Uncertainty evaluation in dithered ADC-based instruments

In this paper, the complex technique of dithering is used to reduce the effect of noise and to increase the ADC resolution. After identification and examination of both the dithered quantization and the dithered noise, formulae for evaluating the uncertainty of measurements (direct and indirect) performed by means of an ADC-based device (without and with dither) are presented. The work is intended to suggest clearly a general, operational and “engineer-like” way of writing and interpreting the uncertainty specifications of ADCs.