Air quality platform features AI for smart odour sensing

Renesas Electronics Corporation has expanded its ZMOD4410 Indoor Air Quality sensor platform with the power of e-AI, providing smart odour sensing for ventilation systems, bathroom monitoring and controls, plus air quality monitors.

The enhanced platform connects neural network-trained firmware on various MCUs, such as the company's RL78 MCU, to give higher resolution measurement results. With these new abilities, the platform cannot only detect gases that indicate the presence of odours in small enclosed rooms with higher accuracy and improved part-to-part deviation but can also discriminate between sulfur and ethanol-based odours. The upgrades are the first in a family of e-AI-based firmware solutions from the company.

“The IAQ market’s demand for higher accuracy, improved performance, and greater flexibility to address application-specific requirements continues to rise, as customers prioritise part-to-part consistency for this market success,” said Uwe Guenther, senior director, Sensing Solutions, IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. “Our multi-dimensional sensor approach enables the upgraded ZMOD4410 platform to be more accurate and selective by applying AI-based capabilities to smart sensing, which gives customers the high accuracy, high flexibility options they need to customise their ventilation and odour monitoring and control systems, and provide consumers with a more enjoyable environment.”

The device’s combination of programmability, best-in-class stability, and sensitivity in measuring VOCs makes it an outstanding solution for a broad range of IAQ applications, including smart HVAC systems, ventilator fans, and bathroom lights and switches. The device is based on proven MOx material and each sensor is electrically and chemically tested to assure consistency from lot to lot, an essential advantage for manufacturers with long production runs. The devices are also extremely resistant to siloxanes for excellent reliability use in harsh applications.