Frequency response

The frequency response of a pressure transducer is a measure of how quickly the pressure transducer can respond to changes in pressure.  There are two ways to define this: response time and flat frequency response.  Response time – sometimes called the sensor time constant – is the time, in seconds, required for a sensor signal to change from 0 to 63.2% of the full scale when the pressure sensor is exposed to an instantaneous full scale pressure change.  Response time is often used for slower pressure transducers that respond to pressure changes as a first-order system.  Knowing the time constant of the pressure transducer allows the user to calculate how the sensor signal will change in response to different applied pressure signatures during operation.

For faster pressure transducers the flat frequency parameter is a more accurate way to describe the pressure transducer frequency response.  Flat frequency is the maximum frequency, in Hz,  that the pressure sensor can pass into its signal without distortion.  This depends on the geometry and construction of the pressure sensor, the plumbing leading up to the pressure sensor, the fluid media and the output filtering of the carrier demodulator.