Global Force Sensing in User Interfaces Market 2017-2027 - Application/Product Type and Technology with Activities of Over 30 Companies

Dublin, May 08, 2017 -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Force Sensing in User Interfaces 2017-2027" report to their offering.

With activities of over 30 companies documented and compared, this report provides the most concise, relevant and thorough coverage of the trend towards force sensing in user interfaces. The report also provides a detailed discussion of each of the key technologies involved, including the basic principles, value chain implications (from materials through to product) and example players in each case. The report provides detailed market forecasts, starting from historic data for 2015, and forecasting through to 2027 by application/product type and by technology.

The report expects capacitive force sensing to remain dominant, with advantages over resistive options and immaturity in more emerging techniques such as piezoelectric polymers or dielectric elastomers allowing them to dominate the market. The report also covers detailed application ideas across sectors including consumer electronics, automotive and industrial markets. This includes well characterised products like the smartphone or tablet, through to important future markets like controllers for AR & VR devices, and also smaller niches like musical instruments and home appliances & tools.

However, as technology and markets mature, we expect that areas such as input controllers for VR and AR devices (building on an initial base from the games console controller space) and later as a user interfaces in the automotive spaces will drive growth to around $1.8bn in annual force sensor sales for user interfaces alone.

With extensive coverage across industries including sensors, displays, touch (e.g. TCFs) and printed electronics, as well as coverage of verticals like wearable technology, other consumer electronics markets and also in the automotive space, analysts have collaborated to produce a highly contextual, insightful and timely report on an industry which is developing very quickly and is relevant to the entire electronics value chain.

Key Topics Covered:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Force, pressure and displacement
• The transducer itself varies significantly
• Force sensing technology: categories and companies
• Force sensing is already well established in many sectors
• 2015: Force sensing enters mainstream consumer electronics
• Beyond the first adopters: drivers towards force sensing
• Force: here to stay or part of a bigger trend?
• Development of new user input technologies
• Evolution of displays and the GUI
• Force as one piece of a bigger picture
• This report will focus on user interface technologies

2. INTRODUCTION: FORCE SENSING IN USER INTERFACES

• Force sensing within user interfaces
• Beyond touch...
• The benefits of adding force sensing to a user interface
• Confirming an intention behind an input
• Intent: vital for safety with heavy machinery
• Creating more advanced and/or realistic tactile input options
• Tactile input options: Musical instruments & Gaming
• Tactile input options: Appliances
• Shortcuts in productivity apps
• Additional security
• Enabling new applications
• Historic examples of force sensing in smartphones
• Historic examples of force sensing in smartphones
• Why now for force touch integration?
• Force: here to stay or part of a bigger trend?
• Development of new user input technologies
• Evolution of displays and the GUI

3. FORCE SENSORS IN DISPLAYS

• The importance of sensors in displays
• Predecessors to force touch
• Advantages over incumbent systems
• Apple's introduction of Force Touch and 3D Touch
• Other commercial examples of force touch: Huawei
• Other commercial examples of force touch: ZTE
• Choices of sensor position in the display: Bezel
• Choices of sensor position in the display: On-Cell
• Choices of sensor position in the display: In-Cell
• Choices of sensor position in the display: Behind-Cell
• Considerations by position
• Mechanical force sensing in the display bezel
• System construction and working principle
• IP examples from the largest players
• Other IP examples
• Technology applicability by display force sensor type
• Forecasts: Force sensors in touch screens (volume)
• Forecasts: Force sensors in touch screens (revenue)
• Forecast methodology

4. FORCE SENSING TECHNOLOGY

• Technology options for force sensing
• Definitions
• Technology benchmarking
• Benchmarking: key and descriptions

5. CAPACITIVE FORCE SENSING

• Capacitive Force Sensing
• Capacitive force sensing in smartphones
• Force sensing in Apple's 3D Touch
• Another example: EAP Strain Sensor

6. RESISTIVE FORCE SENSING

• Resistive force sensing
• Metal / foil strain gauge load cells
• Example Suppliers: VPG and HBM
• Applications for strain gauges
• Industrial markets dominate applications
• Semiconductor strain gauges
• Different types of "piezoresistors"
• Sensor construction and response type
• Force sensing resistor design
• Sensor implementation in devices
• Transparent FSRs have been developed
• Transparent FSR for displays: Progress and Targets
• Piezoresistive textiles
• Artificial skin made with gold nanoparticles
• Artificial skin made with gold nanoparticles (cont.)
• Example applications for FSRs
• Force Sensing Resistors: Players

7. PIEZOELECTRIC FORCE SENSING

• Piezoelectric force sensors
• Implementation: Force overlay on touch screen
• Implementation: Force and touch added together
• Piezoelectric overlays for displays
• In-cell architecture

8. OTHER TYPES OF FORCE SENSOR

• Active stylus force sensing
• Deriving force from touch sensing area
• Force sensor types: Conclusions

9. EXAMPLES OF FORCE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

• FSRs: Tekscan, Interlink Electronics, Sensitronics
• NextInput
• Synaptics
• Stantum, Nissha and Peratech: "DMR technology"
• Vissumo, QSI Corporation and Beijer Electronics
• F-Origin/MyOrigo

10. HAPTICS: AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE FORCE SENSING USER INTERFACE

• The importance of haptics in force sensing
• What are haptics?
• The broader haptics industry: two sides
• Haptic Technologies: A brief overview
• How the sense of touch works
• The potential value-adds from haptic feedback
• Reasons for the difference: Potential vs Actual use
• LRA vs ERM: Which is best for smartphones?
• Technology Summary: ERMs
• Examples of ERM Motor Suppliers
• ERM Drivers
• Technology Summary: LRAs
• Apple's Taptic Engine
• Examples of Linear Actuator Suppliers

11. MARKETS

• Musical Instruments
• Consumer Electronics: Touch devices
• Consumer Electronics: Peripheries
• Automotive: Advanced user interfaces
• Industrial
• Overview by application
• Forecast by application: (revenues from force sensors in user interfaces by product category)

12. OTHER RELATED USES FOR FORCE SENSING

• Medical & Dental
• Automotive: Occupancy Sensors
• Robotics: control and end effectors

13. MARKET FORECASTING: 2016-2026

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jhtgv8/force_sensing_in

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