Bosch Sensortec — BMV080 Particulate Matter Sensor

Bosch Sensortec has launched the world’s smallest particulate matter (PM) sensor, the BMV080.  

This cutting-edge sensor is more than 450 times smaller than traditional PM sensors. This means that particulate matter sensing can be integrated for the first time into a wide range of consumer, commercial and industrial products for which previous PM sensors were simply too large.  

Despite its small size, the BMV080 produces precise measurements in real time of the mass concentration of PM2.5 particles in the air. The sensor also provides mass concentration data for PM1 and PM10.  

The sensing element of the BMV080 measures just 4.4 mm x 3.0 mm x 3.0 mm. Bosch Sensortec can make the sensor much smaller than traditional devices because it implements innovative technology for measuring PM mass concentrations in free air above the sensor’s optical aperture. Traditional sensors, on the other hand, require a special air chamber, and an airflow through the chamber driven by a fan. The need for a chamber makes these PM sensors much larger.  

As well as saving space, the BMV080 also eliminates the need for a fan. The fanless design has several advantages, including:  

• Higher reliability, the fan is frequently the first point of failure in PM sensors 

• Silent operation 

• Lower power consumption  

• Industrial design flexibility, including the ability to make a waterproof enclosure 

It is estimated that 99% of the world’s population breathes air which fails to meet health standards. PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 particulates are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, causing adverse effects on human health.  

The launch of the BMV080 enables the development of a new generation of devices with an indoor particulate monitoring capability, providing a new opportunity for people to gain real-time data on individual exposure to particles in the air.