autonomous vehicles, which greatly enhances the perception and safety of the car by providing accurate three-dimensional environmental information. With the continuous advancement of technology and the reduction of costs, lidar has been widely used in new energy vehicles. Lin Shaofeng, technical director of Sanyou Optoelectronics, said: "At present, there are two paths of mainstream lidar of 1550 nm and 905 nm, and Sanyou Optoelectronics focuses on 1550 nm lidar, and the company has formed a whole industry chain layout from chips, devices, modules to systems. Sanyou Optoelectronics' lidar device products are the first domestic enterprises to be put on the car in batches, and our products have entered the supply chain of NIO, and now they are actively cooperating with other car companies that choose long-wave paths, including some radar manufacturers. ”
Lin Shaofeng, technical director of Sanyou Optoelectronics
There are many types of automotive sensors, and in terms of traditional power chains, foreign companies such as Infineon are still dominant. As one of the earliest integrated circuit design companies for automotive electronics in China, the local sensor manufacturer Saizo Electronics is committed to providing customers with complete automotive-grade chip solutions. "There is still a gap of 2 to 3 years in the domestic chip industry following foreign companies. With the trend of automobile electrification, it has brought opportunities to the domestic chip industry. The growth of sales of new energy vehicles has shrunk the traditional automotive sensor market, but domestic chip companies can fill this gap by reopening the market in subdivided fields. In addition, the development of electrification has also increased the demand for product functional safety and technology iteration and updating, providing development opportunities for the domestic chip industry. Li Zhenchao, head of the Saizo Electronic Products Division, introduced: "The sensor chips of Saizo Electronics are mainly gear sensors, position sensors and current sensors, and our products focus on the field of vehicle specification, basically entering some of the top Tier1 manufacturers, and have been applied to domestic independent brand models, such as SAIC, BYD, Geely Automobile, Great Wall Motor, Changan Automobile, etc. ”
Li Zhenchao, head of the electronic products division of Saizhuo
In addition, it is worth mentioning that Myth Technology introduced its unique minimally invasive surgery process in the exhibition interview, the original meaning of minimally invasive surgery is to open a small wound on the surface of the human body, and then through the catheter to penetrate the medical device into the inside of the human body for surgery, and then take it out after the operation, so that the human wound suture is more convenient and the recovery period is relatively short. We first open some very small micropores on the front side of the silicon wafer, and then let the corrosion solution enter the inside of the silicon wafer from this micropores, dig out a relatively large cavity, and then plug the micropores, just like the medical suture window. After blocking, a vacuum cavity is formed inside the chip, and a pressure sensor is formed on the basis of this vacuum cavity. Ni Zao, general manager of Myth Technology, said: "Compared with the previous traditional process, the film of Myth Technology's pressure sensor can be very thin and can be accurately controlled. For pressure sensors, a thinner membrane means that the chip can be scaled down simultaneously. The membrane of the pressure sensor can reach five or six microns, and the TUB function of our latest technology can even be controlled to about 2 microns, which is far lower than the general mold thickness of more than ten microns in the same industry, so our chip area is also far smaller than that of our peers. "Pressure sensors are a category with the highest output value in the automotive field, and Myth Technology has been deployed in the direction of BPS and massage seats. In addition, the company's pressure sensors are particularly suitable for medical applications such as intracranial pressure measurement and pulse information extraction due to their small size. Ni Zao added.
