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Tilt Sensor also known as inclinometer, inclinometer, tilt sensor level and inclination meter, is often used in the measurement of horizontal angle change of the system. The level from the simple bubble level in the past to the present electronic level is the result of the development of automation and electronic measurement technology. As a detection tool, the inclination sensor has become an indispensable important measurement tool in the fields of bridge erection, railway laying, civil engineering, oil drilling, aviation and navigation, industrial automation, intelligent platform, mechanical processing and so on. The electronic level meter is a very accurate measuring tool for small angles. It can be used to measure the inclination of the measured plane relative to the horizontal position, the parallelism and perpendicularity of the two parts.

Inclination sensors can be used to measure the change in inclination relative to a horizontal plane. The theory is based on Newton’s second law, which states that, according to the basic laws of physics, inside a system, velocity cannot be measured, but acceleration can be measured. If the initial velocity is known, the linear velocity can be calculated by integration, and the linear displacement can then be calculated. So it’s really an acceleration sensor that uses the principle of inertia. When the tilt sensor is at rest, that is, there is no acceleration on the side or in the vertical direction, only the acceleration of gravity is acting on it. The angle between the vertical axis of gravity and the sensitive axis of the acceleration sensor is the inclination angle. A general sense of angle sensor is static or quasi-static measurement, once has the external acceleration, then the acceleration measured acceleration which outside acceleration, chip, so the angle of the calculation is not accurate, so, now commonly used way is to increase the mems gyroscope chip, and USES the priority of kalman filtering algorithm. Acceleration 3 axes, gyroscope 3 axes, all products here are also called 6 axis or VG (vertical gyro).

With the development of MEMS technology, inertial sensor components have become one of the most successful and widely used MEMS components in the past few years, and micro accelerometer is an outstanding representative of inertial sensor components. As the most mature inertial sensor applications, MEMS accelerometers now have a very high degree of integration, that is, the sensing system and interface lines are integrated on a chip. The tilt sensor integrates the MCU, MEMS accelerometer, analog-to-digital conversion circuit, and communication unit all on a very small circuit board. Can directly output angle and other oblique data, so that people more convenient to use it. Its characteristic is: silicon micromechanical sensor measurement (MEMS) with horizontal plane as the reference plane of 2 axis tilt change. The output angle is based on the level and the datum can be recalibrated. Data output, interface forms including RS232, RS485 and customizable and other ways.Strong ability to resist external electromagnetic interference.

Difference between single axis and 2 axis tilt sensor

The number of mounted axes of inclination sensors can be classified into single axis and 2 axis types. We often say that the inclination sensor generally refers to a single axis of the inclination sensor, and the single axis refers to the central axis around the instrument when measuring the angle, or a certain direction. The 2 axis inclination sensor is a measurement tool designed for the size of the angle between two directions on the basis of the single axis in combination with the specific practical requirements. Angle sensor can be installed in horizontal and vertical, according to the different installation way, single axis and 2 axis angle sensor measurement of angle is different also, 2 axis flip and pitching angle can be measured, and the single axis can only be measured when choosing horizontal angle and pitching angle, if single shaft when choosing vertical installation can only measure turn angle, pitching angle not optional. Dual-axis inclinometer has the measurement advantages of single axis inclinometer, and has the measurement effect that single axis inclinometer can’t achieve at the same time, and has a wider measurement range.

By directly measuring the acceleration of the measured object, the 2 axis inclination sensor can obtain the linear velocity of the object through integral operation, and then the displacement of the object can be obtained further. Fundamentally, the inclination sensor is still an inertial sensor, which follows the inertial law of object motion and integral calculation method. 2 axis sensors are designed based on this basic principle, in addition to other measuring principles and measuring methods. The 2 axis inclination sensor shares two sensitive axes, which are X axis and Y axis. When the sensitive axis is perpendicular to the direction of gravity, the output change value caused by each tilt of one degree is larger. When the sensitive axis is at an angle of 45 degrees to the direction of gravity, the change value caused by each time is small. When the two are nearly parallel, each offset hardly causes any change in the output. According to this principle, the 2 axis inclination sensor can measure more types of objects and measure more types of angles, greatly improving the measurement efficiency. The 2 axis inclination sensor can basically fulfill the measurement requirements of the single axis inclination sensor.

