Self-Calibrating Measurement Models for Accurate Field Instrumentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current measurement systems face challenges in achieving high accuracy due to design flaws that prevent users from recalibrating equipment, are limited by nonlinear physical phenomena, and lack explicit models of the systems being measured, leading to costly and time-consuming recalibration processes, as well as restricted utility and effectiveness in field operations.
Innovation Solution
The development of a measurement and management system that includes a model-based approach, allowing users to calibrate and adapt the system using a reference voltage device, automatically account for sensor errors, and reconfigure itself dynamically, integrated with a cognitive user interface for improved accuracy and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If factory calibration and sealing are used to maintain accuracy, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement system performs self-calibration using a voltage reference device and microprocessor-controlled adjustment mechanisms. The system automatically detects calibration needs, adjusts its own parameters through digital potentiometers or trimmer circuits, and validates accuracy without external intervention, eliminating the need for factory sealing and complex calibration procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes a voltage reference device and calibration circuitry that are pre-configured and ready for use. The microprocessor is programmed with calibration algorithms that automatically execute when needed, preparing the system in advance for self-calibration without requiring external laboratory equipment or complex manual procedures
2Measurement precision
If factory calibration and sealing are used to maintain accuracy, then measurement accuracy is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement system performs self-calibration using a voltage reference device and microprocessor-controlled adjustment mechanisms. The system automatically detects calibration needs, adjusts its own parameters through digital potentiometers or trimmer circuits, and validates accuracy without external intervention, eliminating the need for factory sealing and complex calibration procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical calibration procedures with electronic self-adjustment mechanisms. Digital potentiometers, trimmer circuits, and microprocessor-controlled voltage references automatically adjust calibration parameters through electrical signals, eliminating the need for physical intervention, shipping to laboratories, and manual adjustment procedures
3Measurement precision
If manufacturer monopoly control is maintained over accuracy, then measurement accuracy is improved, but ease of operation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement system performs self-calibration using a voltage reference device and microprocessor-controlled adjustment mechanisms. The system automatically detects calibration needs, adjusts its own parameters through digital potentiometers or trimmer circuits, and validates accuracy without external intervention, eliminating the need for factory sealing and complex calibration procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the microprocessor continuously monitors measurement accuracy against reference values from the voltage reference device. When drift or errors are detected, the system automatically initiates calibration adjustments and confirms when accuracy thresholds are met, providing closed-loop control that maintains accuracy without manufacturer intervention
4Measurement precision
If explicit models of measured systems are incorporated, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex physical calibration equipment with software-based modeling and computation. The microprocessor executes algorithms that create virtual models of the measurement system and apply mathematical corrections to compensate for nonlinearities, drift, and environmental effects, achieving high precision through information processing rather than complex hardware
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for measurement and management are disclosed that provide complex measurements cost-effectively at very high accuracy. These methods and systems in some cases achieve measurement accuracy exceeding the accuracy of the reference standards they rely on, and eliminate expensive and disadvantageous recalibration procedures. The accurate measurements are integrated with management functions, applying the measurement data to meet objectives of the integrated system and workflow goals of its user. The disclosed systems and methods comprise an explicit or expressly represented model both of themselves and of candidate external systems to be measured and managed. The models may be configured and reconfigured by the owner-user through either local or remote means. The system intelligently reconfigures itself to adapt dynamically to the conditions of measurement and the user's and system's goals at each moment. In an embodiment, the system includes high-accuracy and reconfigurable components including a meter or control head adapted for user precision assembly and maintenance that computes and displays or communicates the measurements, displaying measurements in desired units, grouping functions according to ergonomic and cognitive principles based on the activity and workflow of a user in relation to the internal model. The use of models permits the system to compute and provide complex and inferred measurements of ultimate interest to the user, including quantities that cannot be directed measured and only can be determined through reasoning or computation by applying models to raw measurement data. The precision-assembly modular electromechanical design further permits an owner-user to precisely assemble, maintain, modify the apparatus and calibrate the equipment for accuracy.