Method and system for universal calibration of a device under test - Patent Application 20070122997

Abstract

The methods and systems include a universal, device-independent calibration process in which measured indications (or corrected or transformed indications derived from the measured indications) output by a device under test (DUT) can be compared to calibration thresholds for any type of DUT to be calibrated. In this way, a complete, universal, and scalable calibration process is achieved that can accommodate predefined and complex calibration scenarios alike. A common set of statistics may be generated for all devices to be calibrated, regardless of the specific device under test, and the statistics of the common set of statistics may be evaluated to determine the calibration status of the DUT. In addition, the methods and systems disclosed herein provide for generating a comprehensive set of measurement records that may include some or all of the original observations, calculations, corrections, conversions, environmental factors, and measurement results, for example, according to a standard that enables a step-by-step audit of every measurement performed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to test and measurement techniques, and more particularly to a process for calibrating a device under test (DUT). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0002] In the field of test and measurement technology, calibration of measurement devices is important to ensure that the measurement device is providing true and accurate measurement results. Calibration is the comparison of measurements provided by the measurement device under test (DUT) with measurements of a standard input of known accuracy. The standard input may be provided by another measurement device of known accuracy or by a special-purpose device that generates the input measured by the DUT. Based on this comparison, a determination can be made that the DUT is producing correct measurement results and is therefore properly calibrated, or that the DUT measurements have errors that may (or may not) be corrected by applying appropriate adjustments or calibration coefficients to the measurements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] Disclosed herein are methods and systems that provide a complete, universal, and scalable calibration process that can accommodate predetermined and complex calibration scenarios alike, as well as enable different measurement evaluations for calibration purposes, including the use of various comparison techniques such as direct measurement comparison, indirect measurement comparison, ratio measurement comparison, differential measurement comparison, transfer measurement comparison, and substitution measurement comparison. Additionally, the methods and systems disclosed herein provide for generating a comprehensive set of measurement records that may include some or all original observations, calculations, corrections, conversions, environmental factors, and measurement results, for example, in accordance with standards such as ISO 17025 that enable step-by-step auditing and / or tracking of every measurement performed. While the embodiments described herein are primarily used with calibration software that facilitates automatic, semi-automatic, and manual calibration, the disclosed techniques may also be utilized in any calibration discipline or measurement scenario.

[0004] The universal calibration process described herein eliminates the need to create "ad hoc" or discipline-specific calibration solutions (e.g., creating special tests, add-ons, and / or various types of workarounds to existing predetermined calibration processes that are neither ideal nor sustainable over the long term). Unlike the evaluation process described herein, which is device-independent, discipline-specific calibration solutions are associated with and require the identification of the specific device being calibrated. The framework provided by the universal calibration process herein further facilitates compliance with the requirements of applicable measurement guidance documents, unifying standardized requirements for calibration and enabling end users to effortlessly meet those standardized requirements for calibration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1A]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a calibration data sheet. [Figure 1B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a calibration data sheet. [Figure 1C] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a calibration data sheet. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a calibration data sheet that is dynamically generated using the universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 3] FIG. 1D shows a dynamically generated calibration data sheet similar to the calibration data sheet shown in FIG. 1C. [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the universal calibration process of the present disclosure, which addresses the core fundamental aspects that the calibration processes have in common. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a universal calibration process of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates a framework for a universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 shows another example of a calibration data sheet for a mass accuracy test dynamically generated by the universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 shows another example of a calibration data sheet for a mass accuracy test dynamically generated by the universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 7A] FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a calibration data sheet for a repeatability test dynamically generated by the universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a calibration data sheet for a repeatability test dynamically generated by the universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 8]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a pressure transducer and the associated measurement process. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a calibration data sheet for calibrating the pressure transducer shown in FIG. 8, dynamically generated by a universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a calibration data sheet for calibrating the pressure transducer shown in FIG. 8, dynamically generated by a universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 10A] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a calibration data sheet for calibrating a pipette, dynamically generated by a universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 10B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a calibration data sheet for calibrating a pipette, dynamically generated by a universal calibration process as described herein. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for performing a universal calibration process as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Calibration software has been developed primarily through state-of-the-art measurement comparison methods, which allow measurements or "measured indications" made by the measurement device under test to be directly compared to expected measurements. However, the simplicity of the direct comparison approach often masks the need for a more formal approach to the calibration process, precluding other aspects such as corrections, transformations, and / or the application of more complex equations to the measurements being evaluated.

[0007] While the direct comparison approach may be appropriate for many relatively simple routine calibration processes, the inventors of the present disclosure have found that this approach is inadequate for more complex calibrations and often leads to the creation of special tests, add-ons, and / or various types of workarounds to existing routine calibration processes that are neither ideal nor sustainable over the long term. In some cases, these deficiencies prompt the development of entirely new, separate "dedicated" calibration software designed for a particular device to specifically address a single calibration discipline or measurement problem. In increasingly complex systems with many types of devices and equipment requiring calibration, the process of managing the use, maintenance, and improvement of different device-specific calibration software, each built for a particular type of device or equipment, becomes increasingly difficult and problematic.

[0008] Calibration of a measurement device is typically performed using a calibration data sheet, or "cal sheet," that guides the user through the measurement process and facilitates evaluation of measurement data produced by the device under test (DUT). Calibration data sheets are typically provided in a variety of formats. For example, some calibration data sheets may be provided in spreadsheet software (e.g., Excel) format, while others are provided in word processing software (e.g., Word) format. Software applications with pre-programmed templates may be used to create the desired calibration data sheet, allowing for manual entry of observation data. This observation data may be output by the DUT being calibrated using the universal calibration process as disclosed herein.

[0009] The universal calibration process described herein may be utilized with multiple devices configured to measure different physical or electrical properties (i.e., heterogeneous measurement devices). Unlike conventional systems and methods that are device-aware or device-specific (i.e., they utilize discipline-specific calibration solutions that require identification of the discipline-specific device being calibrated), the universal calibration process described herein is "device-independent" in that the same steps are taken in the calibration process regardless of the particular device being calibrated.

[0010] Additionally, the universal calibration process may use different measurement comparison techniques. For example, the universal calibration process described herein may use direct measurement comparison, indirect measurement comparison, ratiometric measurement comparison, differential measurement comparison, transfer measurement comparison, substitution measurement comparison, or any other type of measurement comparison technique suitable for use in a universal calibration process as described herein.

[0011] A direct measurement comparison is a comparison between a measurement value measured by the DUT and a known reference value, for example, a measured weight value output by a precision balance is directly compared to a known weight value that may have been preselected to calibrate the precision balance. In other words, a direct comparison measurement is a comparison between two quantities that can be directly compared to each other (e.g., weight to weight, distance to distance, pressure to pressure, torque to torque, voltage to voltage, etc.).

[0012] An indirect measurement comparison is a comparison between a measurement measured by the DUT and a known reference value that cannot be compared directly without additional processing of the measurement output by the DUT (e.g., comparing weight to voltage, distance to time, torque to pressure, etc.). For example, an indirect comparison process may include measuring a distance traveled by an object over a selected period of time using a distance measuring device, measuring the velocity of the object using a velocity measuring device, and converting the distance over the selected period of time into a velocity measurement that is compared to the velocity measurement measured by the velocity measuring device.

[0013] A ratiometric comparison is a comparison of a known quantity with an unknown quantity by multiplying a reference value by the ratio of the known and unknown quantities. For example, the ratio of two resistors (one of known value and the other of unknown value) can be multiplied by a reference resistance value to determine the resistance of the unknown quantity.

[0014] A differential measurement comparison is a comparison of a known quantity with an unknown quantity, utilizing a zero or null technique to determine the difference or deviation from a reference value. For example, two different DC voltage devices that share a common ground can be applied to a multimeter. If the outputs of the different DC voltage devices are equal, the value measured by the multimeter is zero. A positive or negative deviation is added to the reference quantity value to determine the unknown value.

[0015] A transfer measurement comparison is the comparison of two values ​​by using an intermediate device to increase the accuracy of the measurement. For example, if a voltage source is measured by a reference meter, the value and accuracy obtained by the reference meter is transferred to the voltage source and used for comparison with the unknown value.

[0016] A displacement measurement comparison is a comparison of many step functions with a limited number of reference device quantities by displacing material between established steps. For example, a scale with a 500-pound capacity can be calibrated with a single 100-pound weight by placing a 100-pound weight, recording the scale's reading, then replacing the displayed weight with any available object or objects to obtain the same reading, and adding the calibrated 100-pound weight again to achieve a nominal applied weight of 200 pounds. This process can be repeated until the full capacity applied weight of 500 pounds is achieved.

[0017] The above list of comparison techniques is a partial list of the types of measurement comparisons that may be utilized by the universal calibration process, however, other suitable types of measurement comparisons may be utilized by the universal calibration process depending on the type of DUT being calibrated.

[0018] FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a calibration data sheet 100, in this example for a 300 psig (pounds per square inch, gauge) pressure gauge 102. The calibration data sheet 100 identifies the pressure gauge 102 as having a 300 psig pressure range in a "Range" column 103 and indicates nominal pressure values, e.g., 60.0 psig, 120.0 psig, 180.0 psig, etc., in a "Nominal" column 104 that are input (e.g., applied) to the pressure gauge 102 for calibration testing as defined by the calibration data sheet 100. The calibration data sheet 100 of FIG. 1A further indicates an acceptable pressure measurement range, having a lower limit in a "Lower Limit" column 106 and an upper limit in an "Upper Limit" column 108 of the calibration data sheet 100. The lower and upper limits may be selected based on the corresponding nominal values ​​in the "Nominal" column 104. The upper and lower limits correspond to one of the nominal pressure values. The corresponding upper and lower limits, and nominal pressure values ​​are provided in the same row of the calibration data sheet 100, as shown in FIG. 1A. The lower and upper limits are for evaluating the pressure measurement output by the pressure gauge 102, as recorded in the "Measurement" column 110 of the calibration data sheet 100. The pressure measurement output by the pressure gauge 102 is compared to the lower and upper limit values ​​in the "Lower Limit" column 106 and the "Upper Limit" column 108, respectively. When the actual pressure measurement output by the pressure gauge 102 falls within this selected range of the corresponding upper and lower limits, a "Pass" result is automatically generated and displayed in the "Result" column 112 of the calibration data sheet 100. Depending on the measurement system, the actual pressure measurement in the "Measurement" column 110 is entered into the "Measurement" column 110 of the calibration data sheet 100 automatically, semi-automatically, or manually.

