Sensors are widely used in automotive powertrain, chassis, and body systems, and the booming new energy vehicles of recent years are no exception. Sensors play a crucial role in the electronic control systems of new energy vehicles. A typical car has dozens to hundreds of sensors.
Let's take a look at eight commonly used sensors in new energy vehicles.
01 Pressure Sensor
Pressure sensors play a crucial role in automotive safety management systems—enabling side airbag adjustment. Compared to accelerometers, pressure sensors detect side collision speeds nearly three times faster and have a lower probability of false responses.
In addition, pressure sensors are also important components in battery management systems and brake assist systems. New energy vehicle brake assist systems use pressure sensors to detect vacuum levels, while battery management systems use pressure sensors to detect battery pack pressure for thermal runaway alarms.
02 Current Sensor
Current sensors are mainly used in the three electric systems of new energy vehicles, including battery system management, motor drive control, and power modules.
Current sensors enable precise battery management for automotive batteries and hybrid vehicle battery packs. For example:
An open-loop current sensor that utilizes the principle of electromagnetic induction can protect against overcurrent of AC current signals under isolated conditions, thereby facilitating the implementation of switch outputs;
Current sensors can also detect charging and discharging currents, improving the efficiency of car batteries.
The current sensor can also collect the terminal voltage and temperature of each battery in the power battery pack of an electric vehicle in real time, as well as the charging and discharging current and the total voltage of the battery pack, to prevent the battery from overcharging or over-discharging.
03 Speed Sensor
Speed sensors are one of the key sensors for motion measurement in new energy vehicles, and they are also widely used. Speed sensors are primarily used to measure speed, including the rotational speed of the vehicle's electric motor and its overall speed.
04 Accelerometer Sensor
Accelerometers are widely used in automotive electronics, primarily in vehicle control, safety systems, and navigation. Typical applications include airbags, ABS anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability programs (ESP), and electronically controlled suspension systems.
05 angular velocity sensor
The gyroscope, together with the accelerometer, constitutes the inertial navigation system and is the main factor determining the accuracy of the inertial navigation system in new energy vehicles.
06 Environmental Sensing Sensor
Environmental perception sensors are the "eyes" of a car and are crucial for enabling driver assistance functions. They are mainly divided into vehicle-mounted cameras (image sensors), ultrasonic sensors, millimeter-wave radar, and lidar.
07 Gas Sensor
By installing gas sensors on new energy vehicles, various substances such as PM, temperature and humidity, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, VOC, ammonia, hydrogen, and CO can be monitored, greatly increasing the intelligence of the vehicle and significantly improving the passenger experience in terms of safety and comfort.
08 Temperature Sensors Temperature sensors in new energy vehicles mainly include: sensors for detecting battery temperature, temperature sensors for monitoring motor temperature, and temperature sensors for battery cooling systems, etc.
