Let the latest technology serve the car--peep into the future trend of vehicle-mounted sensors

Sensor technology is changing with each passing day and is being widely used in automobiles. According to a survey, in 2010, the average number of sensors installed in each car will reach 150. At the China Electronics Show 2008 Automotive Electronics and Car Technology Seminar held in Shenzhen on April 12, Infineon experts comprehensively introduced automotive sensor technology, from which we can get a glimpse of the latest progress and future direction of automotive sensor development. Power system: Active sensors lead the trend, and giant magnetoresistance effect attracts attention. Automotive sensors can be roughly divided into three categories: power system, safety management system and body comfort system sensors. Among them, the power system sensor market accounts for the largest proportion, which also reflects the most advanced technology of automotive sensors. For example, the angle error of the accelerator pedal position sensor must be within 0.4%; the throttle position sensor requires extremely high reliability and must be able to work from -50 degrees to 150 degrees. Hall sensors also need to have high sensitivity, accurately compensate for deviations caused by temperature changes, and support analog or digital output. Cam and crankshaft sensors are closely related to the engine , the "heart" of the car , and therefore become the key to the power system. Chen Yihao, an application engineer of automotive electronic systems at Infineon, said: "Active cam sensors and crankshaft sensors can provide more protection for the system, so they are the trend of the future and will be more widely used." It is expected that in 2009, 58.2 million active crankshaft sensors will be put into use, while passive sensors will be reduced to 21.5 million. Chen Yihao, an engineer at Infineon, also introduced the latest giant magnetoresistance sensor that uses the giant magnetoresistance effect to realize crankshaft sensing. "Giant magnetoresistance effect sensors sense changes in the direction of the magnetic field rather than the intensity, have high sensitivity, and can sense a larger air distance." He also said that Infineon began to produce giant magnetoresistance effect sensors TLE5025C and TLE5027C this year, which will provide system suppliers with a wider range of choices. Safety management system: pressure sensors realize side airbag control, ABS, steering wheel sensors, TPMS are all necessary Automobile safety management system is also a field where sensors are widely used. There are two solutions for the control of automobile side airbags: acceleration sensors and pressure sensors. Authoritative data shows that compared with acceleration sensors, pressure sensors are nearly three times faster than acceleration sensors in detecting the speed of side impacts, and the probability of misoperation is lower. Therefore, they will be more widely used in the future. The solution KP106 provided by Infineon uses a pressure sensor solution to accurately control the side airbag. The use of wheel speed sensors, steering wheel angle sensors and tire pressure sensors in the automotive ABS system are important links in safety management. It is worth mentioning that the TLE5011 360-degree steering wheel angle sensor - this sensor uses the giant magnetoresistance effect to generate sine and cosine functions through two GMR full bridges, thereby providing 360-degree angle range detection and achieving extremely high accuracy. Body comfort system: doors, gearboxes , and passive safety make cars smarter In the door module, DC motor position sensors are used on the door handles and window controls, using a distributed door module architecture and connected via the LIN bus. The gearbox can meet different gearbox position requirements and save costs by using 2-axis or 3-axis angle/linear sensors. The specific sensor selection depends on the function and design requirements of the vehicle gearbox. Passive safety devices include seat load detection, seat belt opening/buckle monitoring, seat position adjustment detection (to ensure effective protection of the airbag system), etc. The details of these controls also place great demands on automotive sensors. In addition to discussing automotive sensor technology, this automotive electronics and vehicle-mounted technology seminar also conducted a detailed analysis of circuit protection solutions in vehicle-mounted entertainment equipment. Dr. Li Guangwei from Defang Nanotechnology Co., Ltd. also looked forward to the important role that carbon nanotube technology will play in the automotive industry. It can be found that automotive electronic technology is undergoing a rapid development stage, and more new technologies are being integrated into it to serve the purpose of improving vehicle performance.