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The authors have recently developed a number of instruments for measuring harmonic composition of power grid signals. These instruments have a simple, predominantly digital architecture and they are based on an assumption that the frequency of the measured signals equals its nominal value (50 Hz, 60 Hz or 400 Hz). This approach has enabled the measurement of a high number of harmonics within a single period. However, the internal oscillator in the instrument generates the nominal frequency and cannot adapt to frequency changes in the input signal. This paper presents a method for the improvement of the operation of the developed instruments in cases when the fundamental frequency drifts from its nominal value as is the case with real power grid signals. Based on this method, modified versions of the harmonic measurement instruments have been developed. A comparison of the measurement error with and without the application of the proposed method is presented in the paper.

Newly developed type of stochastic A/D converters is presented and the influence of dither performances on its limit precision is analyzed. A class of high quality random number generators for short-interval measurements is introduced and the reduction of difference between theoretical and simulated values of error was established.

No abstract

Accurate measurement of electrocardiograms (ECG) is critical for effective diagnosis of patient’s cardiac functions. Detailed examination of filters’ effects on ECG accuracy, reproducibility and robustness covering a wide range of available commercial products can provide valuable information on the relationship between quality and effectiveness of filters, and assessments of patients’ cardiac functions. In this study, ECG device with 12 leads and built-in filters used for ECG measurements was assessed on human volunteers. Results showed that with respect to measuring QRS wave duration and R-amplitude variation, there was a 4 % inaccuracy when the main filter was ON and OFF, and R-amplitude variation was most pronounced in the V4 lead. Accordingly, variability of R-amplitude and length of QRS wave can be reduced by the use of appropriate lead, and filter activation during the ECG assessment.