Apple's Strategic Layout in the Smart Sensor Market: Product Evolution and Technological Innovations

Inc. recently pointed out in a report that the current smart sensor market stands at approximately 65 million units, encompassing sensors with temperature, humidity, and other functionalities, including those from Nest. Looking ahead six years to 2019, WinterGreen Research predicts this figure will surge to 2.8 trillion units. Meanwhile, Transparency Market Research forecasts that sales revenue from smart sensor devices will reach $69 billion by 2018, representing an average annual growth rate of approximately 10%. Smart sensors are now widely applied in automotive electronics, smartphones, security electronics, medical electronics, intelligent transportation systems, environmental monitoring, electronic tags, and other fields. VCBeat has compiled the key highlights from a market research report on smart sensors published by MEMS Journal. (Due to the length of the article, it will be published in two parts. The previous article was titled “How Tech Giants Like Apple, Samsung, and Google Are Strategizing in the Smart Sensor Market.”)

The Launch of Each New iPhone ModelAlways accompanying the emergence of new sensors

First-Generation iPhone: Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Backlight

iPhone 3: Magnetometer (3GS), Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor

iPhone 4: RGB color sensor/proximity sensor combo, gyroscope, magnetometer, high-performance MEMS microphone, accelerometer, proximity sensor (4S), backlight (4S)

iPhone 5: Sensor Hub (5s), Touch ID (5s), Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Microphone, Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor

iPhone 6/6 Plus: Sensor Hub, Barometer, Touch ID, 6-Axis Accelerometer + Gyroscope IMU, Magnetometer, Microphone, Accelerometer (Discrete Component), Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor

The fingerprint sensor is the key to fingerprint unlock on Apple iPhones and iPads.



What Is a Fingerprint Sensor?：Chips employing capacitive sensing technology feature an array of microscopic capacitors, each narrower than the width of a fingerprint ridge and composed of two conductive plates separated by an insulating layer.

How It Works:Detects fingerprint changes and integrates data to generate a fingerprint image; Apple noted that the sensor can detect signs of finger vitality to ensure that the user unlocking the device with their fingerprint is alive.

Although this technology is widely regarded as highly advanced, it still presents certain potential issues: capacitive technology offers numerous advantages in terms of image quality and coating, enabling fingerprint sensors to capture images through coatings, unlike optical, thermal, and other methods.

Questions Regarding Its Durability; Since the sensor’s insulating layer is exposed to sweat, sebum, dirt, and other contaminants, it will inevitably degrade over time. Additionally, there are inherent limitations of fingerprint recognition: damaged skin tissue on the fingers and humid environmental conditions can make it difficult or even impossible for fingerprint sensors to recognize fingerprints.

Apple Watch May Be Equipped with Optical Sensors for Heart Rate Monitoring



What Is an Optical Sensor?：According to Apple, the optical sensors used for heart rate monitoring will utilize light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting infrared and visible light, along with photodiodes.

How It Works:It is rumored that the system incorporates a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, which emits light onto the skin and measures its distribution across blood vessels to track changes in blood flow. The system may leverage sensors on both the Apple Watch and the iPhone; it could potentially integrate data from the Apple Watch’s accelerometer, the iPhone’s GPS navigation system, and Wi-Fi to monitor user activities and caloric expenditure. Several software applications already utilize the iPhone’s camera to calculate heart rate variability based on facial color changes, and this technology should be integrated into the system.

The heart rate monitoring feature on the Apple Watch is likely activated only during user exercise, whereas other similar devices operate 24 hours a day (e.g., Microsoft Band).

However, some may question the accuracy of heart rate sensing. For heart rate measurement, the junction between the wrist and the palm is less ideal than the junction between the wrist and the forearm.

The wrist is generally not suitable for signal measurement due to the presence of motion artifacts unrelated to overall activity (features of the Apple Watch and other smartphone functions can help address this issue, and theoretically, Apple could leverage visible light to enhance reliability).

The latest iPhone and iPad models are equipped with a sensor hub for real-time control and monitoring of motion sensors.



What Is It：The M8 motion coprocessor is a chip specifically designed to process and collect output data from accelerometers, 6-axis IMUs, magnetometers, and pressure sensors.

In the past, motion sensors were disabled when devices were in sleep mode to avoid occupying the main processor and draining the battery. The M8 operates independently of the main processor with lower power consumption, allowing the sensors to remain active continuously and enabling real-time processing of the collected data. When the device resumes normal operation, the M8 can transmit the collected data to the main processor and relay it to compatible applications.

