Thread Content
Apparatus or equipment capable of detecting, measuring, observing, and calculating various physical quantities, material compositions, and material property parameters. They can also have functions such as automatic control, alarm signaling, signal transmission, and data processing; devices like pneumatic control instruments, electric control instruments, as well as distributed control system instruments all fall under the category of measuring instruments. In scientific research experiments, precision testing systems, automatic detection and control systems, as well as various management automation systems, instruments and meters are important technical tools. The large instrumentation industry encompasses more than 20 specialized categories, including electrical instruments, electronic measuring instruments, analytical instruments, industrial automation instruments, optical instruments, timing instruments, navigation and guidance instruments, testing machines, laboratory instruments, general-purpose instrumentation components, instruments for agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries, geological and seismic instruments, meteorological, oceanographic, hydrological, and astronomical instruments, nuclear instruments, medical instruments and equipment, measuring instruments for standard transmission, weighing devices, marine instruments, automotive instruments, and other general-purpose instruments. Classified by the main target users and application areas of the products, the instrumentation industry is generally divided into four categories: instruments and systems for measurement and control in production processes, scientific testing instruments, specialized instruments, and instrument materials and components. In China, the instrumentation industry is primarily focused on the development and production of general-purpose instruments and equipment for mechanical systems. The Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as agencies related to pharmaceuticals, along with industries such as metallurgy, petrochemicals, light industry, coal, electricity generation, surveying and mapping, and the arms, aerospace, aviation, and shipbuilding sectors, are all involved in the development and production of various specialized instruments and equipment ； Among them, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (scientific testing instruments), the Ministry of Information Industry (communications and electronic measurement instruments), the arms, shipbuilding, and aerospace systems sectors (military-related products), the light industry sector (weighing instruments), and the **Medical Bureau (medical instruments and equipment) have relatively strong capabilities. 1. Internationally, instruments and meters represent a separate industry and product sector; they do not fall under the category of machinery nor electronics, and this sector also includes the watch industry. 2. According to industry administrative classifications, in China, industries such as film machinery, cameras, and copiers – which are cultural and office equipment – have long been classified under the instrumentation industry. 3. With the development of computers, their use in various measurement and control devices is becoming increasingly widespread. In particular, computers and their software used in control systems are subject to industry classifications and policy incentives.