Sensors have long been ubiquitous, long before the Internet and the Internet of Things (IoT). It is like the human five senses, as an important part of modern information technology, it is the main way and means for human to obtain information in the natural and production fields.
With the emergence of the Internet of Things and the digitization of the manufacturing industry (Industry 4.0), traditional sensors can no longer meet the development of the digital age. It requires sensors to have the functions of self-checking, self-testing, and self-compensation, as well as high-precision, High reliability, high stability, multi-function and certain data processing capabilities.
Today, under the digital transformation, modern smart sensors are used in various industries, such as automobiles, cameras, smartphones, and IoT-enabled factory machines, and they are just a few of the many sensor application markets. The market for smart sensors is constantly changing and growing at an ever-increasing rate, with various drivers driving growth.
From a market perspective, the main types of sensors include touch sensors, image sensors, temperature sensors, motion sensors, position sensors, gas sensors, light sensors, and pressure sensors. Among them, according to the study, image sensors lead the market, while light sensors are the fastest growing segment during the forecast period 2020-2027.
From a purpose perspective, sensors can sometimes use different parameters. For example, certain types of sensors (eg, proximity sensors) can be based on various characteristics. More advanced smart sensors can often sense multiple attributes simultaneously.
It's worth noting, however, that different types of sensors are often categorized by function by industry or market segment. Important verticals and market segments for smart sensors include automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, infrastructure (including building and overall AEC) and healthcare.
With the continuous development and maturity of artificial intelligence technology, intelligent sensors have become the core components of intelligent systems and the Internet of Things. They are the entrance of all data collection and the front end of intelligent perception of the outside world, and their importance is becoming increasingly prominent.
It is understood that the automotive industry is still an important market for sensors; the consumer goods industry, such as camera sensors in smartphones, has also developed rapidly; and in the industrial market, the number of sensors used in good cyber-physical fusion industrial transformation projects is also considerable. . Even affected by the new crown epidemic, all fields such as smart office, smart medical care, and building environment are huge development space for smart sensors.
However, the real growth of the smart sensor market has yet to begin. 5G is coming, and the deployment of the Internet of Things, the smart home applications that people hope for, is still limited, and Industry 4.0 is developing slowly. Coupled with the factors of the epidemic, some areas that require cutting-edge sensor technology require more investment.
More importantly, the quality of the sensor is getting better, while its price has been falling, which is closely related to the decline of the chip. Due to the shortage of chips, more and more companies choose to produce chips by themselves, starting from the price, and more by integrating more functions in the sensor platform to compete to obtain greater benefits.
All in all, the demand for sensors is growing, and its market is also growing, and the factors driving the growth of the sensor market are mainly: the increasing popularity of the Internet of Things and the Industrial Internet of Things。
Advances in consumer electronics; advances in sensors and sensor technology itself; increasing use of various sensors in smartphones; strong demand in the automation industry (Industry 4.0); growth in the automotive industry; increased demand for wearable devices, etc. .
