Alps Electric to Commence Mass Production of “HSHCAL101B” Capacitive Digital Temperature & Humidity Sensor

Addition of a PC board mount module to the lineup improves equipment performance and design freedom

Munich, December 1st, 2016 – Alps Electric has added the “HSHCAL101B” PC board module to its HSHCAL series lineup of capacitive digital temperature and humidity sensors for major home appliances. Mass production will begin in January 2017. Air purifiers, refrigerators, air-conditioning systems and other major home appliances on the market today are increasingly equipped with functions for sensing a wide range of environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, air pressure and ambient light, to enhancing comfort and convenience for users and improving the energy-saving performance of the equipment. Sensors used in these appliances in the past have predominantly provided analog output, but there has been a rising need in recent years for integration of sensors with digital output, which do not necessitate analog-to-digital conversion of measured data by a microcontroller inside the appliance. Sensors must also be installed in an optimal location inside the appliance to be able to perform more accurate measurement. In many cases, that is away from the main circuit board and the sensor should be mounted to a separate PC board. Alps Electric has responded to the market by newly developing the HSHCAL101B, a module consisting of an HSHCAL Series Capacitive Digital Temperature & Humidity Sensor - boasting outstanding performance and a strong track record - mounted to a PC board. As well as being easy to install in a position enabling accurate measurement of temperature and humidity, as was the challenge, the product helps to reduce the manufacturing workload by eliminating the step of preparing a separate board. Ensuring reliability, the sensor part of the module employs a cover structure for protection from dust, dirt and other foreign matter, and the component terminal is covered in moisture-proof film. In addition, I²C interface support and a built-in connector allow easy wiring to the main board. The HSHCAL series capacitive digital temperature & humidity sensor makes use of Alps Electric’s original MEMS process technology to realize an industry-leading compact size and low profile. * It works in 100% relative humidity (dew point) and achieves high temperature sensing precision of ±5%. The sensor also houses an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for temperature characteristic compensation, allowing simplification of surrounding circuits inside the equipment. By not only enhancing sensor performance, but also expanding product varieties, including through the creation of modules, Alps Electric will keep contributing to greater functionality and performance of end products. *According to Alps Electric research as of October 2016 Key Specifications of the HSHCAL101B: Dimensions: 24mm × 16mm × (6.5)mm Supply voltage: 2.5 - 5.5V Operating temperature range: - 20 to + 85°C Operating humidity range: 0 - 100%RH Humidity sensitivity: 64LSB/ %RH Temperature sensitivity: 50LSB/ °C Accuracy: ±5%RH (@25°C/ 40, 60%RH)

ALPS Electric Co., Ltd. ALPS Electric (Tokyo: 6770) is a leading global manufacturer of high-quality electronic components for mobile devices, home electronics, vehicles and industrial equipment. With the philosophy of “Perfecting the Art of Electronics” ALPS Electric supplies over 40,000 different components to about 2,000 companies all over the world. For more information, visit www.alps.com. ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH, a subsidiary of ALPS Electric Co., Ltd., was established in 1979. Since 2013 the European Head Office has been located in Munich and as such co-ordinates the Sales, Marketing and Product Engineering activities of our branch offices in Munich, Düsseldorf, Paris, Milton Keynes, Gothenburg as well as our sales office in Milan.