Innovaer Technologies and Cubic S&I are the market leaders in particulate matter measurement technologies – manufacturing over 5 million particulate matter sensors per year.
Are you establishing the right partnerships ensuring you stay ahead of the competition?
Why use a Particulate Matter (PM) sensor?
The “Internet of Things” revolution is making its way into our homes. As consumers begin to understand the impact of air quality on their everyday life, there is a growing need to create cost-effective and reliable air quality measurement technologies that implement multiple sensorics capable of measuring the parameters associated with an Air Quality Index – Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Particulate Matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), Formaldehyde (HCHO), Temperature and Humidity.
In conjunction with increased consumer focus on air quality, The US EPA has created a layered strategy for monitoring air quality during the COVID-19 pandemic to include acceptable levels of particulate matter – solid particles or liquid droplets in air –small enough to deposit deep in the lungs.
With regard to primary (health-based) standards for fine particles (generally referring to particles less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (mm) in diameter, PM2.5), the EPA is revising the annual PM2.5 standard by lowering the level to 12.0 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/ m3) so as to provide increased protection against health effects associated with long- and short-term exposures (including premature mortality, increased hospital admissions and emergency department visits, and development of chronic respiratory disease), and to retain the 24-hour PM2.5 standard at a level of 35 μg/m3.
Source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2013-01-15/pdf/2012-30946.pdf
Innovations to Solve Application Challenges
Automatic Particle Identification (API)
Cubic S&I particulate matter sensors directly measure the particle size and quantity and can output the mass concentration and particle density via a UART or I2C communication interface. The challenge in PM sensing applications is dust sources are dynamic with varying distribution of particles and ever-changing density of the particulate to be measured.
The API algorithm allows the sensor to determine the application environment and “switch” between temperature compensated calibration curves specific to the application environment in real-time – smoke, A1 dust or atmospheric levels of particulate. The API algorithm determines the application environment by analyzing the particle density based on the particle size, distribution characteristics and dust concentration ensuring the PM sensor outputs a accurate and reliable PM measurement accurate to the GRIMM and TSI standards.
Anti-Dust Structure Design
Over time solid particulate and liquid droplets carried in the measured gas will affect the performance of any dust sensor by accumulating on the laser diode or photo-detector. Cubic S&I created a proprietary anti-dust structure within the PM sensor ensuring the Cubic PM sensors can provide an accurate and repeatable measurement for up to 12 years of continuous operation. This anti-dust structure is internal to the PM sensor and redirects a small side stream of inlet air. This side stream of air is then conditioned and passed through an internal HEPA filter before being passed between the laser diode and photo-diode to create a clean air “barrier” between the measurement surfaces and the inlet air samples. This prevents accumulation of solid particulate or liquid droplets.
Product Portfolio – https://innovaertech.com/#pm
