In which applications is the sensor the hottest?

With the rise of the Internet of Things market, sensors have become a hot topic. The number of sensors in smartphones is increasing, as is the case with ADAS/drivers. So, what other applications are generating sensor heat, especially in industries such as industrial or smart cities that are not dazzling in our daily lives? A few days ago, EDN China reporters visited five companies at Sensor China to hear their views on the potential applications of current sensors and what good products they have for the market.

Honeywell: Environmental testing uses multiple sensors instead of algorithmizing Honeywell's sensor-related division changed from "sensing and control" to "sensors and IoT" more than a year ago. On the one hand, it is to do more product and technology research and development for IoT. On the other hand, some products will be launched for some high-growth and high-potential markets. Health and safety are a big market trend. Honeywell therefore demonstrated environmentally relevant (eg, atmospheric particulate matter) sensors. In addition to PM2.5, everyone now has a comprehensive sense of the surrounding environment. For example, in newly renovated rooms, concentrations of formaldehyde, TVOC, and carbon dioxide are too high to affect people's intelligence, said Wang Liang, director of strategy and marketing at Honeywell Sensing and Productivity Solutions.

Future home appliances and wearable devices are also a high-growth area for sensors. For example, a home appliance may use two or three sensors, and in the future, it may use more than a dozen sensors. In addition, electric vehicles are also a high-growth area for sensors. Unlike some companies that use a single sensor to measure multiple parameters by algorithm, Honeywell uses multiple sensors to detect individual parameters. "The sensor that we put together these parameters last year is very accurate and sensitive." Wang Liang said. An example is a foreign customer who uses an air-circulation purification system and finds that PM2.5 (usually only one position) in the office suddenly becomes more than 30 a day. The Internet query found that Canada was burning platycodon in the north of the office and was blown to the United States by the wind. In addition, there are more than 50 on the outside, and the interior will be better than the outdoor. “We use professional sensors to do professional things. For example, we use a carbon dioxide sensor to measure carbon dioxide in a sensor, a methane sensor to measure methane, and a TVOC (total volatile organic compound) product to measure TVOC. For the point to be measured, and some companies in the market simply rely on low prices to compete, it is said that a sensor can be used to measure several parameters, but in fact, those parameters are calculated by software calculation. We do not Do that kind of thing." Wang Liang pointed out. For the hotspots of the Internet of Things (or the pain points of customers), he gave an example, that is, the cost of logistics is high. For example, flower logistics, the vast majority of Chinese flowers are shipped from Yunnan and even abroad. If the flower delivery process (constant temperature, constant humidity, vibration, etc.) is not done well, it will be shipped to the destination and unpacked. As a result, the flowers are dry and smashed, and the flowers are lost. This kind of flowers can't sell the price. . This can be avoided by controlling the temperature and humidity in the cabin. In addition, unlike other sensor companies, Honeywell does software in addition to sensor hardware. The company acquired a company last year that ported SAP enterprise management software to the cloud. Then control the various data from the cloud. For example, the logistics mentioned just now, every big truck, the state data in the product process can be put into the cloud. Therefore, the managers of the company, including the fleet managers, drivers, etc., can view the status in real time to enhance the operation.

Beijing North Wake Up: Lidar is evolving into solid-state products. Lidar is now a relatively hot industry, mainly used in driverless, robotic, and drones. Beixing Photonics Technology Co., Ltd. is mainly engaged in laser radar and SLAM algorithms. Zhang Yuan, Marketing Manager of Beixing (Beijing) Photonics Technology Co., Ltd., said that the company's key products include TF01, TF02 and TFmini. Its positioning is a single-point ranging radar, mainly used in plant protection drones. The reason is that the plant protection drone needs to maintain a stable height with the ground during operation, so that it can be sprayed evenly when spraying pesticides. There is also a C30 radar, mainly used for AGV obstacle avoidance.

Google uses a foreign 64-line rotating structure radar, which means that 64 lines rotate at the same time, which can scan out the surrounding environment. North Wake up now is the main push for solid-state laser radar. It does not rotate, it is a direction, but the market is relatively large. Foreign 64-line radar is particularly expensive, and it costs tens of thousands. Solid-state laser radars (such as CE30) are thousands of dollars. The solid state can not be rotated by 360 degrees compared to the rotation, but can be rotated by adding a rotating mechanical structure. The solid state will be better in terms of service life and stability. Therefore, solid-state laser radar should be a trend of unmanned driving. For the millimeter wave radar, she said that it is indeed a field of intense competition with laser radar. Although the millimeter wave is not affected by ambient light, it has a disadvantage compared to the laser radar: the accuracy is not as high as that of the laser radar. Therefore, in fact, many smart devices are multi-sensor fusion. A sensor has no way to solve all the problems and requires a variety of different sensors to fit together. In addition, the company provides the SLAM algorithm for robotic indoor positioning and navigation, in line with the algorithmic requirements of the robot's manufacturer's customers. "We now have a product called the SLAM algorithm navigation board, which integrates the SLAM algorithm into a computing board, which is equivalent to a more standardized product. When the customer buys it back, he can directly control the robot by connecting to his own chassis. Going. You can build a map first, then control its positioning navigation." Zhang Yuan said.

