TDK Corporation recently announced the InvenSense TCE-11101, a miniaturized ultra-low power MEMS gas sensor platform for direct and accurate detection of CO₂ in home, automotive, IoT, healthcare, and other applications. The TCE-11101 introduces new technology that expands TDK’s sensor leadership into new applications and solutions, as part of the new SmartEnviro^TM 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 ground-breaking technology platform made possible by TDK’s unique 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 ideal 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

“In addition to IoT consumer solutions, the TCE-11101 enables a wide range of health and commercial applications such as leakage detection, while also ensuring high accuracy,” said Dr. Sreeni Rao, Senior Director, Emerging Business, InvenSense, a TDK Group Company. “Furthermore, easy integration and programmability help simplify final system design and deployment.”

The gas sensor platform solution includes:

• TCE-11101
  • The TCE-11101 is a 5 mm x 5 mm x 1 mm 28-pin LGA package, with a metal cap and integrated particle ingress filter to ensure long life operation. It includes an ASIC that provides automatic calibration, reporting, and a serial interface for data output and configuration, making it incredibly easy to integrate into nearly any application, with the low power consumption enabling its use in battery-powered devices.
• DK-11101
  • TDK offers a comprehensive evaluation kit with supporting software so developers can quickly evaluate the TCE-11101 and integrate it into their next design.