A fast and accurate calibration method for high sensitivity pressure transducers

A novel calibration scheme for fast accurate calibration of high sensitivity pressure transducers is proposed and verified by experiments. Based on theoretical analysis, the accuracy of the calibration for non-linearity, hysteresis and repeatability can be much higher than 1 x 10(-4) for pressure transducers with an operation range of 1 kPa or below. For accurate calibration of sensitivity, a single conventional measurement is needed at the full range pressure. A conventional compensation pressure gauge can be used for the new calibration method. The calibration is very accurate and very fast; only a few seconds for a test point (or 10-20 min for a device). As the operation pressure is self-generating, no expensive pressure source is needed. The performances can be further improved if the design of the apparatus is optimized for the new calibration method according to the theoretical analysis. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.