Zhongxing Measurement and Control: Two smart neighborhood cases illustrate how sensor data can be used . Star Measurement and Control is a company dedicated to selling Chinese sensors abroad, which may have broken many people's perceptions. In the past, Chinese sensors may not be used by Chinese people. Why do foreigners use them? Zhongxing Measurement and Control has made great investments in raw materials, partners, including research and development. Nie Gangbo, Minister of Export Sales of Xi'an Zhongxing Measurement & Control Co., Ltd. pointed out.

For Smart Street, China Star Measurement and Control is now working with ZTE, Huawei and the three major operators to implement the NB-IoT system architecture. In addition, it provides a private network based on LORA and ZigBee to ensure the security of data transmission and control all aspects of the entire system. Zhongxing Measurement and Control hopes to range from sensing (sensor hardware) to gateway (data transmission), to platform (data storage), to applications (data analysis), and to the App. In other words, data is just a set of numbers, how to mine its value and play it out. He cited two examples, parking and garbage management analysis.

Many of our cities are facing parking difficulties. For example, let's go to a big shopping center. Although it will show that there are still 100 parking spaces when you enter the door, you don't know where these parking spaces are after you enter. And if there is a parking space sensor, you can combine the parking screen and indicator lights to tell you the spare position. The same is true for garbage management. In a community, street office, and urban area, relevant departments may manage dozens or hundreds of garbage stations, large and small. In the past, these departments had to arrange several cars to go on a cruise at a fixed time to collect garbage. Sanitation personnel have to go regardless of whether there is garbage in the trash can. This problem can be solved by using a garbage sensor, that is, by detecting the real-time garbage level in the trash, and then transmitting the data to the background server in time, and then pushing it to a sanitation worker or a driver's mobile phone. Through this method, we hope that the problem that would have been solved by ten people and ten cars will be reduced to two or three people and three cars. This saves 60% to 70% of manpower and resources while ensuring that environmental sanitation is not destroyed.

E+H: The small-range pressure sensor is still a short-term company in China. E+H needs to seize the business opportunity E+H (Eldershaus) is headquartered in Switzerland, mainly focusing on measuring instruments and automation equipment in the industrial process field. In the company's sensor plant division, 70% of sensors are used to directly sell customers, and 20% are used for internal operations and turnover of the company's 12-country divisions. In addition to producing sensors, E+H also produces flow meters, ultrasonics, radar probes, level gauges, differential pressure transmitters, water analysis instruments, and temperature meters. Its industrial pressure sensors are biased towards industrial process automation. Li Jian, manager of the sensor and component area of ​​Endershaus GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, said that in order to follow China's 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0, the company has evolved from the previous analog sensor to the current digital quantity, and also comes with Digital temperature compensation.

The pressure sensor of E+H covers both gas and liquid, including temperature and flow, because the pressure sensor must be compensated by a temperature sensor. Density measurement and flow measurement can also be done with pressure sensors, which are complex industrial pressure sensors. The biggest advantage of the digital sensor is its own temperature and pressure compensation. The self-monitoring function is fully affirmed, especially in terms of low power consumption. The Internet of Things must achieve low power consumption and a wide range of small ranges. One of the biggest highlights of E+H's launch in China this time is the small range. One of the more important concerns in industrial pressure sensors is the single crystal silicon differential pressure sensor. Monocrystalline silicon is a trend that has long-term stability compared to conventional silicon capacitive sensors, as well as range and high overload advantages. The single-sided overload of the E+H single crystal silicon differential pressure sensor can reach 420 kg pressure, and the bilateral overload can reach 630 kg.

At the same time, E+H has mature pressure transmitter accessory products in the traditional oil and gas and chemical industry, with intelligent sensing unit, which can better serve the national oilfield project development. For small-range, small-range pressure sensor products, most companies in China still have a small gap between them and abroad, but they will catch up soon. Therefore, for E+H, you need to seize the opportunity.

Highlights: Sensor Custom Design Reduces Costs Dr. Steve Petrucelli, President of Pressure Sensor Limited, was a former professor at the University of New Jersey and a design scientist. He has worked on many development projects related to medicine and industrial products throughout his career.

Jingliang Technology's current products mainly involve pressure sensors, central sensors, temperature sensors, and temperature and pressure hybrid sensors. The company does some filter clarity testing products, such as the filter will have a certain pressure drop, through these small changes, we can replace the filter. Petrucelli told reporters that most of the company's products are related to pressure, and currently it is developing a sensor for clarity with a relatively large company in South Korea. The company not only manufactures products, but also provides complete solutions and provides OEM design services. Petrucelli cited an example of a planar sensor. This array sensor has a total of eight sensors on it. A very stable zero and test range can be produced with eight sensors. "This kind of similar product is probably about $300 in the market, but we are now using the newly developed technology to make our cost 30 yuan. Although we can't sell it so cheaply, we can still greatly reduce the cost. When asked what kind of sensor this is, Petlucelli revealed that the pressure sensor is a weight sensor that can be used on medical devices (such as syringes) and can also be used to measure the strength of a screw.