C h a p t e r 3
SENSING ACCURACY FOR
OPTIMAL COMFORT
A prestigious museum discovered that
its million-dollar art collection was slowly
deteriorating despite a state-of-the-
art climate control system. The mystery
unfolded when engineers found their
humidity sensors—the guardians of
priceless artifacts—had drifted so far
from calibration that the system was
creating the exact conditions it was
designed to prevent. Meanwhile, across
town, a similar museum using sensors
with long-term stability had maintained
perfect environmental conditions for
over a decade without a single calibration
visit. The difference between preserving
cultural treasures and watching
them crumble often comes down to
understanding why sensors lose accuracy
over time.
Why Environmental Sensors Fail
in Buildings
Understanding sensor degradation
reveals the material science challenges
that building automation systems must
overcome. Environmental sensors rely on
materials that change properties when
exposed to target conditions. Over time,
these materials experience irreversible
changes from chemical exposure and
mechanical stress that gradually shift
sensor response characteristics away
from factory calibration curves.
Jeffery Tucker
CEM, CMVP, Industrial Field Application Engineer,
Americas Region, Amphenol Sensors
What sets us apart is not
just sensor accuracy, but
how seamlessly our solutions
integrate with industrial
control systems across diverse
automation platforms."
15
Industrial-Grade Building Automation: Rugged, Reliable, Smart
