Renesas ZMOD4410 waterproof IAQ sensor

Renesas Electronics has expanded its indoor air quality (IAQ) sensor platform with what is claimed to be the industry’s first software-configurable, IP67-qualified waterproof option for IAQ applications operating in wet or dirty environments such as kitchens, bathrooms and hospital rooms, which are frequently exposed to water, oils and dust.

The firmware-configurable ZMOD4410 sensor features a hermetically sealed package that protects the sensor from water and dust with a hydrophobic and oleophobic material that is permeable to humidity and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at the same time. The company thus enables low-power IAQ applications that operate in splash zones, while maintaining the high precision and flexibility users need to customise their systems and eliminating the need for waterproofing systems.

The sensor is shipped fully calibrated in the hydrophobic and oleophobic package, and users can apply a conformal coating on their circuitry rather than adding an external membrane to the module. The waterproof sensor features AI firmware implemented on an MCU to improve sensing performance and is also resistant to siloxanes, enabling use in harsh applications.

Renesas’s software-configurable ZMOD platform provides design flexibility for smart sensing systems, allowing firmware updates in the field that enable application-specific capabilities such as selective measurements to detect VOCs. This includes IAQ measurement within international guidelines, allowing users to measure total VOCs (TVOCs) in the low parts-per-million range (ppm) and providing estimated carbon dioxide (eCO₂) levels. The waterproof sensor module supports all firmware updates to date.

The combination of waterproofing, programmability, stability and sensitivity in measuring VOCs makes the waterproof sensor useful for IAQ devices — including smart HVAC systems, ventilator fans, bathroom lights and switches, and wearables — that operate in a wide range of high-humidity, splash-zone, dirty or submersible environments.