Comparison and Verification of Three Algorithms for Accuracy Improvement of Quartz Resonant Pressure Sensors

Abstract

Pressure measurement is of great importance due to its wide range of applications in many fields. AT-cut quartz, with its exceptional precision and durability, stands out as an excellent pressure transducer due to its superior accuracy and stable performance over time. However, its intrinsic temperature dependence significantly hinders its potential application in varying temperature environments. Herein, three different learning algorithms (i.e., multivariate polynomial regression, multilayer perceptron networks, and support vector regression) are elaborated in detail and applied to establish the prediction models for compensating the temperature effect of the resonant pressure sensor, respectively. The AC-cut quartz, which is sensitive to temperature variations, is paired with the AT-cut quartz, providing the essential temperature information. The output frequencies derived from the AT-cut and AC-cut quartzes are selected as input data for these learning algorithms. Through experimental validation, all three methods are effective, and a remarkable improvement in accuracy can be achieved. Among the three methods, the MPR model has exceptionally high accuracy in predicting pressure. The calculated residual error over the temperature range of −10–40 °C is less than 0.008% of 40 MPa full scale (FS). An intelligent automatic compensation and real-time processing system for the resonant pressure sensor is developed as well, which may contribute to improving the efficiency in online calibration and large-scale industrialization. This paper paves a promising way for the temperature compensation of resonant pressure sensors.