Performance characteristics of measuring instruments
Performance characteristics of measuring instruments
The detailed specifications of the functional characteristics of
any instrument are termed as its performance characteristics.
These are in general are indicative of capabilities and
limitations of the instrument for a particular application.
The knowledge of the performance characteristics of an
instrument is essential for choosing most suitable instrument for
specific measurement.
Static characteristics: These are the characteristics of instrument
which are concerned with measurement of quantities which are
constant or slowly varying with time.
These are: Accuracy, Precision, Sensitivity, Resolution,
Threshold, Reproducibility, Repeatability, Drift, Error, Linearity
etc.
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Accuracy: Accuracy of a measuring system is defined as the
closeness of instrument output to the true value of measured
quantity (as per standard). However in usual practice, it is
specified as the percentage deviation or inaccuracy of
measurement from the true value.
Accuracy of the instruments can be specified in either of
following form:
Measured value - True value
1. Percentage of true value 100
True value
Measured value - True value
2. Percentage of full scale deflection 100
Maximum scale value
Percentage of true value is more accurate than full scale deflection.
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Ex: Given full scale is 1000 V and true value is 100 V. Accuracy of
instrument is 1% of true value or of full scale. Calculate the
measured value.
Case 1: When accuracy is 1% of true value
1 Measured value - True value
100 True value
1 True value
Measured value True value
100
1 100
100 101 V ( sign)
100
- 1 100
100 99 V (- sign)
100
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Case 2: When accuracy is 1% of full scale deflection
1 full scale deflection
Measured value True value
100
1 1000
True value
100
1 1000
100 110 ( sign)
100
- 1 1000
100 90 (- sign)
100
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True value: The true value of the quantity to be measured may be
defined as the average of an infinite number of measured values
when the average deviation due to contributing factors tends to
zero.
Static error: The accuracy of an instrument is measured in terms
of its error. Static error is defined as the difference between the
measured value and the true value of the quantity.
A=Am-At=error
Am=measured value of quantity
At=true value of quantity
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Precision: Precision is defined as the ability of instrument to
reproduce a certain set of readings within a given accuracy.
For example if a particular transducer is subjected to accurately
known input and if repeated read outs of the instrument lie within
say 1% then precision or alternatively precision error of the
instrument would be stated as 1%.
Thus highly precise instrument is one that gives the same output
information for a given input information when the reading is
repeated a large number of times.
Precision of instrument is in fact, dependent on the repeatability.
The term repeatability can be defined as the ability of instrument
to reproduce a group of measurements of the same measured
quantity, made by same observer, using the same instrument,
under the same conditions.
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Repeatability: Describes the closeness of output readings for the
same input when the same input is applied repeatedly over a short
period of time with the same measurement conditions, same
instrument and observer, same location and same conditions of
use maintained throughout.
Reproducibility: Describes the closeness of output readings for
the same input when there are changes in the method of
measurement, observer, measuring instrument, location
conditions of use and time of measurement.
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Accuracy vs. Precision
It may be noted that accuracy represents the degree of
correctness of the measured value with respect to the true value.
On the other hand, precision represents the degree of
repeatability of several independent measurements of the desired
input at the same reference conditions.
Target shooting example:
Target plate
Bull’s eye
High precision Poor precision Poor precision
High precision
Poor accuracy Good average Poor accuracy
High accuracy
accuracy 9
Static sensitivity (also termed as scale factor or gain): It is
defined as the ratio of the magnitude of response (output signal) to
the magnitude of the quantity being measured (input signal) i.e.
change of output signal
Static sensitivity, K
change in input signal
q o
q i
In other words, sensitivity is
qo
represented by slope of the
input-output curve if qo qi
ordinates are represented in
actual units. qi
For linear case K is constant 10
B ( qo ) A
(qo)B
KA
A (qo)A (qi)B ( qi ) A
qo (qi)A
( qo ) B
KB
( qi ) B
qi Sensitivity at point A
and B
Ex: A mercury thermometer has a capillary tube of 0.25 mm
diameter. If the bulb and capillary tube are made of a zero expansion
material what volume must it have if a sensitivity of 2.5 mm/oC is
desired? Assume that operating temperature is 20oC and the
coefficient of volumetric expansion of mercury is 0.18110-3/oC.
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Lc=length of capillary tube which would be occupied by mercury
contained in the bulb when it is not heated, mm
Lc+ Lc=length of capillary tube which would be occupied by
mercury contained in the bulb when heated, mm
Ac=area of capillary tube, mm2
v=coefficient of volumetric expansion oC-1
=change in temperature, oC
Δqo (Lc ΔLc ) Lc ΔLc
S 2.5 mm/ oC
Δqi Δθ Δθ
Ac(Lc ΔLc ) Ac(Lc αv Lc Δθ)
1 Lc
Lc .
v
1
Lc 3
2.5 13.8 103 mm 13.8m
0.181 10
volume of bulb Vb Ac Lc (0.25)2 13.8 103 677.4mm 2 12
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Resolution (or Discrimination): It is defined as the smallest
increment in the measured value that can be detected with
certainty by the instrument. In other words it is degree of fineness
with which a measurement can be made. The least count of any
instrument is taken as resolution of the instrument. A high
resolution is one that can detect smallest possible variation in the
input.
Threshold : It is a particular case of resolution. It is defined as
the minimum value of below which no output can be detected.
Both threshold and resolution are not zero because of various
factors like friction between moving parts, play or looseness in
joints (more correctly backlash), inertia of moving parts, length
of the scale, spacing of graduations, size of pointer, etc.
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If the instrument input is increased very gradually from zero there
will be some minimum value below which no output change can
be detected. This minimum value defines the threshold of the
instrument.
In specifying threshold, the first detectible output change is often
described as being any “noticeable measurable change”.
Resolution defines the smallest measurable input change while
the threshold the smallest measurable input.
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