In addition, the 2 axis inclination sensor can measure the angle of an irregular-shaped object, which can be determined by the angle difference between the two directions. In addition, multiple measurements of the same object from different directions and angles and then the mean value can be measured to get a more accurate angle, which greatly improves the measurement accuracy. The second point is that the 2 axis tilt sensor can measure both the roll angle and the pitch angle of the object. When the X axis and Y axis are perpendicular to the direction of gravity, the two angles obtained at this time are respectively the roll angle and pitch angle of the measured object. Simultaneity of 2 axis inclination sensor can reduce the error caused by separate measurement, which is the key function of 2 axis inclination sensor. However, the accuracy of the 2 axis inclinometer is not as good as that of the single axis inclinometer, which needs to be improved.

Difference between tilt sensor and gyroscope

Gyroscope is an angular motion detection equipment that uses the moment of momentum of a high-speed rotating body to sensitive the shell relative to the inertial space around one or two axes orthogonal to the rotation axis. Gyroscope varieties are many, according to the use of points, it can be divided into sensing gyroscope and indicating gyroscope. Sensor gyroscope is used as a sensor of horizontal, straight, pitch, course and angular velocity in the automatic control system of flying body motion. Indicator gyroscope is mainly used for indication of flight condition, as the appearance of control and navigation. Gyroscopes are piezoelectric gyroscopes, micro-mechanical gyroscopes, fiber optic gyroscopes and laser gyroscopes, which are all electronic, and they can work with accelerometers, reluctance chips, GPS, to make inertial navigation control system.

The tilt sensor senses the angle of inclination deviation, only data feedback but no command feedback.

The gyroscope measures the angular velocity, senses the action variable, and then controls the steering gear to carry out the repair action command.

The tilt sensor uses Newton’s second law as its working principle. According to the law, we know that when the inclination sensor is stationary, because the side of the object and the vertical direction are affected by other forces, only the action of gravity, that is to say, it acts on the all it has on it is the acceleration of gravity. Therefore, the resulting angle between the vertical axis of gravity and the sensitive axis of the acceleration sensor is what we call the inclination angle, which is the angle we seek.

Tilt sensors are divided into three different working principles and are divided into three types. The first type of inclination sensor is the solid pendulum type, the second type of inclination sensor is called the liquid pendulum type, and the last type of inclination sensor is the gas pendulum type. The working principles of these three different types of inclination sensors will be different. Because of their different working principles, they will have different advantages and disadvantages.

No matter which type of tilt sensor it is, it will be substantially different from a gyroscope. Like inclination sensors, no matter which type it is, it measures the inclination angle at rest. Compared with the inclination sensor, the gyroscope measures the inclination in motion, and the measurement result of the inclination in static is not accurate. So when we measure the inclination in our daily life, whether to choose the inclination sensor or the gyroscope, we can choose according to this essential difference. If the inclination is measured at rest, then the inclination sensor must be selected, and the inclination in motion is measured, and of course the gyroscope is selected. The specific differences are summarized as follows:

1.Different definitions

The gyroscope is an angular motion detection device that uses the momentum moment-sensitive shell of a high-speed revolving body relative to the inertial space around one or two axes that are orthogonal to the axis of rotation. There are many varieties of gyroscopes, which can be divided into sensing gyroscopes and indicating gyroscopes according to their uses. The ER-MG2-022 is a single-axis MEMS angular rate sensor (gyroscope) capable of measuring angular velocity up to a maximum of ±100°/s with digital output compliant to SPI slave mode 3 protocol. Angular rate data is presented as a 24-bit word, intended for north seeking applications. An advanced, differential sensor design rejects the influence of linear acceleration, enabling the ER-MG2-022 to operate in exceedingly harsh environments where shock and vibration are present.