[0019] 1B is a diagram illustrating another example of a calibration data sheet 114, in this example for a 250 lbf-ft ​​(pound-foot) torque wrench 116. The calibration data sheet 114 identifies the torque wrench 116 as having a 250 lbf-ft ​​torque range in a "Range" column 118 and lists the nominal torque values ​​(i.e., known values) in a "Nominal" column 120 that are input (e.g., applied) to the torque wrench 116 for calibration tests, such as a first test 122 in which a 50 lbf-ft ​​torque is input, a second test 124 in which a 150 lbf-ft ​​torque is input, and a third test 126 in which a 250 lbf-ft ​​torque is input. The calibration data sheet 114 further lists the torque ranges, with a lower limit in a "Lower Limit" column 128 and an upper limit in an "Upper Limit" column 130. The lower and upper limits are utilized to evaluate the torque measurements output by the torque wrench 116. In this case, the calibration data sheet 114 indicates that the nominal torque value for each test is each entered three times into the torque wrench 116, producing three separate readings that are recorded in "Reading 1" column 131, "Reading 2" column 132, and "Reading 3" column 134. The average of the three readings for each test is calculated and recorded in "Average" column 136. The three nominal torque values ​​are entered or applied to the torque wrench 116 in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. When the average output torque measurement for each test is within a specified range set by the lower and upper limits, a check mark 138 (calibration indicator) is created to indicate a pass result, thereby notifying the end user that the torque wrench 116 is calibrated and is within the selected tolerances based on a comparison of the average measurement result to the lower and upper limits, respectively.

[0020] FIG. 1C illustrates yet another example of a calibration data sheet 140, in this case for a 100 g (gram) precision balance 142. The calibration data sheet 140 identifies the precision balance 142 as having a range of 0 to 100 g for a mass accuracy test 144 in a "Range" column 146, and similar ranges for testing measurements in a repeatability test 148 and an eccentricity shift test 150. In the mass accuracy test 144, the precision balance 142 is tested using masses with known reference weights of 10 g, 25 g, 50 g, 75 g, and 95 g, as noted in a "Reference" column 152 and an "Application" column 154. Similar to the calibration data sheets 100, 114 of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the calibration data sheet 140 of FIG. 1C illustrates a weight range with a lower limit in a "Lower Limit" column 156 and an upper limit in an "Upper Limit" column 158. These lower and upper limits are used to evaluate the weight measurements output by the precision balance 142. Depending on the measurement system, the actual weight measurements are recorded automatically, semi-automatically, or manually in the "Measurement" column 160.

[0021] Following the section for mass accuracy test 144, calibration data sheet 140 further includes sections for a repeatability test 148 and an eccentricity shift test 150 of weight measurements performed by precision balance 142. To test repeatability in repeatability test 148 in this example, calibration data sheet 140 indicates that precision balance 142 is tested using a mass having a weight of 50 g for 10 separate measurements, and the resulting weight measurements output by precision balance 142 are recorded in a "Measurement" column 160 of the repeatability section of calibration data sheet 140. However, rather than comparing the resulting weight measurements to an acceptable weight range, as is done in mass accuracy test 144, repeatability test 148 uses a more complex equation 162 to create a measure of standard deviation. Equation 162 may be provided, for example, at the bottom of the "Application" column 154, and an upper limit for the standard deviation 164 can be easily seen in the lower right corner of the repeatability test 148 section of calibration data sheet 140. A calculation result 166 is calculated utilizing equation 162, and after calculation, calculation result 166 is entered into data field 168 below the resulting weight measurement in the "Measurement" column 160 of the repeatability test 148 section. Calculation result 166 is compared to upper limit 164 to determine whether precision balance 142 is producing repeatable weight measurements within acceptable standard deviation limits. For example, precision balance 142 may pass repeatability test 148 when calculation result 166 from equation 162 is less than upper limit 164, which in this example is 0.1 g or less.

[0022] 1C, the section of the calibration data sheet 140 for the eccentricity shift test 150 instructs the user to apply a 50 g mass to different locations on the precision balance 142 (e.g., center, top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right) to create five measurements output by the precision balance 142. These five measurements are displayed in the "Measurement" column 160 of the eccentricity shift test 150 section of the calibration data sheet 140. These five measurements are used to calculate respective error values ​​that are recorded in data fields in the "Error" column 170. Each of the data fields corresponds to a respective one of the five error measurements. The maximum error value is identified and recorded in the "Max Error" data field 172 in the "Error" column 170, and the maximum error value in the "Max Error" data field 172 is compared to the maximum error limit 174 to evaluate the performance of the precision balance 142 with respect to weights disposed at different locations on the precision balance 142 (e.g., center, top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right). The maximum error value in the "Max Error" data field 172 can be found in the lower right corner of the eccentricity section. The precision balance 142 can pass the eccentricity shift test 150 when the maximum error value is less than the maximum error upper limit 174, which in this example is 0.1 g or less.

[0023] As illustrated, each of the calibration data sheets shown in FIGS. 1A-1C reflects the different demands and requirements of different calibration tests, which appear to be uniquely dependent on the particular type of device (e.g., pressure gauge, torque wrench, precision balance) being tested for calibration purposes and / or some other type of purpose. In other words, each of the calibration data sheets in FIGS. 1A-1C must be specifically refined and adapted to the type of DUT being calibrated. These differences in calibration tests based on the type of DUT generally result in the creation of special tests, add-ons, and / or various types of workarounds to existing calibration processes that are neither ideal nor sustainable over the long term.

[0024] However, the universal calibration process disclosed herein recognizes that different calibration tests for different devices (e.g., different types of DUTs, e.g., DUTs previously discussed with respect to FIGS. 1A-1C and other types of DUTs discussed later herein, as well as other types of DUTs not discussed herein) configured to measure different physical or electrical properties have common aspects, and these commonalities can be leveraged in a single approach to dynamically create calibration data sheets for different devices (e.g., different types of DUTs). At a high level, the common aspects include (1) an identification of the DUT, (2) a specification of the appropriate performance of the DUT, such as in a calibration specification, and (3) information, such as in a measurement model, that indicates the measurement methodology used to evaluate the performance of the DUT, as shown in FIG. 2. While these may be some of the commonalities, there may also be other commonalities that can be leveraged in a device-independent evaluation process in accordance with the universal calibration process disclosed herein, such that the universal calibration process is applied uniformly to any number of different types of DUTs being calibrated.

[0025] 2 shows an example of a calibration datasheet 200 that is dynamically generated using at least one embodiment of a universal calibration system or process as described herein. The universal calibration process first obtains information that identifies the DUT 202, which in this example is a torque wrench (e.g., identifies the discipline of the DUT, such as pressure, current, voltage, or identifies a serial number, part number, or some other type of identifying information). One type of identification includes the discipline, category, or type of device, such as pressure, current, voltage, etc. Another type of identification includes unique information about the device, such as a serial number, part number, etc.

[0026] Based on this identification information, the calibration process accesses, retrieves, or otherwise receives a calibration specification 204 for the DUT 202 that indicates the expected operational performance of the identified DUT 202. The specification 204 may be received, for example, from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The specification 204 may also include revisions, supplements, corrections, etc. to the OEM data in the specification 204 from the OEM. This updated information may be used to dynamically update or regenerate the calibration data sheet 200. These revisions, supplements, corrections, etc. to the OEM data may be dynamically transmitted to a processor such that the calibration data sheet 200 is dynamically updated and regenerated when the specification 204 is revised, supplemented, corrected, etc. to the OEM data so that the calibration data sheet 200 remains current.

[0027] To dynamically generate the calibration data sheet 200 shown in FIG. 2, the universal calibration process pulls data from the calibration specifications 204 for the identified DUT 202 and automatically inserts, in this example, the operating range of the DUT 202 (50-400 lbf-in). The operating range of the DUT 202, in this case a torque wrench, is shown in the "Range" column 206 of the calibration data sheet 200. The specification data for the particular DUT 202 for test may further indicate that the DUT 202 has an acceptable power measurement tolerance of, for example, 3%. The acceptable power measurement tolerance value constitutes the calibration threshold.

[0028] Other data that may be derived from calibration specification 204 includes nominal values ​​of one or more parameters in a "nominal" column 208 and applied values ​​of one or more parameters in an "application" column 210. For example, a processor may receive calibration specification 204 and derive data from specification 204, at which point the processor generates calibration datasheet 200 including "nominal" column 208 and "application" column 210 containing data derived from specification 204, as well as various other columns discussed below. In some embodiments, only the nominal values ​​in "nominal" column 208 may be readily derived directly from specification 204, and the applied values ​​in "application" column 210 may be determined based on the nominal values ​​and data derived from specification 204.

