The smart sensor industry can have a product end, a downstream end, a mode end, and a R&D end. According to Essence Securities, most of the company's products are distributed in their respective segments, and there are few comprehensive manufacturers. There is a wide range of sensor products that can be classified according to different classification criteria, such as the measurement being measured, the technical principle, the sensitive material, the field of application, the purpose of use, etc. For example, sensors can be divided into physical sensors, chemical sensors, and biosensors according to the basic effects on which they perceive external information. According to the different uses of measurement, sensors can be divided into temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow sensors, gas sensors, optical sensors, inertial sensors, etc.
According to market research data, as of 2018, the three largest types of sensors in the global sensor market are flow sensors, pressure sensors, and temperature sensors, accounting for 21%, 19%, and 14% of the global sensor market, respectively. From the perspective of the product matrix of each company, taking Hanwei Technology as an example, Hanwei Technology is involved in the largest variety of sensors and the widest range, and most of the products of other companies are concentrated in their respective segments. The flow sensor is used to monitor the flow rate and is one of the important devices of the flow meter. According to the structural form, the flow sensor can be divided into vane type, measuring core type, hot wire type, Kármán scroll type, etc. With the development of technology, new flow sensors such as ultrasonic flow sensors, electromagnetic flow sensors, and water flow sensors have also emerged. Flow sensors are commonly used in steel, metallurgy, petrochemical, energy and water management, sewage discharge and other fields. Due to its wide range of applications and high demand, the global flow sensor market continues to grow.
Figure: Global sensor market distribution
According to Essence Securities, the main manufacturers of flow sensors in China include Audiwell. From a product perspective, Audiowell's flow sensor products primarily use ultrasonic technology to measure the flow of liquids or gases. Due to the late start of domestic smart water meters, the company's main customers of ultrasonic flow sensors and modules are European and American customers.
Pressure sensor is a device or device that can feel the pressure signal and convert the pressure signal into a usable output electrical signal according to a certain law, which is the most commonly used sensor in the world, which is widely used in various industrial automatic control environments, designed in water conservancy and hydropower, railway transportation, intelligent buildings, production automation, aerospace, military industry, petrochemical, electric power and many other fields. According to different processes and working principles, pressure sensors can be divided into MEMS pressure sensors, ceramic pressure sensors, sputtering film pressure sensors, micro-fusion pressure sensors, traditional strain gauge pressure sensors, piezoelectric pressure sensors, optical fiber pressure sensors, etc. At present, the companies that produce pressure sensor products include Olive Sensor. From the perspective of product segmentation type, Olive Sensor is mainly engaged in the research and development and production of automotive pressure sensors.
In addition to the sensors mentioned above, there are also MEMS inertial sensors, which are microelectromechanical systems manufactured on monocrystalline silicon wafers based on integrated circuit processes and micromachining processes, including accelerometers and angular raters. From the perspective of market size, inertial sensors are one of the most widely used sensors in 3C products such as smartphones and tablets. According to market research, the market size of MEMS inertial sensors in China will be about 6.3 billion yuan in 2020, with a growth rate of 18%.
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