Keywords
Citation
(1998), "New sensor modules from Capteur offer automatic air quality control", Sensor Review, Vol. 18 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1998.08718dad.002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited
New sensor modules from Capteur offer automatic air quality control
New sensor modules from Capteur offer automatic air quality control
Keywords Environmental monitoring, Gas, Sensor
Air quality sensors manufactured by Capteur Sensors of Oxfordshire, UK, offer designers and manufacturers of air quality control OEM products, a component that allows automatic control of air cleaners, verification of carbon filter efficiency and indication of filter lifetime.
Conventional air cleaners employ a combination of particle filters and carbon filters to remove unwanted dust particles and odours from a room. Switching on and off and checking filter condition is done manually and is subjective to a consumer's sense of smell! This can lead to a unit being switched off while odour and particles are still present or, in some cases, the unit never being switched off!
These problems can be addressed with a Capteur air quality sensor. Capteur's general purpose, AAS25 air quality sensor, is designed to detect most common household odours. It utilises a small ceramic chip with an integral platinum heater printed on one side and the heated sensing element on the other. The sensor is controlled using a simple electronic principle, enabling the heater to provide a stable temperature, producing long term baseline stability.
The sensor functions as a gas sensitive resistor, with its resistance increasing in the presence of polluting gases and odours. When the odour has been removed from the ambient air, utilizing the air cleaner, filters of the sensor's resistance will fall and the fan will be switched off.
A second sensor can be placed in the air flow after the filters to determine their efficiency and indicate when they require replacement, by comparing the pre sensor and post sensor resistance values. Key applications for these sensors include air purifiers, CO detection, automotive air conditioning, and other applications in residential and commercial buildings.
Further information is available from Capteur Sensors, 11 Moorbrook Park, Didcot, Oxon OX11 7HP, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1235 810081; Fax: +44 (0)1235 810011; Web: www.capteur.demon.co.uk; E-mail: sales@capteur.demon.co.uk