Highly integrated CMOS-based differential air pressure sensors

Targeting high-volume applications, the sensors have been designed to measure the pressure of air and non-aggressive gases and deliver accurate and stable results covering a range of up to +/–500 Pa (+/– 5 millibars or +/– 2 inches of water), even at very low differential pressures. 

The new sensor products are based on Sensirion’s innovative CMOSens technology, which integrates a sensor element and all the necessary signal conditioning electronics – including analogue and digital signal processing – on a single tiny CMOS chip. The technology is well proven and is perfectly suited for high-quality and cost-sensitive volume production.

The SDP800 series sensor element, which uses flow-through technology to measure differential pressure, together with the on-chip signal processing and digital calibration, delivers high accuracy with no offset drift, right down to the lower end of the measurement range. These new CMOSens-based sensors largely overcome the limitations in offset drift and accuracy of traditional static or dynamic differential pressure sensors commonly used in HVAC applications. In conjunction with low-cost advantages, this makes them an attractive alternative for measuring differential pressure and airflow volumes in modern HVAC systems.

Available in the SDP800 series are the 4-pin +/–500 Pa SDP800-500PA, and the 4-pin +/– 125Pa SDP800-125PA. As well as offering characteristics including high reliability, long-term stability and a good signal-to-noise ratio, the sensors also feature a two-wire digital interface for easy connection to microcontrollers. In addition, the Sensirion EK-P5 evaluation kit enables easy and fast sensor evaluation via PC test software, connected via USB cable.