[0029] The calibration data sheet 200 further includes a “nominal” column 208 containing a nominal value, which may be an ideal, known value applied to and measured by the DUT 202. The calibration data sheet 200 further includes an “application” column 210 containing an application value for a corresponding parameter (“application parameter”) to be applied. The particular application parameter may depend on the type of DUT. As a non-limiting example, torque may be the application parameter for a torque wrench being calibrated, and voltage may be the application parameter for a DMM being calibrated. The application value may be the actual value (e.g., 150 lbf-ft) of the application parameter (e.g., torque) applied to the DUT 202 by, for example, another measurement device or a special-purpose device, as measured by the DUT 202. As previously mentioned, in at least one embodiment, the output measurement tolerance (calibration threshold) may be 3% of the nominal value in the “nominal” column 208 of the calibration data sheet 200. Thus, the lower and upper limits may be determined by multiplying the corresponding nominal value by 3%, then subtracting the calculated value from this multiplication from the corresponding nominal value, and adding the calculated value from this multiplication to the corresponding nominal value. These lower and upper limits are located along the same row of the calibration data sheet 200 as the corresponding nominal value. The lower limit may be displayed in the "Lower Limit" column 212, and the upper limit may be displayed in the "Upper Limit" column 214. The lower limit may be a lower threshold value, and the upper limit may be an upper threshold value. These lower and upper limits in the "Lower Limit" column 212 and the "Upper Limit" column 214, respectively, may be calculated by a processor while generating the calibration data sheet 200 utilizing nominal values ​​received from the specifications 204 and / or applied values ​​that may have been received from the specifications 204 or calculated from the nominal values.

[0030] Alternatively, the power measurement tolerance (calibration threshold) may be 3% of the application value in the "Application" column 210 of the calibration data sheet 200. For example, the lower and upper limits may be determined by multiplying the corresponding application value by 3% and then subtracting and adding the calculated value from this multiplication from the corresponding application value along the same row of the calibration data sheet 200, respectively.

[0031] A measurement method 211, which may be derived from data provided by the OEM (e.g., in a measurement model), is used when calibrating a particular DUT 202, in this case a torque wrench. The measurement method 211 may be pre-programmed (e.g., according to an OEM performance verification manual or according to calibration standards, e.g., ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) or ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)) and stored in a database readily accessible to a processor that performs the universal calibration process and generates the calibration data sheet 200. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the universal calibration process determines that the measurement method 211 for a calibration test of the identified DUT 202 includes test points at three different input torque values ​​that are nominal values ​​in the “nominal” column 208 (e.g., 80 lbf-in, 240 lbf-in, and 400 lbf-in) measured in each of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. These input torque values ​​may be referred to as nominal input torque values. In this example, the measurement recipe 211 obtained by the universal calibration process specifies a nominal torque input of 80 lbf-in for the first test, 240 lbf-in for the second test, and 400 lbf-in for the third test in each direction (e.g., clockwise and counterclockwise). Given these nominal input torque values, the universal calibration process generates a calibration data sheet 200 that indicates the nominal input torque values ​​as well as lower and upper limits corresponding to each measured reading (measurement value) that are recorded in the "Measurement" column 216. As previously discussed, the lower and upper limits are calculated based on the output measurement tolerance (e.g., 3%) indicated in the calibration specification 204 of the DUT 202. Once generation of the calibration data sheet 200 is complete, the dynamically generated calibration data sheet 200 shown in FIG. 2 can be used to perform calibration testing of the DUT 202.When performing a calibration, measured indications are obtained from the DUT 202 and recorded (automatically, semi-automatically, or manually) in data fields in the "Measurement" column 216 of the dynamically generated calibration data sheet 200. The processor then compares the measured indications with the upper and lower limits in the corresponding data fields in the upper limit column 214 and lower limit column 212, respectively, to evaluate the performance of the DUT 202.

[0032] For example, the DUT 202 is determined to be calibrated when the measured indication is between the corresponding upper and lower limits. In some embodiments, the DUT 202 is determined to be calibrated for the measured indication when the measured indication is equal to the lower limit value or equal to the upper limit value. In some embodiments, the DUT 202 is determined to be uncalibrated for the measured indication when the measured indication is equal to the lower limit value or equal to the upper limit value.

[0033] While Figure 2 illustrates the dynamic generation of calibration datasheet 200 for a simple calibration process involving a single measurand with a single DUT 202, the universal calibration process may use the same principles of operation to dynamically generate much more complex calibration datasheets for other, more complex calibration tests. For example, Figure 3 illustrates a calibration datasheet 218 that appears similar to the calibration datasheet shown in Figure 1C. Calibration datasheet 218 is dynamically generated according to the universal calibration process of the present disclosure.

[0034] 3, the universal calibration process first receives an identification of the DUT 220, in this case a particular precision balance, and based on the identified DUT 220, the universal calibration process receives a specification having data indicative of acceptable performance characteristics of the DUT 220. The identification of the DUT 220, in this case a particular precision balance, also enables the universal calibration process to receive (e.g., from a storage device in a database) information indicative of the measurement methodology to be used for the calibration test(s) to be performed on the DUT 220, as discussed above with reference to the measurement methodology 211 shown in FIG.

[0035] 3 , the measurement method for the DUT 220 indicates that the calibration tests should include a mass accuracy test 222, a repeatability test 224, and an eccentricity shift test 226. For each of these tests, the measurement method specifies the test point weights (known weights) that are applied to the DUT 220, as displayed in the "Application" column 234. The "Base Point" column in the mass accuracy test 222 section of the calibration data sheet 218 may include ideal values ​​that correspond to the application values ​​in the "Application" column 234 for the mass accuracy test 222. More importantly, the measurement method specifies the measurement data that is evaluated in each of the tests, and the measurement data may be different for each test (e.g., the mass accuracy test 222, the repeatability test 224, and the eccentricity shift test 226). For example, for the mass accuracy test 222, the measurement data that is evaluated is the average of the measurement(s) made by the DUT 220 at each test point weight in the "Application" column. For example, in a calibration process that requires only a single measurement, as shown in Figure 3, the average value is the same as the single measurement made in each test. In other calibration processes that perform multiple measurements at each test point weight, the average value is the automatically calculated average of all of the measurements made for each test weight.

[0036] The average value is contained in a data field in the "Measurement" column 230 of the calibration data sheet 218. The range of the DUT 220 is contained in the "Range" column 232 of the calibration data sheet 218. The application value applied to the DUT 220 is contained in the "Application" column 234 of the calibration data sheet 218. The lower limit value utilized in the mass accuracy test 222 is in the "Lower Limit" column 236, and the upper limit value utilized in the mass accuracy test 222 is in the "Upper Limit" column 238.

[0037] While the Mass Accuracy Test 222 section of the calibration data sheet 218 of FIG. 3 relies on the average of the test weight measurements, the Repeatability Test 224 section of the calibration data sheet 218 relies on the calculation of the standard deviation of the test weight measurements made by the DUT 220 for each of the measured weights in the Repeatability Test 224 (in this case, 10 tests with 50,000 g weights applied). The measurement method for the DUT 220 in the Repeatability Test 224, as shown, uses the variability S for evaluation. x , further specifying the formula 240 used to generate the measurement of (e.g., the applied value X in the "Applied" column 234 in the Repeatability Test 224 section of the calibration data sheet 218). i and the average value of the "Measurement" column 230

[0038]

number

[0039]

number

[0040] Finally, the eccentricity shift test 226 section of the calibration data sheet 218 of FIG. 3 depends on the determined maximum error value, which also depends on the average value used in the mass accuracy test 222 or the variability value S calculated for the repeatability test 224. X For the Eccentricity Shift Test 226, the measurement instructions received by the universal calibration process indicate the locations 242 for placing the measurement weights as well as the quantity of weights to apply, as indicated in the "Application" column 234 in the Eccentricity Shift Test 226 section of the calibration data sheet 218. The data fields in the "Measurement" column 230 of the Eccentricity Shift Test 226 section of the calibration data sheet 218 provide a record of the measured weights, and the data fields in the "Error" column 244 of the Eccentricity Shift Test 226 section provide a record of the error value calculated using the measured weights. A maximum error value is calculated, and the calculated maximum error value is evaluated against a specified upper limit 245, as indicated in the Eccentricity Shift Test 226 section of the calibration data sheet 218. In this embodiment, the specified upper limit 241 is equal to or less than 0.1 grams (g).

[0041] 4A, the universal calibration process 243 of the present disclosure moves calibration away from the recognition that calibration of different devices (e.g., different types of DUTs) requires different unique processes, e.g., calibrating a temperature measuring device is different from calibrating a pressure measuring device, which is different from calibrating an electrical measuring device, etc. Instead, the universal calibration process 243 as shown in FIG. 4A focuses on core fundamental aspects (e.g., commonalities) that all of the calibration processes have in common. The result is the recognition that all calibration processes include six common steps: (1) step 246 of recording the original observations or measurements made by the DUT (i.e., recording the measured "display"); (2) step 248 of applying a correction (e.g., a correction factor, a correction value, etc.) to the original observations or measurements (e.g., the recorded display) to create a corrected display; (3) step 250 of applying a transformation (e.g., a conversion factor, a conversion value, etc.) to the corrected display; (4) step 252 of performing a measurement calculation according to a measurement function specified by the DUT's measurement method; (5) step 254 of comparing the calculated measurement to an expected value or range of values ​​(e.g., upper and / or lower limits); and (6) step 256 of reporting the results of the comparison (e.g., calibrated, out of tolerance).

[0042] As further shown in FIG. 4B, the calibration performed according to the universal calibration process 243 may be divided into eight functional steps, as further described below, as follows: 1. In step 246, the indication provided by the measurement system (DUT) is recorded using the reference data specified for the measurement equipment, measurement standards, reference materials, material measurements, and calibration. 2. In step 248, the correction is applied to the recorded display with the corresponding correction factor or known systematic measurement error or measurement bias, thereby producing a corrected display. 3. In step 250, a transformation is applied to the corrected representation, if necessary, to convert the corrected representation into the appropriate units of measurement (the converted representation). 4. Using the corrected and transformed representation as input quantities, step 252 calculates output quantities according to one or more specified measurement functions. 5. In step 255, assign the applicable output quantity values ​​and related information as measured quantity values ​​and / or reference quantity values. This may be a sub-step of step 252 as shown in Figure 4A. 6. In step 257, the measured quantity value is compared to a reference quantity value (calibration). This may be a substep of step 254 as shown in Figure 4A. 7. In step 259, the results of the calibration are evaluated against specified requirements (verification). This may be a substep of step 254 as shown in Figure 4A. 8. In step 261, report the calibration / verification results. This may be the same as or similar to step 256 as shown in Figure 4A.