The sensor gyroscope is used in the automatic control system of the flying body movement, as a horizontal, vertical, pitch, heading and angular velocity sensor. The indicating gyroscope is mainly used for the indication of the flying condition, and is used as a driving and piloting surface.

2.Different functions

The tilt sensor measures the inclination of all stops. Compared with the inclination sensor, the gyroscope measures the inclination angle during the movement, and the measurement result of the inclination angle in the static state is inaccurate. The gyroscope is not a measuring device, but an auxiliary device. Just like the tank barrel, in order to allow the tank to shoot accurately during the trek, a gyroscope is installed to automatically control the viewpoint of the barrel.

3.Different applications

The tilt sensor is often used for the level measurement of the system. From the working principle, it can be divided into three types of inclination sensors: “solid pendulum”, “liquid pendulum” and “gas pendulum”. The inclination sensor can also be used to measure the inclination relative to the horizontal plane. The amount of change.

The gyroscope sensor was originally used on the helicopter model, and it has been widely used in mobile portable devices such as mobile phones. Not only that, the modern gyroscope is an instrument that can accurately determine the orientation of moving objects, so the gyroscope Sensors are essential controls in modern aviation, marine, aerospace and defense industrial applications.

Tilt sensors measure bridge deflection is applicable to the deflection test of any bridge span length at any position, and belongs to the field of bridge detection technology, in particular, it relates to a high-precision and high-efficiency bridge deflection test method in the process of bridge detection.

Background technique

In bridge testing, it is necessary to measure the deflection of the bridge, and the accuracy of the deflection measurement data is directly related to the assessment of the bridge state. Meanwhile, the timeliness of the bridge testing is required. Therefore, in the process of bridge inspection, the high precision and high efficiency bridge deflection testing system is very important. In the prior art, the field test of bridge deflection generally adopts the following methods: 1.Optical measuring instruments such as level are used to measure bridge deflection. Although the operation is simple, the measurement accuracy is low, and the measurement results are greatly affected by human influence and interference, which cannot be applied to the test of bridge dynamic deflection and the error is large. 2.The use of dial meters, dial meters and other displacement meters to test the bridge deflection, the scaffolding needs to be set up below the beam body, so as to install the deflection test instrument on the scaffold, but in the scaffolding under the bridge, there is a complex process, time-consuming and laborious, and higher scaffolding has a greater safety risk, its own shaking and uneven settlement at the bottom will affect the test results of bridge deflection. 3.The use of photoelectric image principle, through the acquisition of image signals, the use of data processing method, to obtain the deflection value of the bridge, its working principle is complex, image data acquisition is limited by weather, light and other specific conditions, data processing is complex, and the cost is high, the accuracy is low, the actual operability is poor. 4.Based on the principle of connecting pipe, the deflection of bridge is directly measured according to the change of liquid level in the open connecting pipe. This method is simple in principle, but due to the viscous resistance between liquid and pipe wall and the capillary action between water and pipe wall, the test accuracy is not high, and it cannot be applied to the test of dynamic deflection of bridge.

Therefore, the existing bridge deflection testing device has the following defects: 1.Low test accuracy and large error; 2.The test device installation is complicated, the data collection is more complicated, the labor cost is high, the work efficiency is low; 3.It cannot be applied to the detection of dynamic deflection of Bridges and the deflection of bridges across large rivers and grand canyon.

How do inclinometer measure bridge deflection?

Tilt sensor measurement of bridge deflection is a bridge deflection test method based on dip angle, which converts the dip angle change of bridge section into the change of bridge deflection. In other words, the inclinometers is arranged in 5 sections of the bridge to measure the angle of section. The (electrical) signal of the change of dip angle is timely transmitted to the acquisition system through signal cables, and the mathematical relationship formula between bridge deflection and dip angle is calculated by using the dip angle value of section. And then calculate the deflection at any one position.

