TempMath - Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Resistive-Based Temperature Measurement Data Acquisition Systems

Most modern equipment, either industrial, home use or special purpose, deals with specific physical parameters measurement. Out of these, temperature is one of the most meaningful and commonly measured parameters. Whether developing a custom-built measurement system or just a signal conditioning circuit for off-the-shelf measurement systems, the accuracy of the measured values is of paramount importance. Both general purpose and specialized temperature measurement acquisition systems have a specified accuracy on component tolerances and parameter drift. Such systems are specified with an initial accuracy and they should remain within specifications during operation in their nominal conditions (temperature range, humidity, altitude). Despite efforts in the design stage, many errors are later generated by the temperature drift of the components. The current papers presents a non-statistical simulator solution based on mathematical models for thermo-resistive (NTC, RTD) based digital temperature measurement systems. While designing the mathematical models, we also debate the influence of specific parameters on the total measurement error.