CO2 sensor delivers higher energy efficiency and improved air quality in buildings

Infineon Technologies AG has introduced the new XENSIV PAS CO2 5V sensor. It is based on the PAS technology and enhances energy efficiency by adapting ventilation to actual occupancy, thereby lowering the carbon footprint of buildings. This makes the device ideal for commercial and residential buildings' HVAC systems, room controllers, and thermostat units. It can also be used for IoT and consumer devices such as smart lighting, air purifiers, conferencing systems, and smart speakers, and emerging applications such as smart horticulture and smart refrigerators.

"Environmental sensing is an important pillar of Infineon's sensor portfolio," said Andreas Kopetz, VP Ambient Sensing at Infineon. "CO2 sensors play an increasingly important role in smart homes and buildings by continuously monitoring indoor air quality and adjusting ventilation systems accordingly. Our XENSIV PAS CO2 5V is a sensor solution that ensures a healthier living environment for occupants and enables significant energy savings for greater sustainability."

The sensor provides accurate air quality data in real-time. Its miniaturised form factor of 14mm x 13.8mm x 7.5mm³ is identical to the size of the XENSIV PAS CO2 12V sensor and enables seamless integration into a wide range of applications. This makes it simple to adopt dual designs or maintain the same design strategy for these product variants. Compared to the 12V sensor, the 5V version has a 5V power supply, further simplifying installation. Moreover, it provides a significantly faster response time of 55 seconds, down from 90 seconds (12V). This improvement improves various applications' efficiency, permitting quicker data acquisition and more responsive performance in dynamic environments. The sensor's design is dust-proof in accordance with ISO 20653:2013-02, which extends the lifetime of the device in dusty environments and minimises maintenance requirements. Also, the UART, I²C and PWM interfaces allow seamless integration with MCUs and other digital systems, simplifying the design and development process. Ultimately, with its robust performance, the sensor meets the performance criteria of the internationally recognised WELL Green Building Standard, improving both environmental sustainability and property value.

All major sensor components are developed in-house according to the company's high-quality standards. This includes a dedicated MCU that runs advanced compensation algorithms to provide direct and reliable ppm readouts of real CO2 levels. The available configuration options make the sensor one of the most versatile plug-and-play CO2 sensors on the market. They include a dedicated ABOC (Automatic Baseline Offset Calibration), pressure compensation, signal alarm, sample rate and early measurement notification, which are particularly useful for power consumption management. The SMD package, delivered in tape and reel, allows for easy assembly, even in high-speed, high-volume manufacturing.