DETROIT, Jan. 22, 2003 — When the 2003 North American International Auto Show opened here last week, visitors were greeted by about 60 new production and concept vehicles, many with small tech-powered amenities such as active chassis systems, side impact air bags and rollover detection systems.
Analysts say these types of new applications are ripe for small tech and that existing applications can benefit from replacing conventional technologies with small tech alternatives.
However, such solutions are currently more common in high-end vehicles and will take years to migrate into midrange offerings.
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Volvo, a division of Ford Motor Co., displayed two new models at the Detroit show, the 2004 S60 R and V70 R, with an active chassis. The Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept, or Four-C, system uses sensors to measure each wheel’s rotational speed and vertical movement, steering wheel deflection and velocity, cornering, engine torque and braking. A microprocessor interprets the signals and adjusts the hardness of the shock absorbers to adapt to changing road conditions, according to Hans Nilsson, car line manager.
An active chassis doesn’t come cheap. Both Volvos list for more than $36,000. The Porsche Cayenne S — a new sport utility vehicle capable of exceeding 150 mph — has stability and traction management systems as well as side-impact and curtain air bags. It starts at $55,900. Pricing for the 2004 Mercedes E-Class Wagon with Sensotronic brake control — which uses sensor feedback to vary brake pressure on individual wheels — is not yet available, but the 2003 model runs about $50,000.
As for more affordable vehicles, MEMS are currently used in two standard automotive applications: the air bag accelerometer, which first went small tech in the early 1990s, and the manifold air pressure sensor, or MAP sensor, first used in the late 1970s.
Besides those two applications, “It’s still niche,” said Marlene Bourne, a senior MEMS analyst for at In-Stat/MDR whose report, titled “MEMS in Automotive: Driving Innovation,” is due to be released in February. “The difference is that most of these current niche applications have the potential to be high volume.” Bourne said it may take a few years for new applications to move from niche to high volume.
A variety of technologies are currently used for monitoring pressure and temperature for fuel, oil, coolant, transmission fluid and brake fluid, all of which offer some degree of opportunity for MEMS and microsystems. Vendors are not only replacing older technologies but also adding new functions. For example, Delphi Corp. is currently developing oil sensors that monitor both pressure and condition, and which could alert drivers when they need an oil change, according to Sandra McCulloch, business line executive of Delphi’s sensors and actuators division, which makes MEMS or micromachined sensors for many automotive applications.
Strategy Analytics Inc., a technology research and consulting firm headquartered in Newton Centre, Mass., which tracks the automotive electronics market, predicts the compound average annual growth rate for automotive sensors will be 10.4 percent for the years 2001 to 2006 as measured by unit shipments. In dollar terms, it forecasts CAAGR of 7.8 percent for the same period. It says total sensor demand of $8.1 billion in 2003 will rise to $12.3 billion in 2009.
The company predicts total automotive sales of silicon accelerometers will increase at a rate of 13.6 percent from $319 million in 2000 to $603 million in 2005. It forecasts that yaw rate sensors will be the fastest growing segment of the active accelerometer market as a result of increasing demand for stability control and rollover detection.
Leading vendors of MEMS and other types of small tech automotive sensors include Analog Devices Inc. of Norwood, Mass.; BEI Technologies Inc. of San Francisco; Robert Bosch GmbH of Gerlingen-Schillerhohe, Germany; Delphi of Troy, Mich.; Denso Corp. of Kariya, Japan; Motorola Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill; and SensoNor ASA of Horten, Norway.
The 2004 Volvo S60 R contains the Four-C system, which uses sensors to measure each wheel’s rotational speed and vertical movement, steering wheel deflection and velocity, cornering, engine torque and braking.