The Honeywell Zephyr digital airflow sensors deliver what the manufacturer claims to be the industry's most accurate airflow reading across the –20 to 70º C operating range of the sensor. The HAF Series devices provide highly accurate digital output with a response time of 1ms, enhanced reliability, and repeatable measurements to meet many medical and industrial application specifications.
Customization allows the sensor to be designed to meet specific end-user needs and the high sensitivity at very low flows enables the detection of the presence or absence of airflow in the application. The high stability of the Zephyr digital airflow sensors reduces errors due to thermal effects and eliminates shift to provide accurate readings over time, removing the need for system calibration after PCB mount, and periodically over time.
The low pressure drop reduces noise and system wear in components such as motors and pumps and the linear output of the sensors provides a more intuitive sensor signal than the raw output of basic airflow sensors which can help customers reduce production costs and implementation time.
The Honeywell Zephyr digital airflow sensors feature an ASIC-based I2C digital output that eases integration to micro-processors or micro-controllers, reducing PCB complexity and component count. The 19.9×36mm footprint allows for a compact PCB, which can reduce production costs and simplify installation in space-restricted applications. The units operate from a 3.3 to 5Vdc voltage, with a low power consumption making them suitable for use in battery-powered and portable applications.
The Zephyr digital airflow sensors are designed to measure mass flow of air and other non-corrosive gases at a maximum flow of 10 standard litres per minute (SLPM). They are available in standard flow ranges, and are fully calibrated and temperature compensated. They provide a digital interface for reading airflow over the specified full scale flow span and temperature range, and their thermally isolated heater and temperature sensing elements help provide a fast response to air or gas flow.
Potential medical applications include anesthesia delivery machines, hospital diagnostics (spectrometry, gas chromatography), nebulizers, oxygen concentrators, patient monitoring systems (respiratory monitoring), sleep apnea machines, spirometers, ventilators, and ventricular assist devices. Potential industrial applications include air-to-fuel ratio, analytical instrumentation (spectrometry, chromatography), fuel cells, gas leak detection, gas meters, HVAC filters, meteorology equipment, and variable air volume (VAV) systems on HVAC systems.
