More than four-and-a-half years after the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the guidance for managing public spread of the virus has come to resemble that of the common cold: If you’re sick, stay home, but if you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours, go ahead and get back out there.
Yet, what is not likely to change is our newly-heightened awareness of what is on the surfaces we touch and in the air we breathe in our homes, workplaces, and schools, and the desire to strive toward a high standard of quality for cleanliness and good hygiene in those environments. We are demanding more from the devices and products that helps us achieve those standard, one prominent example being how we monitor indoor air quality.
Air quality sensors were around before the pandemic, but became more important than ever after kids returned to schools and more people returned to their places of work. That has kept Renesas Electronics Corporation busy continuing to innovate in the area of sensor modules designed for products that monitor indoor air quality.
The company recently announced the RRH62000, its first multi-sensor air quality module. The device, which has a Renesas microcontroller (MCU) on board, “integrates multiple sensor parameters in a compact design and accurately detects different particle sizes, volatile organic compounds and gasses harmful to human health,” Renesas said, adding that it can bring intelligent sensor management solution to a growing market of air monitoring applications, including air purifiers, smoke detectors, HVAC systems, weather stations, and smart home systems.
Available now, the RRH62000 has what the company described as “one of the smallest footprints in its class of sensor modules,” measuring only 46.6 mm x 34.8 mm x 12 mm. Despite the size, it contains a Renesas microcontroller (MCU) and seven sensor signals coming from the laser-based PM1/ 2.5/ 10 sensor, ZMOD4410 gas sensor, and the HS4003 humidity and temperature sensor. The result is an all-in-one system that leverages these sensors to detect particulate matter, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), estimated CO2, temperature and humidity all in one system.
While growing interest in air quality is moving the market for products that monitor it, Renesas’ ability to deliver multi-sensor capabilities builds on a sensor fusion technology movement that pre-dates the more recent growth in air quality awareness.
Kwame Ohene-Adu, Product Management, Sensors Division, Renesas Electronics, told Fierce Electronics via e-mail, “In the wake of the pandemic there has been increased public interest in knowing the quality and/or components of the air that consumers are breathing in. While these post-pandemic sentiments have helped spur development, Renesas has always been driving towards multi-sensor fusion to enable new and helpful features in air quality monitoring applications and beyond.”
In a company statement, Uwe Guenther, Senior Director, Modules and Solutions Product Line at Renesas, said the new module represents the next step in sensor fusion technology with its ability to combine data from multiple sensors and turn all of that data into comprehensive and actionable insights for environmental monitoring.
Ohene-Adu added, “It is not so much about only increasing the number of sensor signals as it is about providing the right selection of signals to ensure success and flexibility within a given application. The RRH62000 offers sensor outputs that provide users with the key parameters for effective air quality monitoring. More sensor signals allow for better differentiation for specific user events.”
At the same time, the ability to support multiple sensor signals and put a Renesas MCU, which enables real-time air quality data, in the same package helps “maximize efficacy while lowering the workload for the customer,” Ohene-Adu explained.
Renesas’ uses of laser-based technology enables a higher precision of monitoring for concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, PM10 particulates -- particles with diameters of 0.3- to 10µm -- as well as absolute or relative TVOC measurements in different power mode settings, providing the highest level of accuracy for these pollutants.
AI also plays a role in the RRH62000 module, it does in an increasing variety of sensor products. The module’s support for building standard firmware and AI algorithms lets engineers configure the sensors to conform to the requirements of various green air quality standards in public buildings, such as The Well Building Standard (WELL), Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) and RESET.
As an intelligent sensor module, the RRH62000, like Renesas’ recently announced RRH46410 gas sensor module, can support demand-controlled ventilation, allowing HVAC systems to adjust air flow based on carbon dioxide levels and occupancy information to maintain optimal air quality and energy efficiency. Here, too, AI algorithms can be used to predict when HVAC filters must be replaced, or to detect an anomaly before system failure occurs, significantly saving cost and time for system maintenance.