UNCERTAINTY ESTIMATION BASED ON REPEATED OBSERVATIONS OF A POPULATION OF INSTRUMENTS

摘要

Calibration is the establishment of a relationship between a reference to a device under test (DUT). This forms the basis for metrological traceability. The uncertainty associated with the measurement establishes a technical requirement that characterizes the dispersion of the values that could reasonably be attributed to the measurand and is used for characterizing the quality of a measurement result. The process of verification is completed when the determination is made that the measurement result fulfills the technical requirement. In the case of measurement and test equipment (M&TE), the manufacturer sets the technical requirement that communicates to users a range of performance that may be expected with reasonable confidence. This paper explores the similarities and differences between a standard uncertainty as described in the JCGM 100:2008 and a manufacturer's specification when the history of compliance testing results is taken into consideration. It has been suggested in certain cases where compliance to specifications is asserted, it can be sufficient to report only the historical reliability which encompasses all uncertainties as well as the intrinsic variability of the process. Consideration of metrological traceability [1] is addressed, where verification of compliance with the stated specification is asserted without direct knowledge of the measurement uncertainty.