Data Acquisition Means and Methods

Gathering of information from sensors and transducers. Converting, processing, logging and transmitting of data to the user of the information. Architectures of data acquisition and distribution systems. Measurement as information and data acquisition. Integrity of measurement, computation, data communication and control. Information and uncertainty: amount of information, entropy, noise and measurement errors. Data transmission, capacity of communication channel. Analog signal conditioning for digitising. Principles of digitising: sampling, quantising, encoding. Methods and key-problems of digitsing. Analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion of signals, types of A/D and D/A converters. Means and algorithms for digital processing of signals and measurement data. Real-time data acquisition and measuring systems. Software environments, graphical programming (LabView), virtual instruments (VI). Personal area measuremnt networks, local/regional area data acquisition networks. Internet based and mobile data acquisition systems.

NB! This course will take place in autumn semester 2026/2027 which starts on 31st of August and ends on 24th of January (you can find that information under start date section). TalTech's timetables for autumn semester 2026 will be published at the end of June via tunniplaan.taltech.ee.

Having finished the study of the subject a student has to be able:

• to estimate functional parameters and characteristics of the electronic means used in data acquisition systems.
• to find suitable solutions of circuit design and technical realisation for the electronic means and subsystems used in data acquisition systems.
• to implement data acquisition systems in engineering/industry and scientific experiments.

Final assessment can consist of one test/assignment or several smaller assignments completed during the whole course. After declaring a course the student can re-sit the exam/assessment once. Assessment can be graded or non-graded. For specific information about the assessment process please get in touch with the contact person of this course. For specific information about grade transfer please contact your home university

Student should have very good bachelor level understanding of the basics in electronics, signal processing, communication and relevant parts of mathematics and physics. If required, the student should take individual steps to get fluent with basics. Some keywords: Kirchhoff’s laws, Ideal and real sources, Equivalent circuits, Linear time-invariant systems, Superposition, Bode plots, Nyquist plots, Logarithms, Complex numbers, Polynomials, Trigonometry, Transforms, and more.

• Põhiõpik / Core Textbook:
• A. van Putten. Electronic Measurement Systems: Theory & Practice. IOP Publishing, 1996 (2nd ed).
• Täiendav kirjandus / Additional Literature:
• P.H. Sydenham, R. Thorn (editors). Handbook of Measurement System Design. Wiley, 2005.

lectures, practices, exercises