[0043] Display Record Measured indications are raw data values, or "original observations," produced by the DUT during the calibration process. The DUT is part of a measurement system that includes measurement standards, reference materials, material measurements, reference data, and auxiliary equipment necessary to perform the calibration process, as well as items that may affect the assessment of measurement uncertainty. Indications are typically provided by a display (analog or digital) or readout device coupled to the DUT. However, indications may also be provided by digital communications such as Recommended Standard 232 (RS232) or General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB), analog outputs, reference data such as calibration certificates, certified values, or CODATA values, geological surveys, environmental monitoring, or nominal quantity values, for example, labeled on a device.

[0044] In the diagram shown in FIG. 5, each indicia 258 is represented by the symbol X i (i=1 to n). If the measurement method requires recording of multiple samples for measurement, the indication of each individual sample or N numbered samples is represented by an index value k (i.e., X i For example, the fourth representation 258 of X2 may be assigned the kth sample of X 2,4 It is sometimes called.

[0045] Applying corrections Each representation 258 may have a corresponding correction 260 (e.g., a factor, coefficient, value, etc.). The correction 260 may be selected or determined based on known systematic measurement errors or measurement biases that can be minimized by applying the correction 260 to the corresponding representation 258. In the universal calibration process 243 described herein, the corresponding correction 260 is applied to all representations 258, even when the correction 260 is not explicitly stated. Under the universal calibration process 243, the default correction 260 is a correction factor of 1. In other words, when applying a correction factor of 1 without a specified correction, the “corrected” representation 262 is the same as the raw representation 258. Consistently applying the correction 260 to the corresponding representation 258 enables a uniform calibration process that is invariant based on the particular measurement methodology or calibration discipline for the particular type of DUT being calibrated or tested using the universal calibration process 243. This also ensures that each step of the universal calibration process 243 is completed when preparing and performing a calibration for a particular type of DUT.

[0046] In the diagram of FIG. 5, each of the corrections 260 is represented by a symbol K corresponding to each of the representations 258 to which each of the corrections 260 applies. i When multiple corrections 260 are applied to the same representation 258, the multiple corrections 260 may be designated by an index i and a letter of the representation 258. For example, the index i representing at least one of the representations 258 to which three corrections 260 are applied is represented by the corrections K i,a , K. i,b , K. i,c It may be in the form:

[0047] The corrected display 262 is the value X i To distinguish the corrected representation 262 from the raw representation 258 represented by the check notation

[0048]

number

[0049]

number

[0050]

number

[0051]

number

[0052]

number

[0053]

number

[0054] Implementing the conversion Recognizing that the corrected representation 262 may be recorded in a unit of measure different from that of the desired evaluation quantity, a conversion 264 (e.g., C 1、 C 2、.. Cn ) is the corrected display

[0055]

number

[0056] In the universal calibration process 243 described herein, every corrected representation 262 has a conversion 264 applied to it, even when a unit of measurement conversion 264 is not explicitly stated. In the absence of a stated conversion, the universal calibration process 243 described herein may use a default conversion factor of 1. In other words, applying a conversion factor of 1 to the corrected representation 262 without a specified conversion results in a “converted” representation 266 being the same as the corrected representation 262. Similar to the universal application of corrections 260, performing the application of conversion 264 in all cases ensures a uniform process that does not omit any steps within the universal calibration process 243 or alter the calibration process based on specific device characteristics, measurement methods, or calibration disciplines based on a specific type of DUT. In other words, the steps performed in the universal calibration process 243 to calibrate a first type of DUT remain the same when calibrating a second type of DUT that is different from the first type of DUT.

[0057] In a diagram such as that shown in FIG. 5, each transformation 264 is represented by a symbol C corresponding to the corrected representation 262 to which the respective transformation 264 is applied. i The transformed representation 266 is represented by the raw representation 258 (X i ) and corrected display

[0058]

number

[0059]

number

[0060]

number

[0061]

number

[0062] The conversion is, for example, By multiplication (or equivalently division) using the conversion factor as shown in equation (6),

[0063]

number

[0064]

number

[0065]

number

[0066]

number

[0067] The transformed representation 266 is then used as an input quantity to the measurement function(s) 268 specified by a measurement model 270 of the DUT.

[0068] calculation 5 is a mathematical structure that describes the relationships between values ​​involved in the calibration evaluation of a DUT. These values ​​include input quantities 272, measurement functions 268, and output quantities 274. One or more measurement functions 268 may be applied to the input quantities 272, allowing multiple output quantities 274 to facilitate different calibration tests using a single set of recorded representations 258.

[0069] 5 is the measurement data passed to the defined measurement function 268. In the universal calibration process 243 described herein, the input quantity 272 is the transformed representation 264 produced by the transformation step 250 described above.

[0070] Measurement function 268 is an equation or set of equations that converts input quantities 272 to output quantities 274. Measurement function 268 may be simplified by performing corrections 260 and transformations 264 on the representation 258 recorded in the previous step. Often, measurement function 268 may include calculation of statistics such as mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, and variance that are used when evaluating the measurement performance of the DUT.

[0071] By default, the universal calibration process 243 described herein uses the average or mean value of the input quantities 272 (e.g.,

[0072]

number

[0073] Comparison of values ​​and reporting of results The output quantity 274 (i.e., the result of the applied measurement function) is the measurement data used in subsequent steps of comparing values ​​254 and reporting results 256. Details of the specific evaluation steps that may be used in these latter steps of the universal calibration process are well documented elsewhere and understood by those skilled in the art, and therefore will not be explicitly described herein. The process of comparing values ​​254 and the process of reporting results 256 may also include specific steps for evaluating uncertainty 279 in the measurement process, as well as the application of decision rules 281 when evaluating the acceptability of the output quantity 274, for example, according to a calibration standard for a certain type of DUT.

[0074] As described above, the output quantities 274 from the measurement function(s) 268 are used to perform the calibration of the DUT (i.e., the comparison 254 of the output quantities 274 to reference quantity(s) that may be preselected based on data in the DUT's specifications). For example, the reference quantity(s) may include upper and lower limit values, as shown in FIG. 3 . In some implementations, the universal calibration process 243 described herein may use calculated average or representative values ​​by default for the comparison 254 to the reference values. In other implementations, other ones of the output quantities 274 may be used to provide evaluation data used in the calibration process, such as minimum, maximum, mode, standard deviation, or coefficient of variation. The reported results 256 may include measurement results 276, which may include summary statistics and possibly a common set of statistics, allowing any of the calculated evaluation data to be used in the calibration of the DUT. The universal calibration process 243 allows multiple comparisons and evaluations to be performed from a single set of recorded displays 258 (e.g., raw displays).

[0075] A verification process 259 may be used to evaluate the results of the calibration test 257. In some implementations, the verification step 259 may verify whether one of the output quantities 274 is within a maximum allowable measurement range (e.g., upper and lower limits as shown in FIG. 3 ) roughly determined by specifications or tolerances (calibration thresholds) defined for the DUT, e.g., within specifications provided by the OEM. Verification may also include evaluating a calculated measure of uncertainty, which may be one of the output quantities 274, against a target measurement uncertainty, a minimum test uncertainty ratio, or other criteria, which may be one of reference quantities defined by the particular method, customer, or laboratory policy applicable to the calibration being performed.

[0076] When reporting the results 256 of a calibration, the measurement results 276 typically include all relevant information for a given measurand of a calibration test. Generally, the reporting result step 256 includes the output quantity 274 along with the nominal or expected value, error bounds, and measurement uncertainty. Additional information may also be calculated and reported, such as a test uncertainty ratio, a test precision ratio, a probability of false acceptance, and guard band limits, if applicable.

[0077] 6A and 6B show another example of a calibration data sheet 278 dynamically generated by the universal calibration process 243 described herein for a DUT 280, in this example the DUT is a precision balance on which a 50 g calibration test is performed. While the calibration test performed in Figures 6A and 6B may be simple, the amount of detail shown confirms the robustness of the universal calibration process 243 occurring in more complex calibration scenarios such as those shown in Figures 7-10, which are generally more complex than the relatively simple calibration test performed in Figures 6A and 6B.

[0078] Upon identifying a particular precision balance as DUT 280, universal calibration process 243 dynamically generates calibration data sheet 278 as shown in Figures 6A and 6B using the specification data and measurement method of the particular precision balance (DUT 280). In this example, the measurement method includes measuring a 50 g (gram) mass standard with DUT 280.

[0079] The "Display" field 282 of the calibration data sheet 278 shows two tests of the DUT 280, in this case a precision balance. The displays in the "Display" field 282 of this calibration data sheet 278 are 50.000 g (x1) and 49.995 g for observations x1 and x2 observed by the DUT 280. The values ​​of 50.000 g and 49.995 g may be the same as or similar to the raw display 258, as discussed above with respect to FIG. 5. For each of the two tests, corrections 284 (K1 and K2) and transformations 286 (C1 and C2) are applied to the displays listed in the "Display" field 282. The corrections 284 and transformations 286 may be the same as or similar to the corrections 262 and transformations 264, as discussed above with respect to FIG. 5. The output quantity 288 is then calculated as the converted observations.

[0080]

number

[0081] The output quantity 274 may correspond to a measured indication displayed in the "Measurement" column 216, 230, 297, 338 of the calibration data sheet 200, 218, 278, 297, 320. In other words, the "Measurement" column may include one of a number, an average value, or other similar value determined from the output quantity 274 calculated or determined by a processor utilizing raw measurements taken by the DUT being calibrated.

