Low-cost PM Sensor Behaviour Based on Duty-Cycle Analysis

Gustavo Ramirez Espinosa, Bartolomeo Montrucchio, Edoardo Giusto, Maurizio Rebaudengo

Abstract: Particulate Matter (PM) air pollution has received growing attention in recent years due to the increased sensitivity to the problem and the spread of low-cost sensing devices. These low-cost devices are able to produce valuable data, but they come with certain hurdles which are engineering challenges to be overcome. These challenges are mainly: reduction of consumed energy; reduction of data logged and transmitted; aging of sensors. The aim of this paper is to understand if it is possible to reduce the duty-cycle of an air pollution monitoring sensor and still get meaningful data on the general behavior. This has advantages from all perspectives: it enables less logging of redundant information; it reduces the strain of the sensor to extend its lifespan and to reduce maintenance costs; it reduces the energy consumed by the sensor, essential in battery-powered devices.