For example, if we want to measure the deflection of a bridge at any position, we place an ER-TS-4258CU current type biaxial tilt sensor at this position of the bridge, so that the tilt sensor of the 5 sections can be measured, and the signal of the inclinometer change is transmitted to the data acquisition system in real time through the current. We can use the dip value measured by the tilt sensor of the section arrangement to calculate the mathematical relationship between the deflection and the dip angle of the bridge, and then calculate the deflection that needs to be measured at the bridge position.

The disturbance is, in layman’s terms, the amount of deformation. The disturbance of the steel structure such as the cantilever beam should meet the corresponding specifications. The deformation should not be too large, and the formula of the material mechanics can be used for calculation. The deflection of the bridge has a corresponding relationship with the corner angle of the section. The deflection of the bridge can be measured by a double-axis inclination sensor mounted on the bridge. The method uses the structural finite element model to calculate the deflection curve of the unit load acting at different positions. The deflection curve is used as the reference displacement mode, and the true deflection is the linear combination of the reference displacement modes. The combination coefficient is determined by using the minimum inclination test data. The method of two-square fitting effectively reduces the influence of test errors.

Summary: The tilt sensor measure bridge deflection is easy to operate and the test data are accurate, the measurement efficiency is high, and the performance is stable and reliable, and it is not affected by the change of bridge structure form and bridge section. It can solve the problems such as the difficulty of deflection testing and the poor accuracy of measurement data of bridges spanning large rivers and grand canyon.

The working principle of inclinometer

Let me briefly introduce the inclinometer commonly used in petroleum logging, which is a kind of in-situ monitoring instrument for measuring the dip angle and azimuth of borehole. The required data can be obtained through all kinds of sensor components in the survey sensor, and then the data can be recorded from the high-temperature memory to obtain the relevant azimuth angle, dip angle, temperature data, depth, tool face angle and other parameters that engineers want to know, so as to determine the specific situation of the drilling.

In foreign countries, inclinometer has been used for position monitoring in earth dam, roadbed, slope and tunnel and other geotechnical engineering since 1950s. Our country began to introduce inclinometer sensors from the United States, Japan, Britain and other foreign countries and monitor some important geotechnical engineering in the 1980s. In order to better develop the exploration of oil, coal, offshore oil well development of China’s research and development in this area is also as a large project to carry out, and some related research institutions developed resistance strain type, accelerometer type and electronic meter type and other intelligent inclinometer.

Up to now, various inclinometers have been widely used in the fields of water conservancy and hydropower, mineral metallurgy, transportation and geotechnical engineering for urban construction, and have played an important role in ensuring the safety of geotechnical engineering design, construction and use.

Inclinometer application fileds: borehole survey, foundation pit, foundation, wall, dam slope, oil field logging, marine logging exploration, coal mine exploration, etc.

How does the inclinometer work?

Working principle of inclinometer when measuring angle probe from bottom to top in the dip tube piecewise sliding when measuring, the probe’s sensor is sensitive to reflect the dip tube in the angle changes in the depth of each segment, and then according to the tilt angle and the horizontal displacement at different elevation of the incremental, from the bottom of the dip tube station began to piecewise accumulative, can get the horizontal displacement at any height, when the inclinometer observation, in order to eliminate and reduce the zero drift and assembly error of the instrument, the data should be measured and read once in the positive direction of displacement and in the opposite direction after the probe turns 180 degrees, and the algebraic average value of the measured data in the positive and negative directions should be taken as the measurement value of inclination.

