Efficient Systematic Ventilation

Intelligent air conditioning technology provides clean air in workshops, administrative buildings and transport facilities. Ventilation specialists value solutions from First Sensor.

The system specialists at First Sensor were presented with a tight schedule at the beginning of 2017. They had received an order from a leading heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) company to develop a sensor module for smart building applications. Incorporated into the customer's monitoring system, it will help in future to detect the status of ventilation filters. Intelligent air conditioning systems use this information to provide a constant flow of fresh air in buildings and minimize energy consumption. At the customer's request, there was less than a year to develop a tailored sensor solution.



Fast track from standard product to sensor solution

A sound basis for the ambitious project: The international company was already using First Sensor pressure sensor chips when its sales team contacted the customer in autumn 2016 to discuss current projects and needs. However, only the supply of LMI standard sensors was a concern initially. They are particularly suited to measuring the flow rate of air and gases and are so sensitive that they are also used in medical technology. The standard products served as a springboard in the discussion around monitoring in intelligent HVAC systems. In the course of conversations, it became clear that First Sensor would be able to offer the customer a more comprehensive service.

As both parties already knew each other well, it did not take long to reach a decision. The result was the order for a customized solution for which the scope of delivery included the design of the printed circuit board, layout and connection technology, and the final quality check of the module. The development work eventually culminated in a system with four flow rate sensors, electronics and a tailored casing.

Time was again an important factor here: First Sensor was able to submit the prototype for the multi-sensor system within five weeks. This prototype has already been successfully tested, with the result that the module is now very close to series production. The project clearly showed that the strategy of forward integration is already being translated into specific orders. This year, First Sensor is expecting to sell thousands of units of the system module, which will be produced in the Weissensee district of Berlin. Within the First Sensor production group, this site is regarded as the heart of production of complex sensor systems.

The customer, a specialist in HVAC systems, visited the site several times to endorse progress and receive confirmation that its high quality requirements were being applied in production. Therefore, in addition to the existing contact with the customer and the performance of the LMI flow rate sensors, the depth of added value that First Sensor can achieve within the Group is crucial to the success of the project. After all, companies are showing a growing interest in placing extensive tasks such as the development and production of sensor systems in reliable hands.

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Multi-Sensor System

In a multi-sensor system, sensors perform control tasks in conjunction with actuators or other sensors. The system processes, filters, and interprets complex data and can form a two-way communicative connection with its environment.

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