Aspects of spectrum and hybrid spectrum analysis for sensor SNR determination

Analog sensors are sometimes described in data sheets as having “infinite” resolution. Although there are no quantization effects in their analog output, their resolution is, of course, limited by the amount of noise present. To test their dynamical performance they have to be excited with a known function, e.g. a sinusoid. Possible methods for sensor data evaluation after sinusoidal excitation are discussed. A reliable method for sensor data evaluation and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) determination is proposed. An experimental set-up for this purpose is also described