[0082] On the right side of the calibration data sheet 278, summary statistics 290 are provided for each of the readings (e.g., 50.000 g and 49.995 g), including the application of corrections 284 and transformations 286. The summary statistics 290 in this example include the mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, variance, period, mode, midrange, and coefficient of variation. Again, in a simple calibration such as that shown, the summary statistics 290 do not necessarily provide significant additional information, but the calibration data sheet in FIGS. 6A and 6B shows that at each step of the calibration process, applicable statistics can be calculated according to the prescribed measurement methodology. These summary statistics 290 are useful in step-by-step auditing and / or tracking of all measurements performed. This auditing and / or tracking of all measurements performed may provide the end user with the ability to determine whether the DUT is not calibrated or whether another component utilized to calibrate the DUT is not functioning as expected or desired, which may in turn result in a false indication that the DUT is not calibrated when the component not functioning as expected is resulting in an erroneous reading. For example, an end user may be able to review statistics provided step-by-step during a specified measurement method and determine that the DUT is properly calibrated and not miscalibrated based on auditing and / or tracking these statistics.

[0083] Furthermore, under the universal calibration process 243 described herein, the measurement method is fully scalable and can be used to generate any desired statistics for different devices being calibrated. The same statistics (i.e., a common set of statistical values) can be generated for all devices being calibrated, regardless of the specific device under test, in a device-independent evaluation process. For a device under test, the process may include evaluating one or more statistical values ​​of the common set of statistical values ​​for the DUT according to a respective calibration process for the DUT to determine a calibration status of the DUT and outputting a calibration display indicative of the calibration status of the DUT. A measurement model for the DUT may include one or more measurement functions used to determine one or more statistical values ​​in the common set of statistical values ​​(e.g., applied to the display). When evaluating one or more statistical values ​​of the common set of statistical values, the one or more statistical values ​​may be compared to a calibration threshold for the DUT to determine a calibration status of the DUT.

[0084] In the example shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , a top line 292 (e.g., top row) of the calibration data sheet 278 provides an overall summary. If the measured reading of 49.995 g falls between a lower limit 294 and an upper limit 296 derived from the precision balance (DUT 280) specification data, a check mark 298 (calibration indicator) is shown on the right, indicating acceptable calibration performance of the precision balance (DUT 280). Additional overall statistical measurements, such as calculated quantity error 300, deviation 302, percent tolerance (calibration threshold) 304, and percent guard band 306, may also be reported. In this example, the minimum reading (e.g., measured value) of 49.995 g is compared to an upper limit of 50.010 g and a lower limit of 49.990 g, and because the minimum reading falls between the upper and lower limits, the precision balance is determined to be calibrated such that the check mark 298 is output. The minimum reading may be compared to the upper and lower limits by a processor, which also outputs the check mark 298.

[0085] A calibration indicator check mark 298 may be output when the measured reading 297, which is 49.995 g, is between the lower limit 294 and the upper limit 296. In this embodiment, the reading 49.995 g is between the upper and lower limits, but the check mark 298 may also be output when the measured reading 297 is equal to the lower limit 294 or equal to the upper limit 296. Alternatively, if the measured reading 297 is less than the lower limit 294 or greater than the upper limit 296, an "X," which may be circled in red, for example, may be displayed to indicate that the DUT 280 is out of tolerance.

[0086] The top line 292 further includes a "nominal" column 291, an "application" column 293, and an "expected" column 295. The nominal value in the "nominal" column 291 may be an ideal value applied to the DUT 280 and representing the weight measured by the DUT 280. The application value in the "application" column 293 may be an average or representative value of multiple application parameters (e.g., 50 g weights) having that application value. The application parameter has a known value applied to the DUT 280, which can be easily seen in FIG. 6A. In some embodiments, the application parameter may have an application standard deviation of 0, which can be easily seen in FIG. 7A. The expected value in the "expected" column 295 may be the same or similar to the nominal value in the "nominal" column 291, but unlike the nominal value, the expected value may have a selected number of decimal points or significant figures (e.g., sig figs).

[0087] 7A and 7B, a repeatability test 311 for a precision balance (DUT 280) is provided. In this case, the repeatability test 311 requires multiple measurements in which a standard 50g mass is applied five times to the DUT 280 and five measurement readings or indications 282 for the DUT 280 are recorded. Again, no substantial corrections or conversions are required in this calibration test, and therefore a default value of 1.0 is used in applying the corrections 284 and conversions 286. Finally, output quantities are generated and reported similarly to the example shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

[0088] In the top line 292 (e.g., top row) of the calibration data sheet 310, an overall statistical measure is calculated and reported. In the case of FIGS. 7A and 7B, the desired repeatability measure is the standard deviation of the measured data from the nominally applied standard mass. A desired deviation of 0.000 is shown as the applied value, and the specification data for the DUT 280 indicates that the lower limit 294 equals 0.000 and the upper limit 296 equals 0.010. The measured indication 297 is the measured standard deviation (e.g., here 0.005). Because the measured indication 297 is within the tolerance range, a check mark 298 is created on the right, indicating acceptable calibration performance for the DUT 280. As can be seen, the universal calibration process 243 used in generating the calibration data sheets 278, 310 of FIGS. 6 and 7 is the same. The difference lies in the measurement methodology received and applied as part of the calibration test to produce the desired output quantities and summary statistics for evaluation to determine whether the DUT 280 is calibrated for either a precision test as shown in Figures 6A and 6B or a repeatability test 311 as shown in Figures 7A and 7B.

[0089] 8 and 9 illustrate another calibration scenario for a different type of DUT 312, in this example, the DUT is a pressure transducer. In this calibration scenario, where the DUT 312 is a pressure transducer, the measurement method requires multiple different input quantities to calculate an output quantity that is evaluated to determine whether the DUT 312 is calibrated. In this example, the DUT 312 is a 0-100 psi (pounds per square inch) pressure transducer operating with an output range of 4-20 mA (milliamps), which represents the measured pressure. When performing a calibration test, the pressure controller 314 applies a known pressure to the pressure transducer under test (DUT 312). This causes the DUT 312 to output a current through a 1 kΩ (kilo-ohm) shunt resistor 316, and the voltage across the shunt resistor 316 is measured by a voltmeter 318. The measured voltage indicates the pressure applied to the DUT 312. The shunt resistor 316 and the voltmeter 318 are components coupled to the DUT 280 and utilized to monitor a characteristic of the DUT 280. In this example, the characteristic is an electrical characteristic, such as voltage, of the DUT 312, which the shunt resistor 316 and the voltmeter 318 are utilized to measure. In some embodiments, the voltmeter 318 may be a multimeter that measures the current passing through the DUT 312. In other words, components may be coupled to the DUT 312 to monitor the characteristic of the DUT 312 for purposes of performing the universal calibration process 243 of the present disclosure.

[0090] The universal calibration process 243 described herein receives a measurement method that produces a calibration data sheet 320, such as that shown in Figures 9A and 9B. The calibration data sheet 320 of Figures 9A and 9B requires recorded indications 282 of three input values: the pressure applied by the pressure controller (x1), the voltage measured by the voltmeter (x2), and the resistance value of the shunt resistor (x3). As shown in the calibration data sheet 320, five pressure values ​​are input by the pressure controller 314, resulting in five measured voltages across the shunt resistor 316. The resistance value of the shunt resistor 316 is static and therefore needs to be recorded only once on the calibration data sheet 320 and is then repeated for each measurement.

[0091] 9A and 9B allows three corrections 284 (a, b, c) to be applied to the pressure reading, and, if necessary, additional ones of the corrections 284 are applied to the voltage reading (e.g., the measurement) and the shunt resistance. In the example shown, the corrections 284 are 1.0, meaning no substantial correction is applied. Similarly, the applied conversion 286 has a value of 1.0, meaning no substantial conversion is applied.

[0092] 9A and 9B uses a mathematical formula 322 that operates on an indication (i.e., a measured voltage) to create a measured indication in psi (pounds per square inch) of the measurement. The overall summary statistics at the top line 292 of the calibration data sheet 320 use calculated average values ​​for each of the applied, expected, and measured output quantities. The applied values ​​may be actual values ​​applied to the DUT 312, the expected values ​​may be expected values ​​before being applied to the DUT 312, and the measured indications may be measured indications output, measured, or determined by the DUT 312.

[0093] The "Correction" field 284 includes three correction factors 285 that are applied to the raw measured display measured by the DUT 312a displayed in the "Display" field 282. In this situation, all three correction factors 285 are equal to 0. In some embodiments, each of the three correction factors 285 may be different from one another.

[0094] 10A and 10B show an exemplary calibration data sheet 324 for another type of DUT 326, in this example, a 10 μL (microliter) pipette. The universal calibration process 243 described herein provides for recording readings in microliters (μL) and milligrams (mg), applying density correction 284, and applying a milligram-to-microliter conversion 286. Finally, an output quantity 288 is generated according to the measurement method received for the particular DUT 326 under test, and overall summary statistics are created in a top line 292 (e.g., the top row) of the calibration data sheet 324. In this example, overall summary statistics are provided for two tests: a first test 328 and a second test 330. The first test for measurement accuracy 328 reports statistics based on a calculated average value of the output quantity 288, and the second test for measurement accuracy 330 reports statistics based on a calculated coefficient of variation of the output quantity 288. Again, the universal calibration process 243 described herein can operate using a single set of observed indications 282 from testing an identified pipette (DUT 326) to create an output set of statistics for multiple calibration tests 328, 330.

[0095] Calibration data sheet 324 further includes nominal values ​​in "Nominal" column 331, applied values ​​in "Applied" column 332, expected values ​​in "Expected" column 334, lower limit values ​​in "Lower Limit" column 336, measured values ​​in "Measured" column 338, and upper limit values ​​in "Upper Limit" column 340. Details of these values ​​have been previously described herein with respect to other of the calibration data sheets of the present disclosure, and therefore, for the sake of simplicity and brevity of the present disclosure, details of these values ​​in calibration data sheet 324 will not be discussed in further detail herein.

