Infrared Sensor Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

Infrared Sensor Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

The Infrared Sensor Market size is estimated at USD 1.11 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 1.57 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 7.21% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

Infrared or IR sensors, with a spectral sensitivity ranging from 780 nm to 50 µm, have become indispensable across diverse industries, transforming interactions with the environment. By detecting infrared radiation, these sensors provide distinct advantages, leading to their broad adoption. IR sensors play a pivotal role in motion detectors, commonly employed in building services to activate lamps or alarm systems. Within a specified angular range, these sensors detect temporal and spatial changes in heat radiation attributed to the movement of objects or individuals.

Key Highlights

• The market is expanding, fueled by the surging demand for smart consumer devices. The automotive sector is also growing, particularly with the rising need for advanced safety and convenience features like ADAS and collision detection. The healthcare sector's increasing reliance on IR sensors, along with their adoption in aerospace and defense for enhanced threat detection, further propels the market's expansion.
• For instance, the demand for smart home devices has surged. Estimates from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) projected that revenue from smart home devices in the United States would hit USD 23.5 billion in 2023. Given that IR-based motion sensors play a pivotal role in smart lighting systems, surveillance systems, and automated door locks, boosting both security and energy efficiency. These trends are set to propel their adoption in the coming years.
• The healthcare industry is increasingly adopting IR sensors for diverse applications, including patient monitoring and medical imaging. The significance of non-contact temperature measurement via IR sensors has been underscored during global health crises, and this trend is expected to persist even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the contactless functionality of IR sensors mitigates the risk of cross-contamination, their value in healthcare settings is undeniable. This trend sets the stage for continued growth in the coming years.
• Nonetheless, the technical limitations of IR sensors pose significant challenges to the growth of the market studied. For example, infrared frequencies can be affected by solid objects like walls and doors, as well as by dust, haze, and sunlight. In screen and control applications, IR sensors can only manage one device at a time, making it challenging to control items outside their direct line of sight.
• Global supply chains are already grappling with numerous challenges, such as soaring transportation costs, persistent inflation, ongoing labor shortages, a shortage of essential goods, and fluctuating demand. A recession would only exacerbate these issues. While pinpointing the exact timing and intensity of a potential recession remains elusive, organizations can better prepare for its ramifications on supply chains by gaining insights into these impacts. Nevertheless, the forecast period looks optimistic, with most economies and industrial sectors expected to regain momentum, presenting opportunities in the market studied.

Infrared (IR) Sensor Market Trends

Automotive Industry to be the Fastest Growing End User

• As competition within the automotive market intensifies due to technological advancements, consumers increasingly prioritize vehicles that promise enhanced safety, reliability, and an overall superior driving experience. This heightened consumer interest has spurred the development of autonomous vehicles, propelling the demand for electronic devices within the automotive sector. The challenge lies in replacing the capabilities of the human brain in sensing, processing, activation, feedback, and control functions with electronics, which is an exhilarating and daunting task.
• The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), an American engineering group setting automotive standards since 1905, outlines six levels of vehicle autonomy. According to the US Energy Information Administration, Level 5 autonomy signifies full automation, which means a vehicle can efficiently perform all driving functions under all conditions.” This encompasses operating autonomously in adverse weather and nighttime conditions. Such effective perception is vital, given these scenarios frequently lead to vehicular accidents.
• FIR's prowess extends to producing consistent images under varying lighting conditions. Unlike regular CMOS images, which can be influenced by an object's color, background, illumination direction, multiple light sources, specular reflections, and other lighting-induced anomalies. FIR images remain steadfast.
• For example, while CMOS cameras adeptly detect lanes and road markings, they often falter in pinpointing the drivable road area even in broad daylight due to significant visual discrepancies. In contrast, FIR images maintain a consistent visual road appearance across diverse lighting scenarios. This consistency is paramount for autonomous vehicles, ensuring they perceive their environment with the clarity needed to respond to both living and non-living entities.
• The global market is witnessing a surging demand for plug-electric vehicles (PEVs). According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), approximately 13.7 million plug-in electric light vehicle (PEV) units were sold in 2023. Electric vehicles' burgeoning popularity underscores their market appeal and highlights their promising growth prospects. This is particularly evident as advanced thermocouples and infrared sensors play a pivotal role in measuring temperature gradients across inverter power electronics, ensuring thermal equilibrium and prolonging EV motors’ lifespan.

Asia-Pacific to Register Major Growth

• The Asia-Pacific region is home to some of the largest consumer electronics manufacturers globally, including companies in Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan. The rising demand for IR sensors is driven by their use in smartphones, tablets, and other smart devices for applications like facial recognition, proximity sensing, and remote.
• The demand for infrared sensors (IR sensors) in the region is rising owing to advancements in various sectors such as automotive & transportation, renewable energy, and other industries that utilize Infrared sensors (IR) extensively. For instance, as the most prominent automotive producer, China's massive vehicle manufacturing scale contributes to the high demand for IR sensors. The need to equip millions of vehicles with advanced sensing technologies creates a substantial market for IR sensors.
• According to China's Development Plan for the New Energy Automobile Industry (2021-2035), electric vehicles could capture a 25% market share by 2025. Consequently, China is implementing more assertive measures to incentivize the adoption of electric vehicles, thereby expediting the adoption of discrete semiconductors for their extensive utilization in EVs.
• In August 2023, CAAM reported that China manufactured 589,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs), comprising 551,000 passenger BEVs and 38,000 commercial BEVs (battery electric vehicles). Additionally, 254,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were produced in China during the same month, with 253,000 being passenger PHEVs and 1,000 being commercial PHEVs.
• In June 2024, GalaxEye Space partnered with iDEX DIO, an initiative under the Ministry of Defence, to create a new multi-sensor fusion processing system. This system is designed for compact satellites that accommodate multiple payloads weighing up to 150kg, specifically for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The advanced system will first process data from infrared sensors and then relay it to ground stations.

Infrared (IR) Sensor Industry Overview

The infrared sensor market is fragmented and highly competitive. To sustain intense competition, regional companies adopt high-cost research and development, partnerships, collaborations, and acquisitions as their prime growth strategies. Key players in the market are Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd, STMicroelectronics NV, Excelitas Technologies, Teledyne Imaging Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and many more.

• April 2024: InfraTec GmbH proudly announced the completion of its new extension building, a project realized in a swift two and a half years. With the new structure now operational, the company has turned its attention to renovating the existing facility. The enhancements boast a vast 2,700 m² area dedicated to the production and development of cutting-edge thermography cameras and infrared detectors.
• November 2023: Hydrosat and Muon Space entered into a strategic partnership, culminating in a contract for Hydrosat's debut Constellation-as-a-Service (CaaS) spacecraft. Anticipated to be equipped with Hydrosat's state-of-the-art multispectral and thermal infrared (IR) imaging instruments, this collaboration significantly advances Hydrosat's vision of deploying a constellation of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). These satellites aim to provide crucial data, enhancing water use efficiency in agriculture, a pressing need given the rising freshwater scarcity exacerbated by climate change.

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