Analysing uncertainty contributions in dimensional measurements of large-size objects by ultrasound sensors

According to the ever-increasing interest in metrological systems for dimensional measurements of large-size objects in a wide range of industrial sectors, several solutions based on different technologies, working principles, architectures and functionalities have been recently designed. Among these, a distributed flexible system based on a network of low-cost ultrasound (US) sensors – the Mobile Spatial coordinate Measuring System (MScMS) – has been developed. This article presents a possible approach to assess the system uncertainty referring to the measured point coordinates in the 3D space, focusing on the sources of measurement uncertainty and the related propagation law.