There has been a significant growth of inclinometers/tilt sensors in commercial applications where the horizontal and vertical inclination of an object relative to gravity needs to be measured. They have gained prominence in construction, robots, thermostats, automotive security systems, video games, aircraft flight control, cameras, geophysical & structural monitoring, smartphones etc. This popularity can be subjected to the wide range of inclinometers available alongside their ease of use, simplicity, and compact size.
However, what remains a challenge is to select the ideal inclinometer that resonates with your area of application, from its wide pool of availability. These decision-making sensors are accessible in an array of specifications to meet your commercial needs across industry verticals. So, while you have a lot of options to choose from, filtering the one ideal for your need will serve your application purpose.
For instance, in mobile elevating work platforms (MEWP), safety is the prime concern driving the industry regulations to minimize fatal injuries. The basic safety requirement in MEWP is to monitor work platform height. This is achieved by using an inclinometer that provides an accurate and reliable measurement for the platform of MEWP while ensuring repeatability as its vital metric. Poor sensor performance in this area can be disastrous and lead to serious injury or even death. Therefore, an electrolytic inclinometer that delivers repeatability of less than ±0.1° and is designed to withstand the toughest environmental conditions (IP7 rating), featuring a wide operating temperature range serves the purpose well.
Reiterating the selecting guide understanding, how should you determine the ideal inclinometer based on your application needs?
There are many factors that are taken into account while selecting a tilt sensor. However, knowing the cost of high accuracy in your applications, the required longevity and durability will play a crucial role while selecting the ideal tilt sensor for your commercial needs.
Factors to consider when selecting inclinometers?
Inclinometers have become an indispensable measuring tool in the fields of railway laying, bridge erection, oil drilling, civil engineering, industrial automation, aviation and navigation, mechanical processing, intelligent platform, etc.
Due to the wide range of applications across industrial verticals, there are several key specifications to consider when exploring inclinometers to ensure that the appropriate device is used. Moreover, how well this sensor functions, when subjected to certain conditions, may be affected by several factors. Therefore, in choosing the inclinometer, the following vital factors need to be taken into account:
- Environmental protection and certifications
Ensure that the tilt sensor, inclinometer, or tilt switch you select has sufficient environmental protection, such as an IP rating. It must also have the necessary certifications and compliance, such as UL. CE, RoHS, or REACH.
- Number of axes required
The total number of axes upon which the sensor is expected to respond is vital to its selection. Different applications will require measurements of different axes. many single-axis sensors can be used only in applications when their vertical position is ensured.
Single-axes inclinometers do not indicate in a correct way the tilt within a plane, which is not vertical. Along with tilting the indication plane from the vertical position, indications of the sensor are changed which results in an additional error of detection of the tilt angle.
However, dual-axis inclinometers measure inclination on the X and Y planes (axis) and are widely used in robotics. For example, to a compass heading, a dual-axis sensor or two singles axis sensors mounted 90 degrees to each other would be required. This would allow the measurement to be made in any direction by combining the readings of both axes
- Accuracy & Resolution
An inclinometer with good resolution is able to measure the smallest of inclinations or slopes. There are several tilt sensors available with varying accuracy. For example, mechanical ball bank & bubble, MEMS are low accuracy inclinometers and are superseded by forced balanced, liquid capacitive which offer high accuracy but their large size makes them impractical for most applications. This brings electrolytic tilt sensors as the widely popular ones, with compact size, high accuracy and high durability.
- Sensitivity
An important element to consider before selecting the sensor appropriate to your application would be the sensitivity of the device. Sensitivity reflects on the ability to respond to the smallest changes. It is essential in those applications where a degree of slight inclination changes can cause major changes. For example, in high-speed trains and aeroplanes, a slight change in inclination without detection, could become the cause of a catastrophic accident.
- Operating range
The measurement range in these sensors can vary from wide (±60°), narrow (±3°) and mid-range (±25°) measurements. This determines the complete range of inclination from maximum to minimum value, that the sensor can respond to.
- Operating temperature
The operating temperature determines the permissible temperature range of the local ambient environment at which this sensor would operate. So, while selecting a tilt sensor, ensure that your application requirement demands a wide temperature range and high-temperature environmental conditions.
- Noise tolerance
Noise can cause harmonic distortions in the function of the sensor which might result in output variation and system efficiency reduction. Depending upon the application, the manufacturer’s guidelines regarding noise levels should be considered while selecting a tilt sensor.
- Vibration
Vibrations have the tendency to disrupt the sensor’s functionality. Due to this vibration resistance measurement of the tilt sensor is required, especially in applications where environmental conditions are harsh. For example, vibration in construction sites or in off-road vehicles is more and a tilt sensor should be chosen considering this element.
- Filter Frequency
Considering the wide range of inclinometers used in high-vibration industrial applications, both digital and analogue filtering comes as a selection factor to filter out any noise and vibrations. The filter frequency would determine the extent of noise that is filtered out so that it does not interfere with the accuracy and precision of the output reading.
Depending upon these factors, electrolytic tilt sensors are used in various applications such as monitoring laser levels and seismic activity, geophysical monitoring, indicating the roll of boats, vehicles and aircraft, estimating the height of a tree or building, monitoring the angle at which a mobile phone or tablet is held for the auto-rotate function etc.
