The light sensor converts light input into corresponding electrical output. It is used in the automatic street light systems, automatic brightness control in mobile, and security devices in home and offices, which helps in minimizing the power consumption of the devices. Most commonly used light sensors are based on photoresistors, which control the flow of current using sensed light energy. These are known as Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs).

Increasing adoption of light sensors in portable consumer electronics is one of the major factors driving the growth of the market

Major Factor attributing to the growth of the market is increasing usage of portable consumer electronics, such as laptop, smartphones, and tablet which inadvertently affects the battery life of the product. For instance, according to Coherent Market Insights analysis, the total number of smartphones users in 2016, was 2.2 billion and it increased to 2.4 billion in 2017, worldwide. Therefore, prolong on-screen time on smartphone enforced manufacturers to introduce light sensors in these devices, which improves the battery life of device by consuming less power. By incorporating the light sensors in the smartphones it automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen depending on the ambient light, which further helps in reducing the power consumption of devices limited to less than 10 Mw. Furthermore, light sensors reduce the power consumption required in the keypad backlighting, which in turn helps in increasing the battery life of the smartphones. Therefore, the aforementioned factors are fueling the growth of the global light sensors market.

Low capabilities of light sensors are one of the major factors restraining the growth of the market

Low capabilities of light sensors in the case of long-distance are a major factor restraining the growth of the market. These sensors cannot perform well apart from the specified range of 3 lx (lux) to more than 30,000 lx (lux), which is expected to hamper the growth of the market.

Global Light Sensors Market: Regional Insights

North America accounted for the largest share in the global sensor light sensor market in 2016, and it is expected to dominate the global market by 2026. Increasing the adoption of sensors in various fields such as medical, consumer electronics, and automotive is one of the major factors driving the growth of the market in this region. For instance, light sensors are widely adopted by the automotive sector in this region, owing to the reduction of road accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in the U.S. the total number of people who died in the road accident was 35,485 in 2015, and it grew up to 37,461 in 2016. Thus, in order to minimize the case of a road accident and increase the safety of the passengers, the automotive manufacturer is incorporating ambient light sensors in the vehicle for driver assistance and driver safety, which is propelling the growth of light sensors in the automotive sector. The vehicle equipped with light sensors detect the brightness ahead of the vehicle and the headlights are turned on and turned off automatically. This system allows the driver to control the turning on and turning off of the headlights with more accurate timing based on the driving situation. Therefore, all these factors are expected to drive the regional market growth of light sensors in the automotive sector, which in turn helps in propelling the growth of the light sensors market in this region.

Global Light Sensors Market: Competitive Landscape

Major players operating in the global light sensors market include ams AG, Avago Technologies Inc., Elan Microelectronics Corp., Everlight Electronics Co., Heptagon, Maxim Integrated Products Inc., ROHM Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sitronix Technology Corp., and STMicroelectronics NV. Market players are adopting growth strategies such as mergers and acquisitions for increasing the product portfolio and maintain a leading position in the market. For instance, in July 2017, ams AG, a leading provider of high-performance sensors and analog ICs, acquired the CMOS Sensor Business from NXP Semiconductors. The acquisition help in expanding the existing environmental sensor technologies and is a synergistic addition to chemical sensor capabilities and smart lighting solutions. This portfolio makes ams AG the one-stop-shop for environmental sensors. The newly enlarged line of ams AG environmental sensors provide the growth opportunities for smartphones, wearable, and other mobile devices as well as for smart buildings and the industrial, medical, and automotive markets.

Global Light Sensors Market: Taxonomy

By Function

Ambient Light Sensing

Proximity Detection,

RGB Color Sensing

Gesture Recognition

UV/Infrared Light Detection

By Output

Analog

Digital

By Integration

Discrete

Combination

By Applications

Consumer Electronics

Automotive

Industrial

Home Automation

HealthCare

Entertainment

Security

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East

Africa

Global Light Sensor Market: Key Developments