Strain sensor: technical principles, application scenarios and market trends
A strain gauge sensor is a device that indirectly detects physical quantities such as force, pressure, and torque by measuring the deformation (strain) produced by an object under force. In recent years, with the rapid development of industrial automation, smart wearables, and structural health monitoring, strain gauge sensors have become a hot topic due to their high accuracy, low cost, and miniaturization. This article will combine the hot content of the entire network in the past 10 days and analyze it from three aspects: technical principles, application scenarios and market data.
1. Technical principles and core characteristics
The core component of the strain gauge sensor is the strain gauge (Strain Gauge), whose working principle is based on the resistive strain effect of metal or semiconductor materials. When the strain gauge is attached to the surface of an object and deforms with the object, its resistance value changes and is converted into a measurable voltage signal through the bridge circuit. The following is a comparison of performance parameters of typical strain gauge sensors:
| parameters | Metal strain gauge | Semiconductor strain gauge |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity coefficient | 2-5 | 50-200 |
| temperature stability | high | low |
| Cost | low | high |
2. Recent popular application scenarios
1.industrial robot: Strain sensors are used for force feedback control of robotic arms to improve precision assembly efficiency. For example, the latest iteration of Tesla's Optimus robot integrates multi-axis strain sensors.
2.Smart medical: Wearable strain sensors monitor patients' respiratory rate and joint activity. Related papers were cited in recent articles in "Nature Electronics".
3.New energy vehicles: The demand for battery pack structural health monitoring drives the application of thin-film strain sensors, which BYD and other manufacturers highlighted in their 2024 technical white paper.
3. Market data and trend analysis
According to a recent industry report (updated in June 2024), the global strain gauge sensor market size and growth rate are as follows:
| Year | Market size (billion US dollars) | annual growth rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 18.7 | 6.2% |
| 2024 (forecast) | 20.1 | 7.5% |
| 2025 (forecast) | 22.3 | 10.9% |
Growth drivers include:
- Industry 4.0’s demand for real-time data collection;
- Breakthroughs in flexible electronics technology (such as graphene strain gauges);
- Policy support (China’s “14th Five-Year Plan” smart sensor development plan).
Conclusion
Strain sensors are expanding from traditional industrial fields to consumer electronics and medical health, and their technology iterations show a significant positive correlation with market growth. In the future, with the application of MEMS technology and nanomaterials, highly sensitive, self-powered smart strain sensors will become the focus of research and development.
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