Sensor-based Indoor Air Monitoring & Room Management

Three in One Solution: Air Quality, Hazardous Substances, Room Activity

Ideal room climate and optimal room utilization for the well-being of all employees, guests or visitors – operators of public and commercial facilities usually need two devices for this: one for air quality and one for room management.

With its new SensX indoor air monitoring system, iDTRONIC shows that there is another solution. The system uses complex sensor technology to measure room activity in addition to the standard air quality parameters.

Innovative Indoor Air Measurement

Three to four SensX are required for an open-plan office of 100 m².

22 Hours a Day Indoors

People in industrialized countries spend an average of 90 % of their day indoors. This includes private rooms at home, but also rooms at work/ in co-working spaces and in public institutions such as schools, universities and administrations, hotels/restaurants and fitness studios. Indoor air quality is therefore very important for health and general well-being. It is therefore being increasingly monitored in commercial and public buildings.

Indoor Air Measurement and More

Indoor air meters usually capture the CO₂ content, air temperature and humidity. These are the most basic values that make up a healthy indoor climate.

The SensX room air monitor from iDTRONIC also records air pressure, fine dust levels (in three different quantities), volatile organic compound levels and hazardous substances (radon or formaldehyde as well as smoke). This makes it a high-performance indoor climate monitoring system. In addition, the activity in the room is recorded by sensors. The collected data therefore not only provides information about the quality of the air in the room, but also about the use of the room.

Room Utilization and Room Management

There are a great number of rooms in companies and administrative buildings. Not all of them are used so regularly that an optimal room climate must be generated in them throughout. With intelligent room monitoring, the actual usage can be recorded and a comfortable climate can be generated when it is needed. In this way, resources are used efficiently and costs are saved. Other use cases include a usage-based cleaning schedule and predictive maintenance.

Hazardous Substances

SensX measures the naturally occurring radioactive noble gas radon. Due to instabilities in the subsoil, radon can enter rooms through cracks in the building. Similar to radon in causing illness is formaldehyde, for which there are many potential sources in office buildings. It can leak from flooring made of laminate or treated hardwood floors or from sealant. Since both substances can manifest themselves years later, monitoring should be installed on a permanent basis.

iDTRONIC.platform

At the core of the indoor air monitoring solution is the iDTRONIC.platform. All data is visualized here. The user gets an overview of all buildings, rooms and individual SensX records. It is also used as a notification management tool to warn users when threshold values are exceeded and to initiate countermeasures in real time. All this happens automatically and reliably in the background.

SensX INDOOR MONITORING

C0₂ • Air Temperature • Humidity • Air Pressure • Particulate Matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) • Volatile Organic Compounds • Radon • Formaldehyde • Smoke • Movement • Noise • Light Intensity and Color

Square, Small and Full of Sensors

Square, Small and Full of Sensors

The challenge in the development of SensX was to build a compact device and to fit in more sensors than usual with full functionality. The result measures 10 x 10 cm, is mounted on the wall at a height of 1.50 meters and installed via plug and play. Measurement data can be transmitted either via LTE-M/NB-IoT, LoRa, Zigbee or Bluetooth.

As soon as the power supply – cable-based or battery-powered – is established, the SensX starts transmitting data to the iDTRONIC.platform. Via interface, integration with the heating, air and cooling systems is just as quick and uncomplicated. Thus, SensX can independently open windows, regulate temperature or adjust ventilation as needed. The small device creates intelligent room control with smart ventilation, smart heating and smart air conditioning.

Maintenance is low; for battery operation, battery replacement is required after approximately 3 years. As a solution, SensX is suitable for all commercial and industrial environments where many people congregate and where poor indoor air quality results in poor user experience and well-being.

Notifications via SMS and E-Mail

The measurement data is transferred wirelessly to the iDTRONIC cloud or to another destination.

The frequency of the data transfer – every 5, 10 or 30 minutes, for example – can be adapted to local conditions. On the iDTRONIC.platform, the data is analyzed and trends are identified. Measurement progressions are presented graphically on dashboards.

Users can also integrate SensX into their existing ERP system or into other management tools and set up alarm protocols for the individual parameters there. The measured values are compared with reference values and, if exceeded, an alarm signal is sent out via SMS or E-mail. The latency is less than one minute.

Cost Reduction, Efficiency and Sustainability

SensX is an integrable indoor air monitoring solution that helps end users improve employee well-being and productivity and saves money in four ways: through fewer sick days in personnel costs; increased productivity; through room automation in heating and cooling costs; through intelligent use of space in maintenance and cleaning; and through demand-driven use of energy resources to save CO₂.

Companies become more sustainable and efficient without requiring much effort. SensX takes control over indoor air quality reliably and automatically.

iDTRONIC GmbH

Founded in 2003
20 Employees
Besides solutions for indoor air monitoring also solutions for asset tracking and condition monitoring
Also works with solution developers and system integrators

With its twelve sensors, SensX is a smart all-in-one solution for intelligent building management.

The Office as a Space of Well-Being

Healthy Office

People who feel comfortable at their workplace are less likely to be ill, more loyal and more successful in their careers. For well-being, a room temperature in the office of 20 °C is ideal; below that you start to feel cold, while fatigue sets in at temperatures above 23 °C. Air humidity should be around 50 %. Higher humidity levels promote the growth of mold, while lower humidity levels cause sore eyes, dry skin and irritation of the mucous membranes, which in turn promote viral infections. Excessive CO₂ content leads to premature fatigue, so regular ventilation is important.

Light Intensity and Color

The light in the room is also linked to fatigue. SensX measures the luminous intensity and also the color of the light in the room. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, a light intensity of at least 500 lux is required on the desk surface. The light in the immediate vicinity should be 300 lux.

Light with a high proportion of blue is perceived as being particularly biologically stimulating and conducive to concentration. Reading speed is increased in blue light. Conversational readiness and creativity, on the other hand, are stimulated by warm light. Combined with an intelligent lighting control system, SensX can adapt office spaces to the respective lighting requirements.

Healthy Interiors

Health-promoting rooms fulfill various other criteria. They have a low level of particulate matter, for example. According to the Federal Environment Agency, fine dust with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers is a health risk primarily because of its small size and possible pollutants that adhere to the surface.

The granules penetrate deep into the lungs and cause damage there. Volatile organic compounds such as vapors from wood or plastic furniture and varnishes cause headaches and are considered to be disease-causing. They are practically always present in indoor air, but must not exceed limit values.

There is a proven relationship between the quality of the indoor environment and the productivity of the people present.

Efficiency and concentration can best be maintained when the indoor air is fresh and clean.

INDOOR CLIMATE – PRODUCTIVITY

up to 9 % loss of productivity can occur due to poor indoor air quality
between 61–101 % higher concentration capacity with healthy indoor air
30 % less symptoms of illness (Sick Building Syndrome)
6.4 % improvement in sleep quality and therefore concentration at work through properly used light

Source: Studies of the Harvard School of Public Health

Your Contact:

Benjamin Pfeiffer
Business Development IoT
iDTRONIC Wireless IoT
Phone: +49 621 6690094-27
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.idtronic-iot.com