How to Minimize Warm-Up Drift in Pressure Sensors

Pressure sensors are a very valuable tools in the health industry. Health practitioners use equipment such as hospital respirators and neonatal devices with these sensors, which can show inaccurate readings due to warm-up drift affecting operating temperatures. One reason for this problem involves the sensing element having thermal hot spots along the diaphragm surface causing an imbalance along the resistor-sensing element. The second reason consists of dual sensor systems using an external temperature sensor to calibrate the pressure sensor. The external sensor takes too long for the temperature to stabilize along the diaphragm, resulting in warm-up drift.

Instructions

• 1

  Change the excitation voltage along the pressure sensor. By adjusting the voltage by two, this will reduce the rise in the sensing element temperature by four. Reduce the excitation voltage by using a lower power source. Replace a 5-volt power supply with a 2.5-volt supply.

• 2

  Apply power to the sensor only when necessary to reduce warm-up drift. Use the sensor in duty cycles by turning it on only for immediate use. This method will balance the pressure sensor power supply to eliminate warm-up drift without having to change the voltage.

• 3

  Eliminate warm-up drift for dual-sensors by changing the external temperature sensor. Replace the external sensor with the internal sensor resistance already located on the diaphragm. By not using the external sensor, you do not have to wait for the temperature to stabilize to calibrate the pressure sensor.