TDK introduces MEMS-based CO2 gas sensor platform

The InvenSense TCE-11101 is a miniaturized ultra-low power MEMS gas sensor platform for direct and accurate detection of CO2 in home, automotive, IoT, healthcare, and other applications.

Developed by TDK, the TCE-11101 introduces new technology that expands the company's sensor leadership into new applications and solutions, as part of the new SmartEnviro family. Its small size and low power enable consumer and commercial devices of all form factors that do not need to be wall-powered. The TCE-11101 is housed in a 5 mm x 5 mm x 1 mm 28-pin LGA package and requires minimal external components to complete the design.

Currently available gas sensors use bulky, power-intensive, and expensive optical techniques; or an intrinsically inaccurate “eCO2” approach. TDK’s TCE-11101 is based on a new technology platform made possible by a combination of novel materials development, MEMS process technologies, and AI and machine learning capabilities, delivering a solution that is orders of magnitude smaller than traditional sensors, consumes less than 1mW of power, and provides accurate measurement of CO2 gas concentration.

The TCE-11101 significantly expands the use cases for CO2 detection in a wide variety of new and existing applications where traditional sensors fail due to size and power concerns or simply the economics of their usage, while “eCO2” solutions fail to provide the required performance.

For example, the TCE-11101 is sutitable for applications such as fixed or robotic indoor air quality monitoring due to its ability to provide accurate CO2 readings, doing so at extremely low power, in a very small form factor, and in a low cost, easy-to-integrate digital device.

Further, in applications such as Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV), the TCE-11101 allows granular control of a HVAC system by accurately measuring CO2 levels that precisely indicate occupancy in a room or given space – information which can be used to optimize energy consumption for HVAC in Smart Buildings or Smart Homes.

Features and benefits of the SmartEnviro products include:

• Ultra-low power

• Direct CO2 sensing

• Digital interface (I2C)

• Miniaturized form factor

• Technology that offers very wide sensing range (400 ppm to 50,000ppm)

• Integrated solution with on-board programmability via 16-bit microcontroller

• Background calibration for long-term stability

• RoHS and Green compliant