Method of digital process variable transmitter calibration and a process

Abstract

A method of digital process variable transmitter calibration includes the steps of sensing the process variable (PV) to produce an analog output which is converted to a digital signal representation. The digital signal is corrected by a microprocessor using a characterization equation previously individually developed during a manufacturing testing of the process variable transmitter over a predetermined range of environmental stimuli to ascrtain the coefficients for a polynomial in the form of PV=A.sub.o =A.sub.1 P+A.sub.2 +. . . A.sub.i P.sup.i. Thus, the digital computer produces a process variable representation as a modified digital output. Subsequently, the digital output from the computer is converted to a conventional 4-20 mA analog signal for use as a process control signal. The process variable transmitter apparatus utilizing the aforesaid method includes means for receiving an output from a process variable sensor, an analog-to-digital converter for converting the received output from the sensor to a digital representation, a digital computer, a non-volatile memory for storing an individualized correction equation determined during the manufacturing testing of the transmitter and a digital-to-analog converter for converting the computer output to an analog control signal.