MenĂ¼

Dependable Measurement Systems for Harsh Environments

Holistic Investigation of a Measurement System
Our research group works on the research and development of measurement systems for energy aware applications in harsh environments. The focus of our research interests is in the holistic optimization of the measurement chain. The main application areas are in the field of energy systems, heavy industry and the automotive industry. Application examples include the development of measurement systems for electric vehicles, condition monitoring of transport processes in heavy industry, instrumentation and measurement of power-grid components and measurement systems for sub-surface applications. Many of these applications are of resource-limited nature and are characterized by harsh environmental conditions. These limitations and requirements cover e.g.
  • the available energy to power sensors and circuits
  • the mounting space at the installation site
  • prevailing environmental conditions (climatic conditions, ambient pressure, etc.)
  • the processing power for signal processing
The plurality of applications and the individual requirements are also reflected in the expertise of our scientific staff. Our research expertise covers modeling and simulation of multi-physical systems and sensors, analog low-power circuitry design and the development of dedicated digital signal processing methods including statistical approaches for measurement uncertainty quantification. The modeling process of the measurement system is a cornerstone of our work and is a key enabler for the holistic system analysis and optimization. In this context, we also investigate aspects of reliability, system safety and energy efficiency, which are of increasing importance for the design of distributed measurement systems. Most of our research is done in collaboration with leading international partners from industry and the automotive sector.

Selected Research Topics and Results