The market for sensors will continue to expand

The Chinese sensor market has continued to grow in recent years, with growth rates exceeding 15%. In 2012, the four major areas of China's sensor applications were industrial control, automotive electronics, communications electronics and consumer electronics, with industrial and automotive electronics products accounting for about 42% of the market.

In the Internet of Things era, information sensing devices such as two-dimensional code reading devices, radio frequency identification devices, infrared sensors, global positioning systems, and laser scanners are used to connect any item to the Internet in accordance with the agreed protocol for information exchange and Communication to achieve intelligent identification, positioning, tracking, monitoring and management of a network. From this perspective, the development of the Internet of Things is inseparable from the development of sensing devices.

Sensors are becoming smaller, cheaper and more stable. With the advancement of sensor technology, even seemingly ordinary everyday items such as tables and chairs may be connected to the Internet. They will become more "intelligent" and can tell us about changes in the surrounding environment through the monitoring of parameters such as temperature, light, distance, and pressure.

At the same time, not only do they work independently, but they also perform machine-to-machine (M2M) communication and exchange data automatically between devices that are already networked. At present, M2M has been applied to all walks of life: navigation companies use it to optimize vehicle routes, and individuals are therefore able to use package tracking services. This network solution characterized by specific status monitoring and information sharing has been playing an increasingly important role in our daily lives. With the development of sensor technology, it will have a far-reaching impact on our lives.

According to China's "12th Five-Year Plan for China's Electronic Components", it will invest 500 billion yuan during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, mainly focusing on the research, development, and industrialization of new electronic components. These include MEMS-based sensors, gas sensors for environmental monitoring equipment, flow sensors, and humidity sensors. In addition, in the 12th Five-Year Plan of the Internet of Things released, the development of miniature and smart sensors, wireless sensor networks, etc. is also mentioned in the key project content.

The development of smart devices makes people feel more and more convenient in their daily lives. For example, temperature, humidity, ultraviolet radiation, radio waves, radiation salinity, climate, vending machine disinfection, and cleaning robots can all be managed by sensors, which greatly facilitates our lives.

The next five years will be the five years of steady and rapid development of the Chinese sensor market. With annual growth momentum of more than 30%, the Chinese sensor market in 2014 is expected to reach more than RMB 120 billion.