[0096] The first test 328 has a corresponding first lower limit value and a first upper limit value in a "Lower Limit" column 336 and an "Upper Limit" column 340, respectively. The corresponding first lower limit value and first upper limit value are each compared to a corresponding measured indication in a "Measurement" column 338 along the same row. This comparison may be performed by a processor.

[0097] The first lower limit value and the first upper limit value may be calculated by multiplying a value (e.g., a percentage) by the corresponding expected value in the "Expected" column 334 and subtracting / adding the calculated value from this multiplication from / to the corresponding expected value. This calculation may be performed by a processor such that the processor determines the first lower limit value and the first upper limit value. This calculation of the first lower limit value and the first upper limit value may be determined based on data received by the processor from the specifications of the DUT 280.

[0098] The second test 330 has corresponding second lower and upper limit values ​​in a "Lower Limit" column 336 and an "Upper Limit" column 340, respectively. The corresponding second lower and upper limit values ​​are each compared to the corresponding measured indication in the "Measurement" column 338 along the same row. This comparison may be performed by a processor.

[0099] The second lower limit value and the second upper limit value may be calculated by subtracting / adding values ​​from / to the corresponding expected values ​​in the "Expected" column 334. This calculation may be performed by the processor such that the processor determines the second lower limit value and the second upper limit value. This calculation of the second lower limit value and the second upper limit value may be determined based on data received by the processor from the calibration specifications of the DUT 280.

[0100] By separating device information, specification information, and measurement methodology, the universal calibration process described herein can dynamically create calibration datasheets for a nearly unlimited number of different devices (e.g., unlimited types of DUTs) and calibration tests. Thus, the universal calibration process described herein provides a device-independent evaluation process that can evaluate the output of different calibration processes for different devices, regardless of the device's identity. All calibration evaluations can be performed by performing the same steps. The calibration datasheet can be designed to report a common set of summary statistics based on the desired measurement data, and a complete record of all observations, corrections, conversions, and calculations is maintained in the process. This facilitates step-by-step auditing and / or tracking of any calibration measurements being performed. Defining the measurement function(s) in advance and incorporating the measurement function(s) into the calibration datasheet facilitates a thorough and complete uncertainty analysis and allows predetermined and complex calibrations alike to be performed in a well-known and nearly uniform manner, so that end users can easily and quickly perform simple or complex calibration tests on a variety of simple and complex DUT types.

[0101] Systems and methods for implementing the universal calibration process 243 as described herein may include one or more computers (computing devices) with processing circuitry configured, for example, by executable program instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or specially configured circuitry, e.g., one or more application-specific integrated circuits, or any combination thereof, to perform some or all of the functions (logical operations, calculations, steps) described herein. For example, in at least one implementation, the disclosed methods and systems may include receiving an identification of a device to be calibrated, and based on the device identification, receiving device specification data indicative of characteristics of the device and / or operational parameters indicative of proper (e.g., calibrated) operation of the device, and further, based on the device identification, receiving a calibration methodology indicative of a desired calibration process and supporting data processing steps, formulas, functions, etc., to obtain evaluation data. The evaluation data may be considered (e.g., compared) with one or more of the operational parameters indicative of proper (e.g., calibrated) operation of the device. The specification data and measurement methodology may be defined, correlated with the identified device, and stored in a computer-accessible database for later retrieval. Using the device identification, specification data, and measurement methodology obtainable or acquired herein, the systems and methods described herein may dynamically generate a calibration data sheet that includes the identification of the device under test, specified calibration inputs to be provided to the device, logical operations to receive measurement data from the device, calculate evaluation data based on specified functions or formulas, and compare the resulting evaluation data with reference data to determine the results of the calibration for reporting to a user.

[0102] In various embodiments, methods and systems for performing a universal calibration process may be configured to provide the calibration process by: (1) recording indications (original observations or measurements) made by an identified measurement device and / or one or more auxiliary devices (a non-limiting example is a thermometer providing the temperature of the environment of the identified measurement device under test) in response to one or more calibration inputs to the device; (2) applying one or more correction values ​​to the recorded indications, which may have a default value of 1 if no substantial correction value is needed or desired; (3) applying one or more transformations to the corrected indications to convert the indication data, for example, to another unit of measurement, which may have a default value of 1 if no substantial conversion is needed or desired; (4) performing measurement calculations on the corrected indications according to a measurement function specified by a measurement method received for the device under test to obtain evaluation data suitable for evaluation (calibration and / or verification); (5) performing a calibration, which may include comparing the calculated measurements to an expected value or range of values; and (6) reporting the results of the calibration (comparison).

[0103] 11 shows a block diagram of a system 400 including various exemplary components for performing the universal calibration process 243 of the present disclosure. The system 400 includes a DUT 402, a processor 404 in communication with the DUT 402, and a display 406 in communication with the processor 404. For example, the DUT 402 communicates input signals, which may represent a measured characteristic or quantity, to the processor 404, which receives and processes the input signals. The processor 404 then communicates output signals to the display 406 in response to the input signals from the DUT 402. For example, the output signals may be control or command signals such that the display 406 displays (e.g., automatically) the measured quantity or characteristic based on the input signals processed by the processor 404. For example, when the DUT 402 is a precision balance, the display 406 may receive the output signals, at which point the display 406 may display the measured weight based on the output signals received by the display 406 from the processor 404.

[0104] The processor 404 may communicate with multiple databases 410a, 410b, and 410c via the network 408, which may be located at different locations. For example, the first database 410a may be located at a first OEM in a first location, the second database 410b may be located at a second OEM in a second location, and the third database 410c may be located at a third OEM in a third location. The first, second, and third locations may be different from each other, such as being several miles apart. The first OEM may manufacture a first type of DUT, the second OEM may manufacture a second type of DUT, and the third OEM may manufacture a third type of DUT. The first, second, and third types of DUT may be different from each other (e.g., torque wrenches, precision balances, pipettes, pressure transducers, etc.).

[0105] The system 400 may be utilized to perform a universal calibration process 243 for a DUT 402. For example, when the DUT 402 is a precision balance as in Figures 6 and 7, the processor 404 is utilized to calibrate the DUT 402. The universal calibration process 243 for the system 400 is discussed in more detail with respect to Figures 6A and 6B as follows.

[0106] In this process, the DUT 402 is communicatively coupled to the processor 404 by an end user who is calibrating the DUT 402. After the DUT 402 is coupled to the processor 404, the end user may interact with the processor 404, which may be a computer, smartphone, tablet, or some other type of local or remote electronic device, to indicate that the DUT 402 being calibrated is of a particular type. For example, the end user may enter identification information for the DUT 402 (such as a serial number, part number, or some other type of identification information). Alternatively, the universal calibration process 243 may automatically detect and determine the identification information for the DUT 402.

[0107] After the DUT 402 is identified, the processor 404 communicates with at least one of a plurality of databases 410 a, 410 b, 410 c via the network 408. For example, the processor 404 may request calibration specifications for the DUT 404 in a first database 410 a, which is controlled by a first OEM that manufactures the DUT 404, which in this example is a particular type of precision balance. In at least some implementations, the processor 404 may access the particular specification data from one or more local or remote storage locations.

[0108] The calibration specifications for the DUT 402 in the first database 410a are transmitted to the processor 404 via the network 408. The specifications for the DUT 402 are then received and processed by the processor 404 to generate a corresponding calibration datasheet based on the measurement method in the specifications. The calibration datasheet generated by the processor 404 is transmitted to the display 406 so that the calibration datasheet is viewable by the end user on the display 406. The end user may select a calibration test (e.g., a mass accuracy test, a repeatability test, an eccentricity shift test, etc.) to be performed to calibrate the DUT 402, and the end user may then determine the required measurements to be made by the DUT 402. In this example, the calibration datasheet presented on the display 406 is the calibration datasheet 278. The end user then places a 50 g weight on the DUT 402. Measurement values ​​output by the DUT 402 may be automatically communicated to the processor 404, and in response, the measurements are entered into corresponding data fields in the "display" field 282. Alternatively, the end user may manually enter the measurements output by the DUT 402 into data fields within the “Display” field 282 of the calibration data sheet 278 .

[0109] After the data fields in display field 282 are filled in, processor 404 performs further steps of universal calibration process 243 and automatically fills in the remainder of the calibration data sheet. Processor 404 then reviews the data and calculations displayed in calibration data sheet 278 to determine whether DUT 402 is calibrated or out of tolerance. If DUT 402 is calibrated, processor 404 outputs a signal to display check mark 298 (calibration indicator) on display 406, indicating that DUT 402 is calibrated. Alternatively, if DUT 402 is not calibrated (out of tolerance), processor 404 outputs a red "cross" (e.g., "X"), indicating that DUT 402 is not calibrated.

[0110] When it is determined that the DUT 402 is not calibrated, the processor 404 may determine calibration coefficients to be programmed into the DUT 402 and direct the application of the calibration coefficients to the DUT 402 so that the DUT is calibrated. The processor 404 may calculate the calibration coefficients so that raw measured indications measured by the DUT 402 may have the calibration coefficients applied before the measurements are output to an end user on the display of the DUT 402. The calibration coefficients applied to the raw measured indications before being displayed to an end user allow the measured indications output by the DUT and seen by the end user to be corrected within desired tolerances. In other words, the calibration coefficients take into account the current state of the DUT 402 and correct the raw measured indications measured by the DUT 402 so that the DUT 402 is properly calibrated and outputs correct measurements.

