A GPS-Synchronized Traveling Standard for the Calibration of Distributed Measuring Systems

This paper deals with a traveling standard that has been specifically designed for calibrating distributed measuring systems. A core architecture is firstly proposed that provides the basic functionalities that are necessary to perform the calibration of such kind of systems. These basic functionalities are networking and processing capabilities, that allow a traveling standard to be remotely controlled, and synchronization capability among different standards, in order to stimulate the measuring sites of a distributed system with precise timing. A prototype is also described that has been developed for calibrating distributed systems that monitor the mains power-quality. The prototype is essentially an arbitrary signal generator, which provides voltage and current signals and embeds the basic capabilities of the core architecture. Preliminary experimental results are also reported that refer to metrological behavior and synchronization capability of the developed prototype.