Sensors are now found practically everywhere in modern cars. Every mechanical system is powered by motors in actuators or systems and monitored by sensors. Whether located in the engine, passenger compartment, bumpers, exterior mirrors or roof, they enhance safety, performance and comfort. Demand for vehicle sensors is growing steadily, driven by the increasing prevalence of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electric vehicles (EV) and autonomous vehicles (AV). Market analysts unanimously agree that the global automotive sensor market will at least double within the next ten years.
Variety of Applications
Automotive sensors have a wide range of applications, spanning multiple vehicle systems:
- Powertrain: Functions such as engine performance, fuel consumption and emissions, Pressure, Current, Voltage, etc.
- Chassis: Wear detection, Position, Force, Torque, Tilt for Suspension.
- ADAS: Functions such as collision avoidance, lane changing warning, and automatic emergency braking.
- Body & comfort: Climate control, seat position detection, telematics, driver condition detection, gesture- and voice control.
Sensor Fusion Provides an Accurate Picture of The Environment
One of the most significant trends in the automotive industry is the growing level of vehicle autonomy.
This approach ensures redundancy and higher accuracy, even under challenging conditions such as fog or heavy rain.
For on-board computing systems to be responsibility for driving and react to situations that occur on the road, they need to be supplied with data from a multitude of different sources.
For the time being, lidar/radar remains a key technology, particularly for highly autonomous vehicles. However costs, scalability and regulatory requirements will ultimately determine which technology dominates the future. To win the future, manufacturers must be flexible and develop hybrid systems that combine the respective strengths of the technologies.
Also relating to autonomous driving, there is the need for inertia measurement units (IMUs). These are multi-axes devices that can deliver constantly updated parametric data on the angular orientation, velocity and direction of a vehicle. This is vital in situations where satellite navigation is interrupted, due to the vehicle entering a tunnel, a multi-storey car park, or moving between tall buildings.
Rise of Interior Sensing Solutions
Use of optical ToF sensor technology within the cabin will enable the monitoring of vehicle occupants.
Through this, better airbag deployment may be actioned by firstly establishing if a specific seat is occupied, then judging the size of the person in that seat so that the speed/strength of deployment is appropriate. Also, the attention of the driver can be ascertained at any given time to see if they are concentrating on the road and, if not, actioning an automated response to any imminent hazard.
Monitoring for More Efficient Drives
An EV vehicle accelerating development in terms of new chemistry solution for Anode-/ Cathode Materials in combination with solid state batteries, will lead to range extension above 1000 KM.
Also Sodium – Ion Batteries will play an important role for shorter range with the big advantage of better recyclability of the BMS Systems. The Future is about Power, Voltage, Current, Pressure, Temperature and mechanical condition of wear components.
Explore EBV's extensive inventory, which includes automotive-grade pressure sensors, TPMS and upcoming wear condition devices, temperature sensors, MEMS-based IMUs, Hall & Inductive sensors, and CMOS image sensors for camera systems.
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