[0111] The data fields that may be filled in by the processor may include nominal value(s), expected value(s), applied value(s), measured indication(s), calculated value(s), or any number of values, so that an end user can review the auditability and traceability of the components utilized in calibrating the DUT. For example, these values ​​may be displayed for a first component and a second component utilized with the DUT to calibrate the DUT. These values ​​may also be displayed for the DUT, or may all be displayed within the same calibration data sheet for auditability and traceability suggestions. An end user may easily review the displayed nominal value(s), expected value(s), applied value(s), measured indication(s), and calculated value(s) (e.g., on display 406) to quickly and easily determine whether the DUT being calibrated was properly calibrated and instead was not miscalibrated due to error while the universal calibration process 243 was being performed.

[0112] In another situation where the DUT 402 is a pressure transducer and is being calibrated as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the processor 404 may request specifications for multiple components from multiple databases to generate a calibration datasheet 320 such as that shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. For example, the processor 404 may request and receive specifications for the pressure controller 314 from the second database 410b, specifications for the voltmeter 318 from the third database 410c, specifications for the shunt resistor 316 from the third database 410c, and specifications for the DUT 312, which is a pressure transducer as previously discussed, from the first database 410a. The processor 404 may then process these specifications for these multiple components and then generate a calibration datasheet 320 such as that shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B based on the calibration tests performed when performing the universal calibration process 243.

[0113] The processor 404 may readily receive data collected by the voltmeter 318, which is then displayed in the "Display" field 282 of the calibration data sheet 312. These readings from the voltmeter 318 have a correction value K2 applied to the readings to calculate corrected readings. These corrected readings are then displayed in the "Correction" field 284. After the corrected readings are calculated, a conversion value C2 is applied to the corrected readings to calculate the converted readings that are displayed in the "Conversion" field 286. The display of the readings measured by the voltmeter 318, the corrected readings determined from the readings of the voltmeter 318, and the converted readings determined from the corrected readings of the voltmeter 318 allows an end user to review the accuracy of the voltmeter 318 while it is being utilized to calibrate the DUT 312. In other words, an end user may readily review this information related to the voltmeter 318 to determine whether the voltmeter 318 is performing accurately and within tolerance as expected. This allows the end user to perform a step-by-step audit and / or tracking of any calibration measurements being performed by any components utilized to calibrate the DUT 312. In other words, if the voltmeter 318 is not performing within the proper tolerances, as determined by the end user reviewing information about the voltmeter 318, the end user may determine that the voltmeter 318 must be replaced with another voltmeter operating within the proper tolerances to determine whether the DUT 312 is calibrated. When the voltmeter 318 is out of tolerance, the voltmeter 318 may need to be replaced because utilizing an out-of-tolerance voltmeter 318 to calibrate the DUT 312 may result in a false indication that the DUT 312 is calibrated when, instead, the DUT 312 is not calibrated.

[0114] While the above discussion relates to the generation of calibration data sheets 278 and 320 shown in Figures 6 and 9, respectively, it will be readily understood that the above discussion can be readily applied to calibration data sheets 310 and 324 shown in Figures 7 and 10, respectively.

[0115] The system 400 as shown in FIG. 11 allows for improved processing speed by the processor 404 in terms of computational functionality when the processor 404 is utilized to perform the universal calibration process 243 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The processing speed of the processor 404 is faster when performing the universal calibration process 243 compared to utilizing other calibration methods because when the processor 404 executes the universal calibration process 243, the same steps are followed sequentially regardless of the type of DUT being calibrated. The processing speed is faster because special tests, add-ons, and / or various other types of workarounds are not implemented or developed to calibrate any particular type of DUT. Instead, the processor 404 implements and executes the same steps for a first type of DUT (e.g., a precision balance) and the same steps for a second, different type of DUT (e.g., a torque wrench) when calibrating either a first type of DUT or a second type of DUT. Processor 404 performing the same pre-programmed steps of universal calibration process 243 regardless of the type of DUT being calibrated allows the speed of processor 404 to be optimized by reducing the number of steps devoted to commonality between different types of calibration tests for different types of DUTs. Thus, universal calibration process 243 is optimized to increase the processing speed of processor 404 when performing universal calibration process 243 compared to when processor 404 is performing other types of dedicated calibration processes that are only adapted to be utilized for a single specific type of DUT.

[0116] 11 allows memory (e.g., memory storage space) requirements to be distributed across multiple databases 410a, 410b, 410c. For example, instead of storing all calibration datasheets for various numbers and types of DUTs from multiple databases 410a, 410b, 410c in a single memory or storage device, the calibration sheets are stored across first, second, and third databases 410a, 410b, 410c, respectively. The first database 410a may reside at a first OEM that stores calibration datasheets for DUTs manufactured and produced by the first OEM, the second database 410b may reside at a second OEM that stores calibration datasheets for DUTs manufactured and produced by the second OEM, and the third database 410c may reside at a third OEM that stores calibration datasheets for DUTs manufactured and produced by the third OEM. The distribution of all of these calibration data sheets across multiple databases 410 a, 410 b, 410 c allows the speed of the processor 404 to be accelerated because the processor 404 may communicate with only one of the multiple databases 410 a, 410 b, 410 c, rather than having to review all of the calibration data sheets in all of the multiple databases 410 a, 410 b, 410 c. This allows the speed at which the processor 404 can review and collect the appropriate calibration data sheets for a particular type of DUT to be faster than a processor that must review all of the calibration data sheets in all of the multiple databases 410 a, 410 b, 410 c.

[0117] The multiple databases 410a, 410b, 410c reduce the network bandwidth required by the network 408 because the network only needs to communicate with a single database among the multiple databases 410a, 410b, 410c when performing the universal calibration process 243 for a particular type of DUT. For example, if the DUT is a particular type of precision balance manufactured only by a first OEM, the network 408 may communicate only with the first database 410a, collect the calibration datasheets from the first database 410a, and send the corresponding calibration datasheets to the processor 404. Thus, the network 408 only needs to sort the first database 410a, which contains only some of the calibration datasheets, instead of having to sort through all of the calibration datasheets in all of the multiple databases 410a, 410b, 410c. The distribution of calibration data sheets across multiple databases 410a, 410b, 410c reduces the power demands at the locations where end users are located and at each location corresponding to each of the multiple databases 410a, 410b, 410c.

[0118] The system 400 allows an end user to perform the universal calibration process 243 for a particular type of DUT that the end user is calibrating by retrieving corresponding calibration datasheets from multiple databases 410 a, 410 b, 410 c without having to locally store the calibration datasheets for the particular type of DUT. The end user may instead pull the calibration datasheet for the particular type of DUT from a corresponding one of the multiple databases 410 a, 410 b, 410 c. This increases the speed at which the universal calibration process 243 can be performed, as the end user may not need to locally collect and store multiple calibration datasheets for the particular type of DUT being calibrated.

[0119] The universal calibration process 243 can calibrate any number of different types of DUTs. For example, as described herein, the universal calibration process 243 may be utilized to calibrate different types of DUTs, such as a precision balance, a torque wrench, a pressure gauge, a pressure transducer, or any other type of DUT for measuring different types of quantities. For example, a mass accuracy test for a precision balance may be performed utilizing the universal calibration process 243, while an accuracy test for a pipette may be performed utilizing the same universal calibration process 243 disclosed herein. In other words, the universal calibration process 243 may be implemented to calibrate any number of different types of DUTs without having to create specialized tests, add-ons, and / or various types of workarounds to existing predetermined calibration processes that may not be ideal or sustainable over the long term.

[0120] The application values ​​applied to different types of DUTs will depend on the measurements provided by the different types of DUTs. For example, the application value for calibrating the precision balance 280 is a 50 gram (g) weight in the example shown in Figures 7A and 7B, while the application value for calibrating the pressure transducer 312 is a 75 pound per square inch (psi) pressure applied by a known pressure source. Therefore, the parameters that have application values ​​are determined by the type of calibration test being performed using the universal calibration process 243 and based on the type of DUT being calibrated.

[0121] Thus, in light of the description provided herein, a method for calibrating a device may be summarized as including, for example, a processor receiving identification of at least two devices configured to measure different physical or electrical characteristics; the processor determining different calibration processes for the at least two devices based on respective calibration specifications and measurement models for the at least two devices; the processor applying a device-independent evaluation process to evaluate outputs of the different calibration processes for the at least two devices regardless of the identification of the at least two devices; and the processor outputting respective calibration indicators indicative of a calibration status of each of the at least two devices.

[0122] In some cases, applying the device-independent evaluation process may include, for example, receiving a measured indication from a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, the measured indication representing a measurement by the DUT of a physical or electrical characteristic having a calibration threshold; determining a corrected indication based on application of a correction factor to the measured indication; determining a transformed indication based on application of a conversion factor to the corrected indication; applying a measurement function to the transformed indication to determine an output quantity; and determining at least one of the respective calibration indicators based on a comparison of the output quantity to a calibration threshold.

[0123] The method may further include obtaining respective calibration specifications and measurement models for the at least two devices based on identification of the at least two devices, determining a calibration threshold, a correction factor, or a conversion factor based on the respective calibration specifications for the DUT, and determining a measurement function based on the respective measurement model for the DUT. When one of the respective calibration indicators indicates that the DUT is not calibrated, the method may further include determining a calibration factor for the DUT and instructing application of the calibration factor to the DUT such that the DUT is calibrated.

[0124] The method may further include obtaining calibration thresholds from respective calibration specifications for the DUT and directing application of at least one parameter of known value to the DUT for measurement by the DUT to create a measured representation.

[0125] The method may further include receiving at least one parameter having a known value for measurement by the DUT from a respective calibration specification for the DUT, and determining a calibration threshold, the calibration threshold being a lower limit less than or equal to the known value or an upper limit greater than or equal to the known value.

[0126] Comparing the output quantity to a calibration threshold may include utilizing at least one of a direct measurement comparison, an indirect measurement comparison, a ratio measurement comparison, a differential measurement comparison, a transfer measurement comparison, or a substitution measurement comparison.

[0127] The method may further include enabling an audit of the device-independent evaluation process by recording all applied values, measured representations, corrected representations, transformed representations, measurement functions, and output quantities in the device-independent evaluation process.

