Smart Sensors: Enablers for New Safety and Environment Initiatives

Future automobiles will be faced with many constraints based on environmental and safety legislation. In addition further demands such as cost reduction, differing fuel types and improved driver comfort will be made. At first view many of these demands are conflicting. This paper describes the role that sensors and in particular the interface Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) or specialised Application Specific Standard Products (ASSP), play in meeting these exacting requirements. The latest advances in sensing element technology must be matched with an equivalent improvement in the performance of the readout electronics to produce the complete sensor package. Requirements of several sensing elements are reviewed and how the ASIC design responds to these challenges will be explained. Examples in the fields of power train efficiency using precise angle measurement and pressure sensors will be given. Other applications such as maintaining maximum night time driver vision and the monitoring of fuel sources for maximum efficiency will be outlined.