TE Connectivity releases "Sensor Development and Application Report in the Intelligent Era"

TE Connectivity (hereinafter referred to as "TE"), a leading company in the global field of connectivity and sensing, released the "Sensor Development and Application Report in the Intelligent Era", which discusses the technical characteristics and commercial value of sensors in three typical intelligent technology application scenarios: industrial Internet of Things, intelligent manufacturing and intelligent transportation, as the basis for information collection and transmission in various industrial fields. The report also combines TE's leading sensor solutions and shares technology around the continuous development of China's sensor industry towards intelligence, integration and digitalization.

Integration, miniaturization, and intelligence are the same development direction for the industry and sensors.

The new generation of information technology represented by 5G communication networks, the Internet of Things, high-performance integrated circuits, and cloud computing will widely empower various industrial fields and lead the intelligent transformation of China's industries. Attracted by intensive support policies, tens of millions of companies have joined the army of industry transformation, resulting in the continuous expansion of the market scale. The industrial Internet of Things, intelligent manufacturing, and intelligent transportation have taken the lead in becoming the three leading industries, and are gradually shifting from being led by the government to being driven by application needs. CCID Consulting pointed out that under the dual influence of policy and demand, it is expected that by 2020, China's industrial Internet of Things will account for 25% of the overall Internet of Things industry and its scale will exceed 450 billion yuan[1]. The same effect is being fully reflected in the equipment manufacturing industry with a larger production capacity. The "Market Prospects Research Report" released by China Business Industry Research Institute pointed out that by 2020, key areas of my country's traditional manufacturing industry will basically achieve digitalization, and the annual output value of intelligent manufacturing equipment will exceed 2 trillion yuan[2]. In the intelligent rail transit industry, which is still dominated by the government, the "13th Five-Year Plan for Railway Standardization Development" issued by the National Railway Administration clearly pointed out that by 2020, a safe, convenient, efficient and green modern comprehensive transportation system will be basically established, and the operating mileage of urban rail transit will nearly double that of 2015.

Huge market potential and challenges often coexist. The difficulty of "uploading data to the cloud" for the Industrial Internet of Things, the surge in the number of maintenance equipment in smart factories, and the inability to deploy smart rail transit systems on a large scale are all related to weak data collection capabilities. Without sufficient, accurate, and rich data reserves as a basis, real-time intelligent data analysis and intelligent computer control will become empty talk. As the "perceiver", "captor" and "defender" of data, the applicability, reliability and efficiency of smart sensor technology in harsh and complex environments have become the key to unlocking industry changes.

On the other hand, the development of sensors themselves is also undergoing a technological transformation of high integration, small size, and low energy consumption to be applicable to more scenarios. For example, force sensors are using MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) technology to help industrial robot arms perform a large amount of force monitoring and force feedback with high density, low cost, and integrated characteristics; smart acceleration sensors use IEPE (piezoelectric integrated circuits), relying on the strong anti-interference ability of their own sensitive electronic devices, so that the sensors can accurately output signals in a noise interference environment, helping digital factories to perform predictive maintenance; current sensors use ASIC chip technology to strengthen communication between sensors, so that digital circuits can perform original signal correction at multiple points within the operating range, simplifying product manufacturing and production processes; TE Microfused technology, which has an integrated structure and no welds, is widely used in a variety of sensors, helping sensors to work stably and persistently in various applications.

Innovation, integration, intelligence, TE sensors' unchanging value proposition

Facing the development direction of intelligent, integrated and digital sensors, TE has put forward the slogan of "We will know the future" and the three value propositions of "Innovation", "Integration" and "Intelligence" at the beginning of this year. The so-called "innovation" means providing high-quality innovative sensor solutions to better perceive the use scenarios of emerging technologies; "integration" means flexibly responding to customer needs through integrated resource allocation and collaborative cooperation; "intelligence" means focusing on the field of intelligent sensors, becoming an "engineer of engineers", and promoting the intelligent development of future industries. Guided by the three value propositions, TE is committed to using leading sensor technology to enable every industry and individual in the future intelligent world to gain more opportunities to explore unknown areas.

Pressure transmitter M3200

The M3200 pressure transmitter uses TE's proprietary Microfused technology, which uses special piezoresistive silicon strain gauges sintered on a stainless steel isolation diaphragm to easily obtain compatibility with a variety of media and provide very high long-term stability. At the same time, the M3200 pressure transmitter is also equipped with an I2C digital output, so that its output signal can be directly read by the industrial Internet of Things microprocessor, saving the conversion process from digital to analog signals and ensuring that the digital output has complete resolution and accuracy. The ASIC chip can store data completely in the on-board memory of the M3200 pressure transmitter, greatly simplifying the manufacturing and production process.

Temperature and humidity sensor HTU21D

TE's HTU21D has done a lot of work on miniaturization and intelligence. It is embedded with a dual-row flat leadless DFN package suitable for reflow soldering, with a bottom surface of 3x3mm and a height of 1.1mm; the sensor outputs a calibrated digital signal and a standard I2C output; the plug-and-play design can be applied in large quantities to digital factories that require accuracy and reliability; the interface with a microprocessor can provide digital output of the temperature and humidity module. In addition, the resolution of the HTU21D temperature and humidity sensor can be changed by inputting commands (8/12bit or even 12/14bit -RH/T), the sensor can detect low battery status, and the output checksum helps improve the reliability of communication.

Accelerometer and speed transmitter 8011/8021

TE's 8011 and 8021 accelerometers or speed transmitters use stainless steel welded housings and have good adaptability to various harsh environments. They are suitable for general instrumentation 4-20mA signal current specifications, and can measure signals within 1000Hz, with a maximum measurable speed of 0.13m/s. The application of IEPE technology enables it to effectively block electromagnetic interference. The product measurement range is from 5g to 50g, plus a frequency response of up to 4500Hz, which not only ensures sensitivity but also adapts to a larger acceleration range. This series of current loop powered transmitters is suitable for 4-20mA analog current signal reading devices, and can be directly installed in traditional control system forms DCS or programmable control systems PLC. It is easy and fast to operate and suitable for large-scale use, ensuring that TE sensors transmit reliable data to the monitoring network in a wide range of application scenarios, and accurately predict equipment abnormalities.

I will be the foreseeer of future perception. The transformation of digitalization, integration and intelligence will inevitably give sensors new missions. With more than 30 years of local development in China, TE has accumulated a local engineering team of more than 2,000 people, nearly 20 production bases and a wide range of production lines. With strong product R&D capabilities, rich product lines, abundant product supply and professional solution supply teams, it provides advanced sensing and connection technologies for technological innovations in factory production, equipment maintenance and transportation operation, and builds a safer, sustainable, efficient and interconnected future. TE's "Sensor Development and Application Report in the Intelligent Era" will also focus on more intelligent fields and continuously update the latest sensor technology trends.