KYOTO, Japan -- OMRON Corporation (TOKYO: 6645, ADR: OMRNY) today announced the release on March 21 of the D6F-PH MEMS differential pressure sensor1 featuring OMRON's newly-developed cutting-edge MEMS thermal flow sensor chip.

The D6F-PH is a thermal flow-type sensor meaning it is capable of measuring with superior sensitivity and reproducibility in low pressure environments and with a wider pressure range than the commonly-used capacitance-type and piezoelectric-type differential pressure sensors. Embedded ASICs carry out digital correction (linearity and temperature correction) making the D6F-PH more precise and less influenced by temperature than conventional analog output sensors.

The D6F-PH will make it possible to optimize business and household air conditioning and ventilation control in order to maximize energy efficiency, and also increase the accuracy of gas flow control and monitoring in digital medical equipment such as anesthetic machines and respirators.

1 How differential pressure sensors measure flow rates
A constriction is created in a flow channel inside the sensor which causes an overall drop in pressure in the fluid or gas being measured. Since this drop in pressure is related to the density and flow velocity of the fluid or gas being measured, comparing the difference in pressure upstream and downstream from the constriction makes it possible for pressure sensors to measure flow rates.

OMRON releases D6F-PH thermal flow-type MEMS differential pressure sensor aimed at maximizing air-conditioning efficiency