The Power of Eight: Multi-Range Technology Replaces up to 8 Pressure Sensors

The Limitations of Conventional Single-Range Pressure Sensors

Traditional differential pressure sensors are inherently constrained by their factory calibration. Each device is trimmed, compensated, and performance-optimized for one, and only one, pressure range. Once the range is locked at the factory, the device cannot be repurposed without sacrificing accuracy, stability, or total error band (TEB).

For engineering teams, this rigidity poses several challenges:

1. Multi-Range Systems Require Multiple Sensor SKUs

Different models or operating envelopes require different sensors. This leads to:

• Fragmented sensor sourcing
• Reduced volume purchasing efficiency
• Higher per-unit cost

2. Increased Production Complexity

Each distinct range requires its own calibration profile and manufacturing workflow:

• Additional calibration steps
• Longer test times
• More frequent production changeovers
• Higher scrap risk

3. Expanded Inventory Footprint

Supporting several pressure ranges requires carrying multiple sensor SKUs:

• Increased inventory holding costs
• Higher obsolescence risk
• Larger working capital requirements

4. Reduced Engineering Flexibility

Once a design is committed to a fixed-range sensor:

• Late-stage design tuning becomes difficult
• Rapid creation of product variants is limited
• Hardware must often be redesigned to support new operating points

From both a system design and an operations standpoint, conventional single-range pressure sensors impose structural constraints on scalability, manufacturability, and long-term product evolution.

Multi-Range™ Technology: A System-Level Breakthrough

Superior Sensor Technology’s proprietary Multi-Range™ capability, enabled by the NimbleSense™ System-in-a-Sensor architecture, overcomes these limitations by embedding range scalability directly into the sensor’s signal chain.

How Multi-Range Works (Technically)

At the core of Multi-Range is a combination of the following:

• Digitally reconfigurable gain stages
• Range-specific factory calibrations stored in nonvolatile memory
• Per-range compensation algorithms for offset, span, temperature, and linearity
• High-resolution ADC performance that preserves TEB integrity across ranges

This allows a single sensor to operate across up to eight pressure ranges, each behaving as if it were factory-optimized because it is.

No Performance Penalty Across Ranges

Unlike traditional sensors, where operating outside the primary range degrades accuracy, Multi-Range ensures:

• No increase in TEB
• No compromise in linearity
• No loss of stability
• No reduction in signal-to-noise ratio

This is achieved because the device automatically switches to a complete calibration set engineered for that specific span.

Software-Selectable Ranges

Changing pressure ranges is as simple as issuing a single software command, thereby eliminating:

• Hardware modifications
• PCB revisions
• Additional external components

This architectural flexibility significantly shortens development cycles while maintaining deterministic performance.

Figure 1:  Typical Pressure Sensor vs. Multi-Range Pressure Sensor

System-Level Advantages of Multi-Range

1. One Sensor Replaces Up to Eight Hardware Variants

With Multi-Range, a single part number supports multiple spans, for example, ±25 Pa to ±2.5 kPa, enabling a unified design architecture across an entire product family.

2. Simplified Calibration and Reduced Production Overhead

Because all calibrations are performed at the factory:

• No range-specific calibration is needed on your production line
• Test time and complexity drop
• Manufacturing yields improve

3. Increased Engineering Agility

Pressure ranges can be tuned late in the design cycle or configured per product variant:

• Rapid iteration
• Easier system optimization
• Faster time to market

4. Improved Inventory Efficiency

Standardizing on a single sensor dramatically lowers:

• SKU count
• Procurement overhead
• Inventory carrying cost
• Obsolescence exposure

5. Streamlined Product Line Strategy

Manufacturers can produce fewer hardware variants and differentiate through software:

• Fewer unique BOMs
• Lower working capital requirements
• Faster product refresh cycles

In high-mix, low-volume environments, such as medical devices or building automation, these benefits translate directly into lower operating costs and higher margins.

Multi-Range Benefits Summary

• Up to 8 selectable ranges with no degradation in accuracy or stability
• Dramatically simplified product design with one sensor replacing up to eight
• Late-stage design flexibility for pressure-range tuning
• Faster variant development without hardware changes
• Volume purchasing efficiencies
• Reduced calibration effort and lower production costs
• Up to 8× reduction in sensor inventory and obsolescence
• Lower working capital requirements due to fewer product SKUs

Figure 2:  1 Multi-Range Sensor Replaces Up To 8 ‘Ordinary’ Sensors

Availability

As a key building block of the NimbleSense architecture, Multi-Range technology is available across all Superior Sensor Technology differential pressure sensors.

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