In recent years, Apple’s sensor-related business has seen active development.



 

In addition to integrating health sensors into headphones, Apple may also be exploring designs to improve sensor performance.

In 2012, Apple filed a patent for sensors in its headphones that can detect the user’s status and determine whether to enable or disable certain headphone functions.

The system can utilize capacitive touch sensors, accelerometers, and force sensors; these sensors can detect whether the user is still wearing the headphones, thereby determining whether the noise cancellation function should be turned off to save power or whether the music should be paused. In 2013, Apple filed a patent for headphones capable of recognizing voice signals to activate and adjust beamforming, ultimately enhancing noise cancellation performance.

The system can leverage accelerometers, the two microphones embedded in EarPods, and the microphone array on the headphone cable. The accelerometer detects sound by sensing vibrations transmitted through inner-ear tissues or ear bones, while the microphone array can be oriented either toward the user’s face or toward the surrounding environment to mitigate the impact of noise on the signal. Apple’s 2014 acquisition of the headphone brand Beats was widely interpreted as a sign that Apple might develop smart headphones (featuring novel health monitoring and audio technologies), as this acquisition provided Apple with the hardware foundation for large-scale headphone production.

Apple’s Acquisition of PrimeSense and Other Development Initiatives Signal Its Aggressive Push into 3D Technology

Apple has filed a patent for 3D gesture-control software that operates in conjunction with PrimeSense’s motion and depth optical sensors, enabling the recognition and interpretation of user gestures (for example, a simple hand-raising gesture can trigger the smartphone to execute corresponding commands).

Apple has also patented a motion sensor system that supports three-dimensional graphical user interfaces in its smartphones. This system can utilize sensors to determine and display perspective projections in a 3D projection environment, while simultaneously employing proximity sensors to detect actions performed on the projection.

Recent rumors suggest that Apple is developing glasses-free 3D display technology, and in late 2014, the company issued a job posting seeking developers with experience in virtual reality and motion-sensing technologies.

Apple’s other initiatives also include enhancing the 3D experience. Examples include: 3D user interface effects, where Apple integrates GPS positioning, pose estimation (using motion sensors), and ambient lighting conditions to create a superior 3D experience for mobile devices (such as in complex games); 3D virtual navigation, which involves generating virtual 3D scenarios from real-world environments and navigating through 3D virtual spaces; motion sensor tracking of device movement to enable navigation or render 3D representations of virtual objects; and a 3D remote control “magic wand,” which uses motion sensors to recognize user gestures, thereby enabling zooming and scrolling functions within media systems.

 

Apple Patent Describes How Sensors Protect Dropping Apple Devices



 

In 2014, Apple was granted a patent for a protection system that uses sensors to safeguard falling iPhones.

Apple iPhones will be equipped with a motion-sensor-based “drop sensor” (similar to the sensors already used in Apple laptops). If the sensor detects that the phone is falling, it will communicate with the small motor inside the device to adjust the phone’s center of gravity, thereby determining which side lands on the ground (Apple has previously reinforced the durability of the side most likely to impact the ground). The internal structure of Apple iPhones is well-suited for such a system, leading experts to believe that its installation will be highly convenient.

Apple’s Early Moves Helped It Become a Major Player in the IoT Space

The Most Influential IoT Companies



Note: The chart is sourced from Appinion; the related insights are derived from approximately 200 million documents from news outlets, blogs, forums, and social media platforms over the past 90 days.

Although the Homekit project has not yet been launched, it has already attracted a large number of device partners.



At the 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference, when Apple announced the launch of the HomeKit project, it also announced partnerships with key manufacturers, including: iHome, Haier, Withings, Philips, iDevices, Belkin, Honeywell, and Kite.

At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, the first wave of HomeKit-compatible products was unveiled; these included a variety of devices and sensors, such as: the Insteon Hub, which bridges HomeKit-compatible products with a wide range of non-HomeKit-compatible Insteon smart home accessories; Elgato’s smart monitoring sensors, which track air quality, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, energy consumption, and water usage; and the ConnectSense Smart Outlet, an internet-connected socket that transforms ordinary household appliances, such as lamps, into devices controllable via HomeKit.

Compiled by Mao Wanyi

Editor: Bu Yan