High Performance Reference Setup for Characterization and Calibration of Low-Range Differential Pressure Sensors

The calibration of sensors is one of the most frequently carried out maintenance operations on sensor networks. This paper presents the design of a reference instrument for the static calibration of low-range (up to ±320 Pa) differential pressure sensors. A method is proposed for the calibration setup and the design issues are discussed in addition to a complete error analysis. An experimental setup is also proposed. From the conducted experiments, it is verified that the sensitivity of the reference setup is at least 0.032 Pa with the achievable resolution of 0.001% of full scale. This paper also presents an embedded electronics design for both the calibration and the characterization profile handling. A full performance characterization of a sample differential pressure sensor is also presented in terms of sensitivity, linearity, hysteresis, and temperature dependency. A comprehensive discussion involving the design parameters analysis and the worst case performance is also included. In conclusion, it is summarized that the proposed design out performs the conventional reference instruments, so that it can be used for the calibration and characterization of a wide variety of low-range differential pressure sensors.