Q&A

Sensor technology is evolving to satisfy increasingly connected and automated commercial vehicles (CVs). As vehicle management and operation transition from humans to sensors and algorithms, the shift is driving technology development within R&D departments at suppliers of sensor and connectivity solutions. “Standalone sensors, sensor arrays/clusters, photonics and system connectivity strategies must replicate and expand beyond the complex and highly integrated ‘human sensor’ portfolio - sight, sound, touch, temperature, motion, force, position, etc. - to enable ‘hands-off’ vehicle operations and connectivity,” Mark Uhrich, director, ICT Sensors Business Management at TE Connectivity, said of the daunting task facing developers.

Sensor and system reliability, redundancy and quality are “more than ever safety-critical” for sensor deployment on vehicles that increasingly rely on digital vs. human decision making. Regarding the significant role connectivity solutions play, he said, “Connectivity enables remote and automated vehicle and fleet operations that permit vehicle function (e.g., maneuvering, loading, seeding), vehicle health (e.g., predictive maintenance) and vehicle application (e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle platooning, intelligent harvesting).” Uhrich provided additional insights on challenges and opportunities in the sensors arena.