The STC42A digital thermal conductivity hydrogen sensor is now available through Sensirion’s global channel partner network for automotive battery thermal runaway detection and hydrogen leakage applications.
The STC42A is designed for automotive battery monitoring systems (BMS) in electric vehicles. It measures hydrogen concentration in clean air to support detection of gas emissions associated with battery thermal runaway. The sensor is qualified according to AEC-Q100 (Grade 2) and is intended for battery applications that require automotive reliability and robustness.
STC42A is based on a thermal conductivity measurement principle and uses Sensirion’s CMOSens sensor technology, which combines the sensor element, signal processing and digital calibration on one CMOS chip. The STC42A is factory calibrated and provides a digital hydrogen output.
The STC42A uses a digital I2C interface and supports communication with an external SHT41A humidity and temperature sensor. Through the I2C controller interface, the STC42A reads humidity and temperature data from the SHT41A and applies that data for real-time absolute humidity compensation of the hydrogen signal.
“With the STC42A, Sensirion provides an automotive hydrogen sensor for detecting early gas emissions associated with thermal runaway in batteries. This supports system designers in triggering timely safety measures in line with emerging 5‑minute warning requirements defined by relevant safety standards.,” says Pascal Erne, product manager for battery state monitoring.
As part of the STC4x family, the STC42A is optimized for hydrogen gas sensing in thermal runaway applications and can also be used for hydrogen leakage detection.
Source: Sensirion
About Sensirion
Sensirion AG is a sensor technology company founded in 1998. It designs and manufactures sensors for humidity, temperature, gas, and flow measurement. Its products include humidity sensors, gas sensors, differential pressure sensors, and mass flow controllers. These components are used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, medical devices, automotive systems, and consumer electronics. Sensirion serves automotive, industrial, healthcare, and consumer markets worldwide. It supplies products to OEMs and system integrators. The company also supports integration of sensor hardware with embedded and cloud systems. Sensirion operates production, research, and sales activities in multiple regions. It employs about 1,200 people globally. The company headquarters is in Stäfa, Switzerland.