In this contribution a multi-sensor measuring system is presented. With this measurement system comparative measurements using five different surface measurement sensors are performed under identical conditions in a single set-up. The presented measurement results show different transfer behaviour of each sensor and indicate unique advantages for tactile and optical sensors. Comparative measuring enables the investigation of measurement deviations and helps to improve appropriate techniques.

Predictions about systems too complex for physical modeling can be made nowadays with data-based models. Our software DAV³E is an easy way to extract relevant features from cyclic raw data, a process often neglected in other software packages, based on mathematical methods, incomplete physical models, or human intuition. Its graphical user interface further provides methods to fuse data from many sensors, to teach a model the prediction of new data, and to check the model’s performance.

An original platform embedding multiple sensors and an energy harvesting unit is described. It is versatile and requires little or no maintenance. Multiple platforms can be connected to a hub device in a wireless sensor network. Emphasis was put on the reduction of power consumption and on the energy harvesting unit. With the addition of a small solar panel the system can be fully autonomous indoors. Characterization of power consumption and a test in real-world operation are presented.

Optical temperature sensors offer unique features which make them indispensable for key industries such as the energy sector. However, commercially available systems are designed to perform either distributed or hot spot temperature measurements. We have combined two measurement concepts to overcome this limitation, which allow distributed temperature measurements to be performed simultaneously with read-outs of optical hot spot temperature sensors at distinct positions along a fiber.

Maritime study sites utilized as a physical experimental test bed for sensor data fusion, communication technology and data stream analysis tools can provide substantial frameworks for design and development of e-navigation technologies. Increasing safety by observation and monitoring of the maritime environment with new technologies meets forward-looking needs to facilitate situational awareness. The study highlights research potentials and foundations achieved by distributed optical sensors.

This paper presents a novel method for the detection of sensor defects. Here, the consistency between measurements of sensor groups are utilized for this method. The sensor groups are pre-determined by the structure of an existing sensor fusion algorithm, which is in turn used to determine the health of a monitored system (e.g. a machine). Defect detection results of the presented method for different test cases and the method's capability to detect a number of typical sensor defects are shown.

Strategic considerations and publications dealing with the future of industrial production are significantly influenced these days by the concept of "Industrie 4.0". For this reason the field of measurement technology for industrial production must also tackle this concept when thinking about future trends and challenges in metrology.

This study aimed to explore the potential of a multi-sensor system for assessment of biomass in pastures under different grazing intensities. Prediction accuracy with a mobile application of sensors was always lower than when sensors were applied statically. However accuracy of biomass prediction improved with increasing grazing intensity. Although the limitations associated with the system especially in very lenient pastures, the finding opens up a perspective for future grazing management.

Sensor particles with buoyancy control and position detection are presented, which are used for flow tracking in large vessels, such as biogas digesters and waste water tanks. They were tested in the realistic flows of a biogas digester. The buoyancy control allows taring for good flow tracing by the sensor particles, and it lets them float to the surface after data acquisition for easy recovery. The fluid mixing was estimated from detected passages of sensor particles at a magnetic coil.

This article describes a new qualification concept for dimensional measurements on optical measuring systems, using the example of a prototypical multi-scale multi-sensor fringe projection system for production-related inspections of sheet-bulk metal-formed parts. A new concept is developed for determining the orientations and positions of the sensors' measuring ranges in a common coordinate system. The principle element of the concept is a newly developed flexible reference artefact.