Ni Zao, general manager of Myth Technology
Smart living field
The development of sensors in the field of smart living is multifaceted, and they are becoming more and more sophisticated, multi-functional and intelligent to meet the growing demand for smart devices and systems, which greatly enrich and facilitate our daily life. Bosch has recently released two new sensor products: one is the industry's smallest three-axis accelerometer BMA530 and BMA580, which are mainly used in wearable step counting and bone conduction headphones, respectively, and the other is the six-axis intelligent sensor BHI380, which can put eight nodes in the whole body to interact with the posture of the whole body, which has rich potential uses in fitness, rehabilitation and other scenarios. "In addition to these two new product launches, other core products were also showcased at the Bose Products Exhibition, including sensors for optical measurement of PM2.5, 4-in-1 environmental sensors, AI algorithm platform tools, waterproof barometric pressure sensors, etc. In addition to the devices themselves, Bosch's advantages are also at the system level, in the empowerment of software algorithms, AI self-learning functions, etc., which can bring many new experiences to customers. Bosch sensors are leading the way in technology and innovation, providing novel solutions through improved devices, system-level and software algorithms. ”
Tianmu Liu, Head of Marketing & Business Development at Bosch Sensortec GmbH in China
Infineon participated in the Shenzhen International Sensors & Application Technology Exhibition, showcasing its IoT-related sensors and application solutions based on these sensor chips, providing customers with integrated solutions in the field of IoT, including sensors, computing platforms, networking technologies and cloud technologies, and building an ecosystem in cooperation with partners. "Smart health and smart home are a very important application area for Infineon's sensors, and Infineon has a rich layout in this field, including millimeter-wave radar, 3D cameras, CO2 sensors, Silicon microphones and other products can achieve various solutions in smart health and smart home, providing functions including presence detection, fall detection, breathing and heartbeat detection during sleep, etc., and the company's sensor products have a high market share in smart TVs, smart air conditioners, smart toilets, etc. ”
Jinzhu Wang, Director of Partner & Ecosystem Management, Consumer, Computing & Communications Greater China, Infineon
Huiwen Technology is an enterprise engaged in the R&D, production and sales of intelligent sensors, as well as providing artificial olfactory and pressure sensing solutions, and has built and mass-produced various types of sensors such as MEMS gas sensors, thermopile sensors, flexible pressure sensors, infrared CO2 sensor modules, and laser PM2.5 sensors. In this exhibition, the sensor products launched by Huiwen Technology cover energy storage, fire detection, smart city, consumer electronics, smart home, etc. Luo Shengli, deputy general manager of Huiwen Technology, said: "Huiwen Technology's MEMS gas sensor has the advantages of small size and low power consumption, can be mounted, and can be intelligently integrated; the self-developed flexible thin film pressure sensor has the characteristics of good flexibility, long life, and bending; and the self-developed laser module has high precision, good anti-interference, good selectivity, and is fully in line with the certification of the new national standard." Huiwen Technology has participated in 4 projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, one of which involves the research and development of artificial intelligence chips, which also reflects the company's achievements in artificial smell, and the company will continue to increase R&D investment in artificial intelligence in the future. ”
Luo Shengli, deputy general manager of Huiwen Technology
Wonderful applications of millimeter-wave radar
There are many types of sensors, and many manufacturers at this exhibition launched their millimeter-wave radar solutions. Millimeter-wave radar is mostly used in automobiles or industry, and with the improvement of the innovative ability of components, it has gradually become popular in the fields of smart home and consumer electronics in recent years. Chip and module sensor manufacturers, including Silicon Micro, have jointly promoted the civilianization and scale of millimeter wave technology. Xu Hongtao, Chairman of Sidian Micro, said: "Millimeter-wave sensors have played an important role in human presence detection and human trajectory tracking, and have achieved intelligent interaction. Through innovation capabilities and technological breakthroughs, Sidian Micro has achieved important performance indicators such as power consumption reduction, detection capability improvement, cost reduction, and size innovation, meeting the needs of consumer smart devices. With the development of the millimeter-wave radar industry, the National Radio Commission has continuously updated the frequency band specifications and proposed new compliance standards for millimeter-wave products, which will provide compliance guidance for millimeter-wave products to the market. ”
Xu Hongtao, chairman of Sidian Micro
Zhenghe Microchip is a company dedicated to the development of millimeter-wave radar sensor chips, whose innovative technology makes the product have advantages in terms of performance and power consumption, simplifying the complexity of smart home application solutions, and can be used for stand-alone sensors and embedded devices to achieve interaction and upgrade with home appliances and electronic products. Pan Pan, founder of Zhenghe Microchip, said: "Millimeter-wave radar has the advantages of high detection accuracy, environmental adaptability and protection of user privacy in smart homes, but it still faces challenges in terms of popularity and user experience. The 60G band millimeter-wave radar products launched by Zhenghe Microchip meet the needs of users while solving the difficulties of user use through low power consumption, high integration and excellent RF indicators. ”
