Market Trends of Uncooled Infrared Imaging Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Uncooled Infrared Imaging Market according to our research experts:
Increasing Application in Automotive Sector will Foster Growth
- Autonomous vehicles use sensors in conjunction with imaging technologies to control driving functions. The information picked up by the thermal imaging systems of the vehicles is fed into the vehicle's control system, interpreted, and used to safely put the vehicle through its paces.
- Incidents like the Uber accident in Arizona show the challenges persistent for AV systems to 'see' and react to pedestrians in every condition, especially in inclement weather like thick fog or blinding sun glare. Real scenarios like these open new avenues for thermal cameras that are the most effective in quickly identifying and classifying potential hazards to help the vehicle react accordingly.
- FLIR's Boson thermal camera that features a 12-µm pitch vanadium oxide (VOx) uncooled detector has been launched to avoid the above incidents. This device is paired with machine-learning algorithms for object classification, with the ADK providing critical data from the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to improve the decision-making of AVs.
- Furthermore, in September 2022, Lynred, in collaboration with Umicore, developed a thermal sensing technology to improve the performance of Pedestrian Autonomous Emergency Braking (PAEB) systems in adverse lighting conditions at an affordable cost. The EU project HELIAUS funds the development to boost the performance of automotive applications.
- In addition to these applications, FLIR Systems recently published a white paper outlining the role of new Infrared (IR) camera technologies in addressing the difficulties of high-speed automotive testing. The paper adds that infrared cameras with uncooled detectors can measure temperature accurately at extremely high speeds.
- According to IEA, it is anticipated that the sales of plug-in electric light vehicles (PEV) will reach around 6.7 million units. Germany could become the largest market for plug-in electric vehicles as over one in three new cars sold in the country were electric vehicles. Such developments will further boost the demand for uncooled infrared imaging in the automotive sector.
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North America will Continue to Dominate the Market
- Uncooled IR imaging systems have applications in the ADAS technologies, in conjunction with imaging technologies, to control driving functions. The information picked up by the thermal imaging systems of the vehicles is fed into the vehicle's control system, interpreted, and used to safely put the vehicle through its paces.
- North America is one of the largest automotive manufacturing hubs in the world. The region's economic growth posed an impact on the sale of passenger and commercial vehicles. The car sector in the United States sold around 14.9 million light vehicle units in 2021, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. This statistic comprises approximately 3.3 million automobiles and just under 11.6 million light truck units sold at retail.
- Housing prominent automakers (over 13 major auto manufacturers) and vendors offering radar sensors (Bosch and Lockheed Martin, among others), the region is expected to emerge as a source of innovation and is estimated to hold a significant market share. The region is also likely to be one of the pioneers in adopting ADAS-enabled vehicles and self-driven transportation solutions. According to Deutsche Bank, the US ADAS unit production volume is expected to reach 18.45 million by 2021.
- The defense industry remains the most critical consumer of uncooled infrared imaging systems. Backed by the highest defense budget in the world, the US military is expected to continue to drive the growth of the infrared imaging industry. The US Military has a firm focus on the development of Vanadium Oxide technology. All thermal imaging equipment used by militaries across the world uses uncooled detectors. Moreover, the region is regarded as the highest spending region for its military and defense expenditure driven by the United States. In FY 2021, President Joe Biden signed a USD 777.7bn annual military budget into law.
- In October 2021, the US army awarded Leonardo DRS Inc. a contract to build improved infrared machinegun weapon sights with autonomous aiming. The US army has awarded Leonardo DRS a second contract for the Family of Weapon Sight-Crew Served (FWS-CS). For the LRIP phase, a firm, fixed-price contract worth USD 18.9 million has been awarded.
- The system integrates a high-resolution 10um high-definition thermal focal plane array, color day camera, laser range finder, and ballistic solution calculator to auto-adjust reticles for range and environmental conditions, allowing users to fire the weapon precisely with the disturbed reticle technology.
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