The latest report from the market research institute IHS states that 2015 will be the year that environmental sensors take off. The main driving factor is the gas sensors that can monitor air quality. Deteriorating air quality is a headache for many countries in Asia. problem.

Jeremy Bouchaud, market analyst for sensors at IHS, said that the agency expects smart phone manufacturers in China to take the lead in adopting air quality sensors; in the visit of IHS to smart phone manufacturers, Chinese companies have a sense of air quality. The researchers showed the highest interest: "China's smart phone manufacturers have become more courageous than the Western and Korean competitors in adopting new MEMS technology." Recently ZTE adopted RF MEMS antenna tuners in its products (Cavendish Kinetics) Provide) is a proof.

Although IHS does not believe that the first generation of environmental sensors developed by Bosch (including humidity, pressure and temperature sensing) had been widely accepted in the market at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last year, Bosch believes that The new generation of combination sensors that incorporate air sensing capabilities will gain some demand from the Chinese market in 2015.

“Bosch has published pressure, humidity and temperature sensors a year ago,” said Bouchaud: “Adding indoor air quality sensing to the product is clearly its next step, and Bosch will be the market leader in this category. Sensor manufacturers.” He expects other vendors to introduce discrete mobile gas sensors later in 2015. For example, the American company Cambridge CMOS Sensors has been actively developing gas sensors for mobile phones. The end product will be this year. come out.

However, Bouchaud pointed out that although a new generation of MEMS sensors with built-in gas sensing function will be welcomed during the CES this year, they will be welcomed in the Chinese market. Unfortunately, such components cannot directly solve the most serious damage in the local area.

“Many major cities in China are facing problems with poor air quality, so gas sensors will be particularly noticeable;” said Bouchaud: “But it should be noted that the gas sensor technology unveiled at CES cannot measure the air. Suspended particulates, and IHS believes that this type of technology may have to wait three years to get into the mobile phone."

Frog Design has developed a prototype concept of a smart mask that can be used with mobile applications. Built-in particle sensors can warn users when to wear a mask (Source: Ecouterre.com)

Bouchaud said that Samsung is also considering the use of air quality sensors in fishery products, but may not see such components appear in its smart phones or tablet devices until 2016; Samsung is also working with German supplier Applied Sensors. Cooperatively developing gas sensors, AppliedSensor is a leading supplier of MEMS gas sensors and was acquired by Austria Microelectronics (AMS) in 2014.