Designed based on the principle ER-TS-12200-Modbus high precision wireless transmission tilt senor is a wireless inclination sensor with ultra-low power consumption, small size and high performance, which is aimed at the industrial application of users without power supply or real-time dynamic measurement of object attitude angle. Powered by lithium battery, based on Internet of things technology Bluetooth and ZigBee (optional) wireless transmission technology, all internal circuits have been optimized and designed, and various measures such as industrial MCU, three proof PCB board, imported cable, wide temperature metal shell are adopted to improve the industrial level of the product. With good long-term stability and small zero drift, it can automatically enter the low-power sleep mode, so as to get rid of the dependence on the use environment.

The product has compact structure, precise design, re compensation for temperature and linearity, and integrated comprehensive protection functions such as short circuit, instantaneous high voltage, polarity, surge, etc. It is simple and convenient to use. The wireless digital signal transmission method eliminates the cumbersome wiring and noise interference caused by long cable transmission; The industrial design has extremely high measurement accuracy and anti-interference ability. The wireless sensor nodes can form a huge wireless network, support thousands of measuring points to monitor the inclination at the same time, and support professional computer software. Without field survey, it can measure and record the state of the measured object in real time; The safety monitoring system is suitable for remote real-time monitoring and analysis of industrial sites, dilapidated houses, ancient buildings, civil engineering, tilt deformation of various towers and other needs.

Classification of angles

Angle measurement is an important part of geometric measurement. Plane angle according to the spatial position of the plane can be divided into: horizontal angle (or azimuth angle) in the horizontal plane, vertical right angle (or inclination angle) in the vertical plane, space angle is the synthesis of horizontal angle and vertical right angle; According to the range can be divided into circular indexing angle and small angle; According to the nominal value can be divided into fixed angle and arbitrary angle; According to the component unit can be divided into line angle and plane angle; According to the formation method, it can be divided into fixed angle and dynamic angle. Fixed angle refers to the angle of components processed or assembled, and the angular position of the instrument when it is restored to static state after rotation. Dynamic angle refers to the angle of the object or system in the process of motion, such as the angle of the satellite orbit to the earth’s equatorial plane, the axis angle drift when the spindle of the precision equipment rotates, and the real-time angle signal output when the angle measuring equipment moves at a certain angular speed and angular acceleration.

What is another name for a tilt sensor

Tilt sensor is also known as the inclinometer, inclination sensor, level inclinometer, often used in the measurement of the horizontal angle change of the system, the level from the simple bubble level in the past to the electronic level is the result of the development of automation and electronic measurement technology. As a testing tool, it has become an indispensable and important measuring tool in bridge construction, railway laying, civil engineering, oil drilling, aviation and navigation, industrial automation, intelligent platform, mechanical processing and other fields. Electronic level is a very accurate measuring small angle detection tool, it can be used to measure the inclination of the measured plane relative to the horizontal position, the degree of parallelism between the two components and the degree of perpendicularity.

The basic principle of tilt sensor (inclinometer)

how does tilt sensor works

The theory is based on Newton’s second law: according to the basic principles of physics, inside a system, velocity cannot be measured, but acceleration can be measured. If the initial speed is known, the line speed can be calculated by integrating, and then the linear displacement can be calculated, so it is actually an acceleration sensor using the principle of inertia. When the tilt sensor is at rest, that is, there is no acceleration in the side and vertical directions, then the only force acting on it is the acceleration of gravity. The angle between the vertical axis of gravity and the sensitive axis of the acceleration sensor is the angle of inclination. The tilt sensor in the general sense is static measurement or quasi-static measurement, once there is external acceleration, then the acceleration measured by the acceleration chip contains the external acceleration, so the calculated angle is not accurate, therefore, the common practice is to increase the mems gyro chip, and adopt the preferred Kalman filter algorithm. The ER-TS-3260VO‘s built-in (MEMS) solid pendulum can measure changes in the static gravity field, convert them into changes in inclination, and output them through voltage (0~10V, 0~5V optional), so that the calculated angle is quite accurate.