Pan Pan, founder of Zhenghe Microchip
Interactive media is used in advertising, exhibitions, conferences and other fields through the use of modern technology to communicate people and things. Sensor artists turn sensors into interesting works of art through the creative use of sensors such as pressure sensors, temperature and humidity sensors, and more. Xia Qing, Senior Engineer of DF robot, shared artist Zhang Qiwei's work on interactive water ripples, showing the interaction between people and the environment. Xia Qing introduced: "This work uses millimeter-wave radar technology to represent the existence of people and the changes in the environment through the appearance and disappearance of water ripples, and people will have an impact on the environment, and present his ideas through such an art form." Its main control is LattePanda, X86 architecture development board, the chip used is Intel's high-performance, low-power N5105 chip, and at the same time built-in Arduino Leonardo microcomputer, can be extended to various sensor modules, with the blessing of this chip, this sensor can be directly connected to this development board, unlike other X86 industrial computers also need a capture card. ”
Xia Qing, senior engineer of DF robot
Internet of Things communication field
The combination of IoT communication and sensors is a key factor in the realization of IoT, and the IoT communication technology can transmit the data collected by the sensors to other devices or cloud servers for further processing and analysis, and the combination of sensors and IoT communication technology can realize a variety of innovative applications. The progress of Internet of Things communication technology is not only reflected in the continuous improvement of network coverage capabilities, but also in the continuous emergence and application of new technologies, and the development of Internet of Things communication technology is promoting the rapid development of the Internet of Things industry. The Wide Area Internet of Things (WloTa) is a communication protocol optimized for wide-area wireless IoT communication, and its core is to provide in-depth optimization for large coverage, low power consumption, large number of connections, and low-cost applications, which can solve many pain points in the IoT industry. Royal Core is an innovative enterprise for the billion-level intelligent Internet of Things market, and WloTa is one of its strategic platforms. In the Internet of Things market, WloTa technology is in the stage of large-scale application and promotion. WloTa has a wide range of applications and is suitable for almost all LPWAN application scenarios. Li Mingdong, vice president of Yuxin Micro, said: "WloTa technology has good wall penetration, can cover signals within at least 600 meters, and is widely used in scenarios such as meter reading, street lamp management and control in smart cities, and wireless control lighting, and can be combined with sensors to be used in smart factories, station management, warehousing and transportation, food traceability, etc. ”
Li Mingdong, vice president of Yuxin Micro
Low-rate, low-power, and wide-coverage communication technology has become the key to the popularization and application of the Internet of Things, and wireless communication technology LPWAN came into being. At present, the mainstream LPWAN technologies are NB-IoT, LoRa, LTE-M and SigFox. However, the reality is far more complex than expected, the international situation is changing, and China's Internet of Things communication field urgently needs an independent and controllable communication system. The independent and controllable underlying technology is extremely important for the development of national industries. At the beginning of its establishment, Jixiang Technology was to make a 100% domestic IoT communication technology and communication system for the Internet of Things industry. Focusing on the underlying communication technology of the Internet of Things, we have created a fully self-developed wireless narrowband IoT communication system - TPUNB (Techphant Ultra Narrow Band) narrowband IoT communication system, built a complete IoT sensing system, and provided complete IoT solutions and project construction for various vertical industries. Zhang Sheng, sales director of Jixiang Technology, introduced: "The company's regional Internet of Things and local Internet of Things business mainly includes government and enterprise business, energy business and product division: government and enterprise business to provide services for government and large TO B-end customers, build city-level IoT private network; energy business is to serve national urban lifeline industries such as power grid, water, gas, etc.; product division is to provide self-developed communication products, chips, modules, gateways, services to the entire Internet of Things in all walks of life, but also for customers to do lightweight customization." ”
Zhang Sheng, sales director of Jixiang Technology
The development and application of sensor technology has not only promoted the digital transformation of the industry, but also brought a more intelligent, efficient and sustainable development path to society. With the continuous progress of technology and the improvement of industrial ecology, sensors will play a more important role in the intelligent society of the future. From industrial automation to automotive intelligence, from smart cities to smart life, sensors are becoming a key link between the real world and the digital world, empowering thousands of industries and leading innovation and development.