Multi-sensor packages or so-called “combo” sensors based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are set to enjoy very robust prospects in consumer and automotive applications, with the combined revenue from both application areas to grow by a factor of 50 over the course of five years, according to an IHS iSuppli MEMS market brief from information and analysis provider IHS.
Revenue for MEMS combo sensors—called as such because they consist of different combinations of accelerometers, gyroscopes or electronic compasses in a single sensor package—will rise to nearly $1.2 billion by 2015, up from slightly less than $24 million in 2010, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 120 percent. Expansion in the triple-digit percentage level is expected this year until 2013, underlining the vast opportunity for this format of sensors in the automotive and consumer electronics space. Revenue in 2011, for instance, is projected to hit $70.9 million, up 200 percent from $23.6 million in 2010, with consumer applications taking the majority portion of revenue at $48.1 million, against $22.8 million for automotive applications.
Combo sensors represent a useful way to save space and cost by integrating more functionality into a single package. The MEMS sensors are very helpful where price pressure is extreme and board space is limited—such as in a cellphone; or when cost is paramount due to mandates on certain technologies, often the case in the automotive sector.
The consumer segment will continue to account for the greater part of combo sensor revenue in the years to come, jumping to as much as $1.0 billion by 2015, compared to $131.8 million for the automotive sector.
For cars in particular, where the safety systems mandated by the government become part of the standard equipment of a vehicle, pressure to reduce costs among car manufacturers has made them seek out combo sensors that are smaller, more efficient and less expensive to produce.
Combo sensor packages can vary in configuration, depending on the components contained in the package. In the consumer space, for instance, a 6DOF (degree of freedom) compass module typically comprises a three-axis accelerometer plus a 3-axis compass; where inertial sensors are used, the device is called an inertial measurement unit (IMU). In comparison, a 9DOF is a combination of a 3-axis compass, 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer; while a 10DOF includes all of the components of the 9DOF along with a pressure sensor to measure altitude. Meanwhile, combo sensors in the form of 4DOF to 6DOF are emerging in automotive applications, principally in the form of inertial IMUs without compasses.
Combo sensors are supplied today by Bosch of Germany, mostly for internal use in the company’s stability control systems; and by VTI Technologies from Finland for German company Continental AG’s stability control systems.
Combo Sensors Start Figuring Prominently in Handsets and Tablets
In consumer applications, the majority of accelerometers are currently shipped as separate, discrete devices. These discrete devices are set to dominate in handsets during the next four years. Integration within a 6-axis IMU will take off starting in 2013, and will be the main format for combo sensors in 2015.
The same, however, cannot be said for integration within 6-axis compass modules, which will remain marginal because of diverging requirements for the location of the accelerometer and compass in handsets, leading to no obvious cost advantage. Here, a motion sensor needs to be near the center of the device, while a compass needs to be away from sources of disruptive electromagnetic interference.
Some 9-axis IMUs will appear among a few original equipment manufacturers seduced by revenue opportunities for black-box solutions, but penetration will be limited because their large form factor is a disadvantage in handsets, where space for sensors and other semiconductors is at a premium.
Meanwhile, combo sensors are likely to be more prevalent in tablets because of the extra space that is available with a larger device. Here, 6-axis IMUs will dominate, with 6-axis compasses and 9-axis IMUs to be more popular in tablets than in handsets.
Other consumer applications for combo sensors include laptops, cameras, MP3 players and remote controllers.
So far, 6-axis compasses have been offered by Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) Inc. and Aichi Steel Corp., both from Japan; as well as by Italian-French entity STMicroelectronics and Germany’s Bosch Sensortec. 6-axis IMUs also are available from STMicroelectronics and from California-based InvenSense Inc.
Read More > Combo Sensor: A Solution to Incessant Price Pressure