STMICROELECTRONICS REVEALS INNOVATIVE INFRARED (IR) SENSOR FOR PRESENCE AND MOTION DETECTION IN BUILDING AUTOMATION

STMicroelectronics is launching a novel human-presence and -motion detector to enhance security systems, home automation equipment, and IoT devices that typically use passive infrared (PIR) sensing.

The STHS34PF80 sensor contains thermal transistors that can detect stationary objects, unlike conventional PIR detectors that require the detected object to be moving to produce a measurable response from the sensor. Also, while PIRs need a Fresnel lens to sense moving objects, ST’s novel detector allows simpler, lens-free construction.

Embedding a smart algorithm for presence and motion detection, the STHS34PF80 targets alarms and security systems, home automation, smart lighting, IoT devices, smart lockers, and smart wall pads. Its lens-free range of four meters and 80° field of view cover a large area in front of the sensor. With an operating current of 10µA, power consumption is less than a conventional PIR, and the 3.2mm x 4.2mm x 1.455mm surface-mount package is compact and suited to automated high-speed assembly. The sensor has high resistance to unwanted effects of direct lighting and high immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI).

The STEVAL-MKI231KA simplifies experimenting with the STHS34PF80. Plugging into the X-NUCLEO-IKS01A3 or the STEVAL-MKI109V3 lets developers use ST’s Unico-GUI graphical interface to configure the IR sensor and take measurements within a simplified workflow. Drivers for the STHS34PF80 are available on GitHub. In addition, a ready-to-use library for compensating and detecting the presence of people or objects is available in the X-CUBE-MEMS1 software package. Users can quickly start running simple applications, taking advantage of the STHS34PF80 and testing the results to begin creating an application.