Since the mid-20th century, with the emergence of automatic control theory and the maturation of automatic control technology, digital instruments based on A/D (analog-to-digital) conversion components have developed rapidly.
Driven by the rapid development and maturation of computers, communications, software, new materials, and new technologies, artificial intelligence and online measurement and control have become feasible, propelling instruments toward intelligence, virtualization, and networking.
Digital instruments, intelligent instruments, PC-based instruments, virtual instruments, and networked instruments represent the mainstream and direction of modern scientific instrument development in the 20th century.
During the "12th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) prioritized sensors and intelligent instrumentation as key elements in driving the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, providing support for their R&D and industrialization through relevant resources.
Digitization serves as the foundation for intelligent, PC-based, and virtual instruments, and is a prerequisite for integrating computer technology into measuring instruments. It is widely applied in areas such as electronic digital computers, numerical control technology, communication equipment, and digital instrumentation-examples include ENIAC (the world's first electronic digital computer), Aistar metallographic microscopes, stereomicroscopes, and X-ray inspection machines.
Intelligent Instruments
Intelligent instruments are standalone devices formed by embedding a microcomputer system into a digital electronic measuring instrument.
The embedded computer system can be at the chip level (e.g., microcontrollers, Digital Signal Processors/DSPs), the module level (e.g., PC-4), or the system level (e.g., microcomputer systems, Systems on a Programmable Chip/SOPCs).
Intelligent instruments feature a self-contained structure; some include dedicated microcomputer systems and General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB) interfaces, enabling them to perform tests independently. Thanks to the integration of computer technology, these instruments offer powerful functions, superior performance, and flexible, convenient operation, making them the mainstay of high-end electronic instrumentation today. Examples of modern precision testing instruments utilizing intelligent technology include ionic contamination testers, pin-insertion machines, dual-disk lapping machines, peel strength testers, and pull-off strength testers; nano-intelligent robots serve as another example.
With continuous advancements in new technologies, manufacturing processes, and embedded systems, intelligent instruments continue to evolve, innovate, and achieve higher levels of intelligence.
