www.sensirion.com D1 Version 1 – May 2015 1 /4
Alert Mode of SHT3x-DIS
Allows to use SHT3x-DIS as a humidity and temperature watchdog
SHT3x-DIS features an Alert Mode, when operated in the
periodic data acquisition mode
. The Alert Mode allows to
monitor the environmental condition (humidity and
temperature) relative to programmable limits. When limits
are reached the value of a dedicated ALERT pin will change.
Additionally, a status register bit indicates the cause of the
alert. Using the ALERT pin allows to create a switch with a
minimal bill of materials. For example, only a transistor is
needed next to the sensor to switch an LED on or start a
climate control.
Alternatively, the ALERT pin may be connected to the
interrupt pin of a microcontroller. After an alert from SHT3x
the microcontroller can wake-up from sleep mode and then
perform certain actions.
1 Activation and Deactivation of the Alert
Mode
Whenever the sensor operates in periodic data acquisiton
mode the alert mode is active. It is possible to deactivate the
limit for temperature and humidity individually, by setting the
Minimum set point to values higher than the Maximum set
point (LowSet>HighSet for deactivation of the alert mode).
2 Alert Mode Limits
The limits can be controlled by the user through the
corresponding commands (see Table 2). SHT3x-DIS allows
to set different limits for temperature and humidity as well as
for high and low limits. Additionally, the activation and the
deactivation of the alert can be controlled seperately from
another, by choosing the set and clear limit appropriately.
This allows to remove fast oscillations of the ALERT pin
close to set limit values. The different limits are shown in
Figure 1.
See Datasheet SHT3x-DIS Section 4 for the distinction between
periodic and single shot mode.
2.1 Data Format for the Alert Limits
The sensor stores the limit information in a reduced data
format. The standard data format of SHT3x-DIS has a width
of 16 bits. For the limits only the most significant bits (MSB)
are used to determine whether an alert has been met (7 bits
for humidity and 9 bits for temperature), see Figure 2.
Figure 2 Relevant Bits for the limits
This allows to transfer temperature and humidity limits with
the same command and to process them internally more
efficient.
As a consequence the limits have a different resolution than
the measurement values. The resolution of the temperature
limits are T≈0.5°C, whereas the humidity limits can be set
with a resolution of RH≈1%. Please note that data is
always measured and stored in the full 16 bit format. The
reduced data format is only used to judge whether an alert
condition is met.
Figure 1 Different limits for the Alert Mode
Tem
perature
or Hum
idity
Alert Pin
Output
high
low
LOW Set
LOW Clear
HIGH Set
HIGH Clear
High Alert ON
Low Alert ON
Alert OFF