[0128] The method may further include receiving, by the processor, specifications of a component coupled to a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, and monitoring, by the component, a characteristic of the DUT.

[0129] In some cases, applying the device-independent evaluation process may include, for example, receiving measured indications from a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, the measured indications representing measurements by the DUT of physical or electrical characteristics; determining a set of statistical values ​​from the measured indications or from corrected or transformed indications determined using the measured indications; and determining at least one of the respective calibration indicators based on a comparison of one or more statistical values ​​in the set of statistical values ​​to a calibration threshold.

[0130] In some cases, applying the device-independent evaluation process includes, for example, receiving, from a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, measured indications for at least two different calibration processes of the DUT, the measured indications representing measurements by the DUT of physical or electrical characteristics having respective calibration thresholds for the at least two different calibration processes, and the calibration processes of the at least two different calibration processes include determining a corrected indication based on applying a correction factor to the measured indication for the calibration process; determining a transformed indication based on applying a conversion factor to the corrected indication; applying a measurement function to the transformed indication to determine an output quantity; and determining at least one of the respective calibration indicators based on comparing the output quantity with respective calibration thresholds for the calibration process.

[0131] In consideration of the foregoing description, another method may be summarized as including, for example, receiving, by a processor, measured indications from at least two devices configured to measure different physical or electrical characteristics, the measured indications representing measurements by the at least two devices of the different physical or electrical characteristics; determining, by the processor, a common set of statistical values ​​for each of the at least two devices regardless of the identities of the at least two devices, the common set of statistical values ​​for each device being determined from the measured indications received from each device or from a corrected or transformed indication determined using the measured indications; determining, by the processor, a calibration process for each of the at least two devices based on a calibration specification and a measurement model for each of the at least two devices, the respective calibration processes being different from each other; for a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, the processor evaluating one or more statistical values ​​of the common set of statistical values ​​for the DUT according to the respective calibration process of the DUT to determine a calibration status of the DUT; and outputting a calibration indicator indicative of the calibration status of the DUT.

[0132] In some cases, the common set of statistics includes at least two of the following statistics: mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, variance, period, mode, mid-range, or coefficient of variation.

[0133] In some cases, the measured indications received by the processor represent physical or electrical properties measured by the at least two devices according to respective calibration specifications of the at least two devices.

[0134] In some cases, determining a respective calibration process for the at least two devices includes determining respective calibration thresholds to be used by the processor to evaluate one or more statistical values ​​of the common set of statistical values ​​to determine a calibration state of the DUT. In some cases, for the DUT, the measured indications received from the DUT represent measurements by the DUT of physical or electrical characteristics having known values, and determining the respective calibration thresholds for the DUT includes determining a lower limit less than or equal to the known value or an upper limit greater than or equal to the known value.

[0135] In some cases, evaluating one or more statistical values ​​of the common set of statistical values ​​for the DUT includes comparing the one or more statistical values ​​to a respective calibration threshold value for the DUT.

[0136] In some cases, comparing the one or more statistical values ​​to a respective calibration threshold value includes utilizing at least one of a direct measurement comparison, an indirect measurement comparison, a ratio measurement comparison, a differential measurement comparison, a transfer measurement comparison, or a substitution measurement comparison.

[0137] In some cases, determining the common set of statistical values ​​for each device of the at least two devices includes determining a corrected representation for each device based on applying a correction factor to measured representations received from the devices, determining a transformed representation for each device based on applying a conversion factor to the corrected representations, and applying a measurement function to the transformed representations to determine at least one statistical value in the common set of statistical values.

[0138] In some cases, the measurement model for each of the at least two devices includes one or more measurement functions that are used by the processor to determine one or more statistical values ​​in the common set of statistical values.

[0139] The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide still further embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified as necessary to provide still further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments described herein in light of the description set forth above.

Claims

1. receiving, by a processor, identification of at least two devices configured to measure different physical or electrical properties; determining, by the processor, different calibration processes for the at least two devices based on respective calibration specifications and respective measurement models for the at least two devices; the processor applying a device-independent evaluation process to evaluate outputs of the different calibration processes for the at least two devices regardless of the identities of the at least two devices; and the processor outputting respective calibration indicators indicative of a calibration status of each of the at least two devices.

2. applying the device independent evaluation process receiving a measured indication from a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, the measured indication representing a measurement by the DUT of a physical or electrical characteristic having a calibration threshold; determining a corrected reading based on application of a correction factor to the measured reading; determining a transformed representation based on application of a transformation factor to the corrected representation; applying a measurement function to the transformed representation to determine an output quantity; and determining at least one of the respective calibration indicators based on a comparison of the output quantity to the calibration threshold.

3. obtaining the respective calibration specifications and the respective measurement models for the at least two devices based on the identification of the at least two devices; determining the calibration thresholds, the correction factors, or the conversion factors based on the respective calibration specifications for the DUT; The method of claim 2 , further comprising: determining the measurement function based on the respective measurement model for the DUT.

4. 4. The method of claim 2 or 3, further comprising enabling an audit of the device-independent evaluation process by recording all applied values, measured representations, corrected representations, transformed representations, measurement functions, and output quantities in the device-independent evaluation process.

5. receiving, by the processor, a specification for a component of the at least two devices coupled to a device under test (DUT); The method of claim 1 , further comprising: the component monitoring a characteristic of the DUT.

6. applying the device independent evaluation process receiving a measured indication from a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, the measured indication representing a measurement by the DUT of a physical or electrical characteristic; determining a set of statistics from the measured representation or from a corrected or transformed representation determined using the measured representation; and determining at least one of the respective calibration indicators based on a comparison of one or more statistical values ​​in the set of statistical values ​​to a calibration threshold.

7. applying the device independent evaluation process receiving, from a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, measured indications for at least two different calibration processes of the DUT, the measured indications representing measurements by the DUT of physical or electrical characteristics having respective calibration thresholds for the at least two different calibration processes; The calibration process of the at least two different calibration processes is determining a corrected representation based on application of a correction factor to the measured representation associated with the calibration process; determining a transformed representation based on application of a transformation factor to the corrected representation; applying a measurement function to the transformed representation to determine an output quantity; and determining at least one of the respective calibration indicators based on a comparison of the output quantity with the respective calibration threshold for the calibration process.

8. a processor receiving measured indications from at least two devices configured to measure different physical or electrical properties, the measured indications representing measurements by the at least two devices of the different physical or electrical properties; the processor determining a common set of statistics for each of the at least two devices regardless of the identities of the at least two devices, the common set of statistics for each device being determined from the measured indications received from each device or from corrected or transformed indications determined using the measured indications; the processor determining respective calibration processes for the at least two devices based on respective calibration specifications and respective measurement models for the at least two devices, the respective calibration processes being different from one another; and For a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, the processor evaluating one or more statistics of the common set of statistics for the DUT according to the respective calibration process for the DUT to determine a calibration state of the DUT; the processor outputting a calibration indicator indicative of the calibration status of the DUT.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the common set of statistics for each device of the at least two devices comprises: determining a corrected reading for each device based on application of a correction factor to the measured readings received from the device; determining a transformed representation for each device based on application of a transformation factor to the corrected representation; and applying a measurement function to the transformed representation to determine at least one statistical value in the common set of statistical values.

10. 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the common set of statistics includes at least two of the following statistics: mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, variance, period, mode, mid-range, or coefficient of variation.

11. 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the measured indications received by the processor represent physical or electrical properties measured by the at least two devices according to the respective calibration specifications for the at least two devices.

12. 12. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the respective calibration processes for the at least two devices comprises determining respective calibration thresholds to be used by the processor to evaluate the one or more statistical values ​​of the common set of statistical values ​​to determine the calibration state of the DUT.

13. 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the respective measurement models for the at least two devices include one or more measurement functions used by the processor to determine one or more statistical values ​​in the common set of statistical values.

14. A processor; a display in communication with the processor, comprising: the processor: receiving identification of at least two devices configured to measure different physical or electrical properties; determining different calibration processes for the at least two devices based on respective calibration specifications and respective measurement models for the at least two devices; applying a device-independent evaluation process to evaluate the output of the different calibration processes for the at least two devices regardless of the identities of the at least two devices; The system is configured to output respective calibration indicators to the display that indicate a calibration status of each of the at least two devices.

15. To apply the device-independent evaluation process, the processor: receiving a measured indication from a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, the measured indication representing a measurement by the DUT of a physical or electrical characteristic having a calibration threshold; determining a corrected reading based on application of a correction factor to the measured reading; determining a transformed representation based on application of a transformation factor to the corrected representation; applying a measurement function to the transformed representation to determine an output quantity; The system of claim 14 , configured to determine at least one of the respective calibration indicators based on a comparison of the output quantity to the calibration threshold.

16. A processor; a display in communication with the processor, comprising: the processor: receiving measured indications from at least two devices configured to measure different physical or electrical properties, the measured indications representing measurements by the at least two devices of the different physical or electrical properties; determining a common set of statistics for each of the at least two devices regardless of the identity of the at least two devices, the common set of statistics for each device being determined from the measured indications received from each device or from corrected or transformed indications determined using the measured indications; determining respective calibration processes for the at least two devices based on respective calibration specifications and respective measurement models for the at least two devices, the respective calibration processes being different from one another; For a device under test (DUT) of the at least two devices, evaluating one or more statistics of the common set of statistics for the DUT according to the respective calibration process for the DUT to determine a calibration status of the DUT; The system is configured to output a calibration indicator to the display that indicates the calibration status of the DUT.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the processor, in order to determine the common set of statistical values ​​for each device of the at least two devices, further comprises: determining a corrected indication for each device based on application of a correction factor to the measured indications received from the device; determining a transformed representation for each device based on application of a transformation factor to the corrected representation; The system of claim 16 , configured to apply a measurement function to the transformed representation to determine at least one statistical value in the common set of statistical values.

Images