• Semester 1 (Day)

Synopsis

An instrument is an information processing machine involving :
. sensing (usually analogue);
. signal processing (analogue and digital);
. reference to a scale of measurement or a standard; and
. display or actuation.
Although  modern  instruments are mostly implemented using  electronic
technology  their  functionality  is determined  largely  by  embedded
software.  the physics of the sensing interface remains fundamental.

Design of an optimal instrument (or instrumentation system) to meet  a
new measurement requirement involves the formal design methodology  of
measurement  science:  it is not adequate to rely on experience  alone
nor  expect  to  find a "recipe" solution.  Hence this unit  does  NOT
present a traditional catalogue of standard techniques.

In  consequence this is a design oriented unit which seeks to  develop
cross  disciplinary skills in fundamental areas including the  use  of
the  Measurement Process Algorithm; the physics and classification  of
sensors  and  transfusers; theory of scales  and  standards;  signals,
systems    and   modelling   techniques;   evaluation   of   available
technologies; manufacturing; and economic and management implications.

Advanced  topics  will  be  drawn  from:  fibre  optic,  silicon   and
biochemical   sensors;  multidimensional  sensing  and   chemometrics;
multisensor  systems  and  sensor fusion;  fuzzy  and  neural  network
processing; intelligence in instruments; rule based sensing;  and  the
computer aided engineering of instruments.

This  unit is appropriate for students with a range of backgrounds  in
the  sensor or honours years of an engineering or science degree. Case
study and design work will be tailored accordingly.