Model-Based Measurement Assembly for Self-Calibration Accuracy
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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 harsh or remote environments.
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 value, automatically account for sensor errors, and reconfigure itself dynamically, integrated with a user-friendly interface for improved accuracy and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If factory calibration and sealing are implemented to maintain measurement accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement system performs self-calibration using built-in reference standards and model-based error characterization. The system automatically detects and corrects its own measurement errors without requiring external calibration services, eliminating the need for sealed calibration and reducing operational complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses model-based error characterization that captures how measurement errors vary with operating parameters such as frequency, power level, and environmental conditions. By dynamically adjusting calibration parameters based on current operating conditions, the system maintains accuracy without requiring complex fixed calibration procedures.
2Measurement precision
If frequent recalibration is performed to maintain accuracy over time, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated self-calibration during normal operation using built-in reference standards, eliminating the need to take equipment out of service for recalibration. This continuous self-maintenance approach maintains measurement precision without causing operational downtime or productivity loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration process is integrated into continuous operation rather than being a separate intermittent process. The system continuously monitors and corrects its own measurement accuracy, ensuring uninterrupted measurement capability and eliminating the cyclical downtime associated with traditional recalibration schedules.
3Measurement precision
If high-accuracy laboratory equipment is used to achieve superior measurement accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs model-based error characterization that captures the relationship between measurement errors and operating parameters. By using these models to dynamically compensate for errors, the system achieves high measurement accuracy using simpler, less expensive equipment rather than requiring complex laboratory-grade instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediate computational layer that processes raw measurements through model-based error correction algorithms. This computational intermediary compensates for hardware limitations, allowing simpler measurement equipment to achieve the accuracy of complex laboratory equipment through software-based error characterization and correction.
4Measurement precision
If manufacturer monopoly control over calibration is maintained, then measurement precision is preserved, but ease of operation and adaptability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables end-users to perform their own calibration using built-in reference standards and automated calibration routines. This self-service capability eliminates dependence on manufacturer-controlled calibration services, giving users full control over maintaining measurement accuracy while simplifying the calibration process through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement system incorporates multiple functions including self-calibration, error characterization, and adaptive correction within a single integrated platform. This universal design allows the same system to serve both as the measurement instrument and as its own calibration standard, eliminating the need for separate manufacturer-controlled calibration services.
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.