VOC detection sensor enables home monitoring system

The size, accuracy, reliability and low power consumption of the AS-MLV-P2 make it suitable for air quality monitoring applications in smart home and IoT devices. In Withings’ stylish and compact Home product, the AS-MLV-P2 is combined with a 5MP video camera, dual microphones, temperature and humidity sensors and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Smart radios. This means that users of the Home monitoring system can see, hear, feel and smell the inside of their home remotely via a smartphone or tablet app supplied by Withings.

The AS-MLV-P2 measures ambient concentrations of a broad range of reducing gases associated with bad air quality such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, organic acids, amines, and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, which can be harmful to human and animal health at high levels. In the Home app, the sensor’s measurements of these chemicals are converted to an air-quality rating as well as to a measurement of VOC concentrations.

The Home unit also sends notifications to the user’s phone or tablet when the concentration of VOCs exceeds pre-set thresholds, allowing the user to take an appropriate action such as opening a window, turning on an air cleaner or increasing the fan speed of a ventilation system. The AS-MLV-P2 sensor’s accurate VOC detection capability results from the implementation of proprietary MEMS and Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) technology developed by ams. This technology enables devices such as the Home monitor to provide credible data to consumers concerned about the quality of the air that they and their families breathe.

ams’ AS-MLV-P2 provides a direct measurement of the concentration of pollutants, giving the user helpful information on which they can act to protect and improve air quality. Available in a surface-mount package, it provides this capability in a small footprint and offers long-term stable operation, while only consuming a low amount of power (typically 34mW in continuous operation).

“A key function of the Home room monitor is to give the user a simple and credible measure of air quality. We felt that the integrity of Home’s air-quality rating depended on very accurate measurements of the key pollutants: VOCs. This is why we chose to use the AS-MLV-P2 in Home,” said Cédric Hutchings, CEO, Withings. “Not only is the sensor an excellent product, however, but also the hardware and software design expertise and support of the ams engineering team was outstanding, and this enabled us to integrate the AS-MLV-P2 into our product design with very little difficulty.”