Development prospects of the civilian sensor market
According to the "2016 Sensor Market" report by Swiss consulting firm INTECHNO Consulting, the size of the civilian sensor market was 81.6 billion euros in 2006, 119.4 billion euros in 2011, and is expected to reach 184.1 billion euros in 2016. Between 2006 and 2011, the annual growth rate of the civilian sensor market was 7.9%, and it is expected to reach an annual growth rate of 9.1% from 2011 to 2016.
The production process, modern automobiles, innovative medical equipment, intelligent power supply systems, and building technology all rely on sensors. Sensor penetration is increasing in various fields and constantly exploring new application areas. Figure 1 shows the main application areas of civilian sensors in 2006 and 2016. In the sensor market size of 81.6 billion euros in 2006, 12.9% of the demand came from the mechanical industry, 12.0% from the process industry, 20.6% from the automotive industry (including aircraft, ships, and rail vehicles), 18.2% from the construction industry, 3.8% from the home appliances and consumer electronics industry, and 13.3% from the information and communication industry. With the continuous prosperity of intelligent mobile communication technology and tablet computers, as well as the rapid growth of driver assistance systems and hybrid electric vehicles, it has stimulated the sharp demand for sensors in the information and communication industry and the automotive industry. In the 2016 sensor market size of € 184.4 billion predicted by INTECHNO, the information and communication industry and automotive industry have high demand for sensors, reaching 22.9% and 22.8% respectively, followed by the construction industry (18.1%), machinery industry (9.7%), process industry (8.9%), medical sector (8.8%), and household appliances and consumer electronics industry (2.7%). In addition, the demand for sensors in other sectors such as environmental protection and infrastructure is also increasing day by day.
From the perspective of the demand for sensors in various countries, Germany and Japan have high demand in the mechanical industry, especially in Germany where the sensor market has a strong overall position, followed by the information and communication industry and process industry in the United States. In the market size of sensors worth 119.4 billion euros in 2011, Western Europe accounted for 31.8%, Eastern Europe accounted for 2.8%, and? North America accounts for 28.3%, South America accounts for 1.7%, Asia Pacific region accounts for 34.4%, and other regions account for 1.0%. Figure 2 shows the * of civilian sensors in major regions of the world in 2006 and 2016. It can be seen that Western Europe is gradually losing its sensor world *, while the Asia Pacific region is showing a continuous growth trend. The main reason is that Western European sensor buyers are mostly in traditional industries such as machinery, and do not dominate in fields such as information and communication technology. This is precisely the main growth area of the future sensor market. In recent years, the demand for sensors in Asia Pacific countries such as China, India, and Southeast Asia has been very strong.
Digitization and intelligence are the driving forces for innovation in sensors. In recent years, sensors have become more specialized, intelligent, and powerful, while at a lower price. High tech companies are competing to develop new sensors, image sensors, point sensors (such as touch screens and touch pads, barcode readers and RFID readers, remote smart electricity meters, gas meters and water meters), MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) and optical fiber sensors are booming. Digital signal output sensors are replacing analog output signal sensors, and the importance of bus function sensors and wireless communication sensors is increasing in the process industry and construction fields. "Wearable" sensors have unlimited application prospects in healthcare, distributed fiber optic sensors can monitor bridges and underground oil reservoirs, image sensors are mainly used in vehicle assisted driving systems, consumer and communication electronic products, and optical cameras show the development trend of 3D sensors.