· Well over 500 million sensors since sales began in 1995

· Sensors with mechanical structures on the micrometer scale

· The trend: new car models with up to 100 sensors on board

In 2005, Bosch produced more micromechanical sensors than ever before: 100 million. A modest 1.35 million were manufactured in 1995, when the miniature sensors were launched; within five years, at the turn of the millennium, the figure was 49 million. Altogether, a good 500 million micromechanical sensors have left the production facility at Reutlingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg/Germany, over the last 10 years.

Micromechanical sensors, also known internationally under the acronym MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems), are one of the results of miniaturization in mechanical engineering. Miniaturization in this field has attracted little widespread public attention, and began some years later than the trend for microelectronics. As in the electronic sector, silicon technology is the most important manufacturing process here: MEMS sensors measure just a few square millimeters in size, and their mechanical structures include springs, beams, weights, and diaphragms with dimensions of the order of thousandths of a millimeter. These tiny sensors measure mechanical variables such as pressure, acceleration, yaw rate, fluid levels, or mass flow-rates. Analog or digital electronics are also incorporated on the chip to evaluate and condition the measured signal.

Sensors are the organs of perception for the electronic control units in modern vehicles. Their tasks include measuring fuel-injection pressure, detecting the level of fuel in the tank, sampling the condition of the engine oil, triggering the airbag at the right time, and automatically extending the roll bar when a soft-top car rolls over. MEMS sensors do these jobs better than conventional sensors, as they are more precise, smaller, lighter, more economical, and more reliable. Without MEMS sensors, important innovations in automobile engineering such as the electronic stability program ESP would not offer the range of functions, the high reliability, and the economy that they now do. True to the Bosch 3-S program, the purpose of these ubiquitous sensors is to make motoring as safe, clean, and economical as the latest technology allows.

Bosch is one of the companies with the greatest experience in the development and manufacture of sensors. Bosch began researching this field in the mid-1980's, and has been fabricating MEMS sensors on a large scale since 1995. These many years of experience provide the basis for commercial success – the company is a world market leader in the supply of MEMS sensors to the automobile industry.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 275,000 associates generated sales of 38.2 billion euros in fiscal 2009. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than 3.5 billion euros for research and development, and applies for some 3,800 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH. Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.

PI5261 - January 26, 2006