Use

Tilt sensors are used in a variety of applications to measure angles. For example, high-precision laser instrument level, engineering machinery equipment leveling, long-distance ranging instruments, high-altitude platform safety protection, orientation satellite communication antenna elevation measurement, ship navigation attitude measurement, shield pipe application, dam detection, geological equipment tilt monitoring, artillery barrel initial launch angle measurement, radar vehicle platform detection, satellite communication vehicle attitude detection and so on.

Application example

Used in tower cranes

The inclination sensor is the main part of the anti-overturning monitoring instrument of tower crane. The function of the inclination sensor is to measure the angle of the tower tilt in real time. Since the tilt angle at the top of the tower is very small, the sampling frequency of the tilt sensor should be within the range of 0.5-10Hz, the measurement accuracy is higher than 0.05 degrees, and the noise caused by the vibration of the tower should be filtered out to ensure reliable communication and accurate judgment. The accuracy of the ER-TS-3160VO Voltage Single Axis Tilt Meter is 0.01 degrees, which is obviously higher than 0.05 degrees, and it is suitable for the tilt monitoring in this case.

Different concept

Tilt sensor is a tool for measuring various angle changes. It is usually divided into single axis, dual axis, wireless transmission tilt sensors, etc.

Acceleration sensor is a device that can measure acceleration force. The accelerating force is the force that acts on an object as it accelerates, just like the Earth’s gravity, which is gravity. The accelerating force can be a constant, like g, or it can be a variable. There are two kinds of accelerometers: one is an angular accelerometer, which is modified by a gyroscope (angular velocity sensor). The other is a linear accelerometer.

Different working principles

Tilt sensors are based on Newton’s second law: according to the basic principles of physics, inside a system, velocity cannot be measured, but acceleration can be measured. If the initial speed is known, the line speed can be calculated by integrating, and then the linear displacement can be calculated, so it is actually an acceleration sensor using the principle of inertia. For example, the ER-TS-3168CU tilt sensor, which uses the principle of inertia and built-in accelerometer, can measure the angular speed at rest, and can calculate the line speed through integration, which can accurately compensate and correct the temperature error and linear error. It has the characteristics of high precision, small size, high packaging process, strong impact resistance, anti-vibration ability, built-in anti-RF, anti-electromagnetic interference circuit, etc., especially suitable for the application of underground trenchless machinery and other harsh industrial environment. When the tilt sensor is stationary, that is, there is no acceleration in the side and vertical directions, then there is only gravity acceleration acting on it, and the angle between the vertical axis of gravity and the sensitive axis of the acceleration sensor is the tilt angle. The ER-TS-12200-Modbus wireless inclination sensor can directly measure the inclination Angle of the carrier when it is stationary. It has the characteristics of ultra-low power consumption, small size and high performance, and is suitable for remote real-time monitoring and analysis of the needs of industrial sites, dangerous houses, ancient buildings, civil engineering, and various towers’ inclination deformation.

The working principle of the accelerometer: The accelerometer is composed of an upper capacitor, a middle capacitor board (movable), and a lower capacitor board. When the acceleration reaches a certain value, the middle capacitor plate will move, and the distance from the upper and lower capacitor plates will change, and the upper and lower capacitors will therefore change. The capacitance change is proportional to the acceleration. After the output voltage is digitally processed, the digital signal is output.

Different application areas

As a kind of detection tool, inclination sensor has become an indispensable and important measurement tool in bridge erection, railway laying, civil engineering, oil drilling, aviation and navigation, industrial automation, intelligent platform, machining and other fields.

tilt sensor for bridge erection

Accelerometers can be used in steel mast structures, Bridges or building structures. It can also be used to protect hard drives from damage, as well as in medical and sports equipment, cameras and camcorders, smartphones, remote controls, controllers and navigation systems.

Conclusion: The inclination sensor is the MCU, MEMS accelerometer (MEMS accelerometer is only one component of the inclination sensor integrated circuit board), analog-to-digital conversion circuit, and communication unit are all integrated on a very small circuit board, which can directly output Angle tilt data, so that people can use it more conveniently.