Emphasis on instrumentation is a manifestation of the rational spirit of modern people. Understanding instrumentation means understanding the information age.

Instruments and meters are instruments or devices used to detect, measure, observe, and calculate various physical quantities, material compositions, and physical properties. Vacuum leak detectors, pressure gauges, length measuring instruments, microscopes, multipliers, etc. all belong to instrumentation. Broadly speaking, instruments and meters can also have functions such as automatic control, alarm, signal transmission and data processing. For example, pneumatic control instruments used in automatic control of industrial production processes, and electric adjustment instruments, and distributed instrument control systems also belong to Instrumentation.

Instruments can improve, expand or supplement human functions. People use the sensory organs to see, hear, taste, and touch external things. Microscopes, telescopes, sound level meters, acidometers, pyrometers, and other instruments can improve and expand these functions. In addition, some instruments are as strong Meters, ray counting meters, etc. can sense and measure physical quantities that can not be felt by human sense organs; some instruments can exceed human capabilities to record, calculate and count, such as high-speed cameras and computers.

Instrumentation has a long history of development. According to the record of “Han Fei Zi You Du”, during the Warring States period, China had already used a guide instrument made of natural magnets, known as Si Nan. The ancient instruments were mostly simple instruments used for orientation, timing, or measurement in a long historical period.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, some physicists in Europe began to make simple galvanometers using the principle of current and magnetic force. Using telescopes made of optical lenses laid the foundation for electrical and optical instruments. Other instruments for measurement and observation have also gradually developed.

From the 19th to the 20th century, the industrial revolution and the large-scale production of modernization promoted the development of new disciplines and new technologies. Later, electronic and computer technologies and space technologies emerged. Instruments and meters have also been rapidly developed. Modern instrumentation has become an indispensable technical tool for measurement, control and automation.

Instrumentation is a comprehensive product of a variety of science and technology, a wide variety, extensive use, and constantly updated, there are a variety of classification methods. According to the purpose and purpose of use, there are mainly measuring instruments, automotive instruments, tractor instruments, marine instruments, aviation instruments, navigation instruments, driving instruments, radio test instruments, carrier microwave test instruments, geological exploration test instruments, building materials test instruments, Seismic test instruments, geodetic surveying instruments, hydrological instruments, timing instruments, agricultural test instruments, commercial test instruments, teaching instruments, medical instruments, environmental protection instruments, etc.

Instruments and instruments belonging to the machinery industry include industrial automation instruments, electrical instrumentation, optical instruments, analytical instruments, laboratory instruments and devices, material testing machines, meteorological marine instruments, film machinery, photogrammetry machines, photocopying micromechanics, and instrumentation components. , instrumentation materials, instrumentation and process equipment and other thirteen categories. They are more versatile, larger in volume, or necessary for the instrumentation industry.

Various types of instruments and meters can be further divided into a number of subcategories or subcategories according to different characteristics such as functions, detection control objects, structures, and principles. For example, industrial automation instruments can be divided into testing instruments, display instruments, regulating instruments and actuators according to their functions. The measuring instruments are divided into temperature measuring instruments, pressure measuring instruments, flow measuring instruments, level measuring instruments and machinery according to the measured physical quantities. Measuring instruments, etc.: Temperature measuring instruments are divided into contact-type temperature measuring instruments and non-contact temperature measuring instruments according to measurement methods; contact-type temperature measuring instruments can be divided into thermoelectric type, expansion type, and resistance type. The classification of other types of instruments and meters is generally similar, mainly related to the development process, usage habits and the classification of related products. There is no uniform standard for instrumentation in terms of classification. There are similar situations in the naming of instrumentation.

The main technical indicators for the performance of instrumentation are accuracy, sensitivity, and response time. Accuracy indicates the degree of agreement between the meter's measurement result and the true value being measured. The precision of the instrumentation is usually expressed in terms of precision grades, such as 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5, and 0.1 indicates that the total error of the instrument does not exceed ±0.1% of the range. The small number of precision grades means that the instrument's system error and random error are small, which is the precision of this instrument.

Sensitivity indicates the ratio of the incremental value of the increment when the measured quantity has a small increment, and it reflects the smallest measured value the instrument can measure: The response time refers to the input of a step quantity by the instrument. The time interval from the initial value of the initial value to the final stable value for the first time is generally defined as the time to reach 95% of the stable value. In addition, there are also repeatability, linearity, hysteresis, deadband, drift, and other performance. Technical indicators.

Advances in science and technology continue to place higher and newer requirements on instrumentation. In modern scientific research experiments, precision testing systems, automatic detection and control systems for production processes, and various management automation systems, instrumentation is an important technical tool.

In order to further improve various performances of instrumentation, enhance the ability to withstand various harsh environments, and improve reliability and service life, instrumentation will continue to utilize new working principles and adopt new materials and new components. For example, the use of ultrasonic microwave, radiation, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, superconductivity, laser and other principles, as well as the use of various new semiconductor sensitive components, integrated circuits, integrated optical, optical fiber and other components. Its purpose is to achieve miniaturization of instruments, reduce weight, reduce production costs and ease of use and maintenance.

Another important trend is to increase the performance of instrumentation through the use of microcomputers and to increase the automation, intelligence, and data processing capabilities of the instrumentation itself. Instrumentation not only for single use, but also through the standard interface and data channels, combined with the computer to form a variety of test control and management integrated system to meet higher requirements.