provided by: Design NewsInclinometers are gaining popularity, mainly because a new breed of them are incorporating solid-state electronics. Offering smaller size than their pendulum-based predecessors, the new MEMS-based (microelectromechanical systems-based) versions are changing the designs of machine tools, solar collectors, biomechanics measurement devices and a wide variety of other systems that need to know tilt angle.
"Inclinometers can be used in any kind of rotating joint assembly, whenever you have to know the angle of inclination of the joint," says Jim Stevens, chief engineer for U.S. Digital, a maker of inclinometers.
U.S. Digital and other manufacturers of the devices say solid-state electronics are enabling users to measure tilt angle in applications that couldn't have been measured previously. MicroStrain Inc., for example, recently used one of its inclinometers in the Fox television show "Sport Science," to measure angular rotation of a soccer player's leg during a kick. Makers of solar power systems are also employing the technology to optimize the tilt angle of their collectors with respect to the sun.
"There's growing interest in the solid-state products because they fit better in so many applications," Stevens says. "We're getting hits on this type of product from all over the world."
Here, we've gathered new inclinometer designs from Analog Devices, MicroStrain and U.S. Digital. All three offer the smaller size of MEMS-based solid-state electronics, thus enabling engineers to squeeze them into a new breed of applications requiring tilt angle measurements.
- U.S. Digital's Dual-Axis InclinometerCharles J. Murray
U.S. Digital's X3Q dual-axis absolute inclinometer uses MEMS technology to sense tilt angles over an entire 360 degree range. It has three different mounting orientations, in any resolution between 1 to 9,000 CPR, and offers a selectable damping value to suit a customer's needs. The unit's "absolute quadrature" employs standard quadrature signals to provide absolute data. Typical applications include heavy construction equipment, dredging machinery, mining equipment, solar farms and warehouse automation systems. http://rbi.ims.ca/5697-584
- Analog Devices' Tiny Tilt SensorCharles J. Murray
ADI's ADIS16209 programmable dual-mode inclinometer is said to be 100 times smaller than other functionally equivalent tilt sensors. The MEMS-based device provides a fully compensated direct angle output with less than 0.1-degree linear inclination error. This is due to the addition of an embedded controller, which uses factory-installed calibration coefficients to dynamically sense the system environment and compensate the output to account for changes in voltage, temperature, angle and other variables. The new sensor, which rolled out Oct. 22, is targeted at a diverse set of industrial applications, including surveying equipment, factory machine tools, satellite antenna stabilization systems, motion safety monitors and automotive wheel alignment. http://rbi.ims.ca/5697-585
- MicroStrain's Wireless Orientation Sensor and IMUCharles J. Murray
MicroStrain's Inertia Link wireless inertial sensor suite includes three orthogonal rate gyroscopes, three orthogonal accelerometers, a microprocessor, data logger and RF transceiver. The sensor provides user adjustable sampling rates and digital output rates. It supports a variety of communications, including wireless IEEE802.15.4, USB, RS-232/485 and CANbus. The unit is designed to enable smarter machines and robots, especially those with a need to sense their own angular position and to estimate their transient linear displacements. http://rbi.ims.ca/5697-586
author: By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics
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