Inclination sensor for dynamic applications

Vibrations, shocks, dynamic movements: The field of application of commercial vehicles is characterized by a multiplicity of environmental influences and disturbances.

Nevertheless, mobile machines must meet the highest standards of precision and reliability – and so must the sensors that are installed in them. For accurate inclination measurement in highly dynamic systems, sensor specialist SIKO presents the dynamic inclination sensor IMS360.

The dynamic inclination sensor IMS360 precisely measures the inclination in dynamic applications. Compared to static inclination sensors, the IMS360 also measures accelerations and rotation rates in all three dimensions in addition to the inclination values. The complete functionality of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) is thus available to users. The integrated Kalman filter allows disturbances, such as lateral accelerations, vibrations and shocks, to be filtered from the actual measurement signal and the stability of the measured values to be significantly improved. In addition to the variant with a Kalman filter, the inclination sensor is also available with the classic low-pass filters “Butterworth” and “critically damped”. Optionally, the IMS360 can be used as a 1-axis variant with a measuring range of 0…360° or as a 2-axis variant with a measuring range of ±90° each. An advantage: Both the number of axes and the measuring range can be configured subsequently.

Innovative sensor fusion algorithm

In order to filter out any disturbance from the inclination signal, the integrated measuring systems alone are not sufficient. For this purpose, an intelligent and efficient algorithm is required which generates a stable inclination signal by combining the collected measurement data. The IMS360 uses the integrated Kalman filter and the innovative sensor fusion algorithm to filter out the disturbances from the actual inclination signal based on the acceleration and rotation rate values. The Kalman filter used is distinguished by its high dynamics and nevertheless very good damping ability. As a result, users receive precise and reliable inclination values even in highly dynamic systems.

Developed for use in mobile machines

Equipped with SIKO PURE.MOBILE technology, the IMS360 inclination sensor is ideally suited for rough use in mobile machines. In a wide temperature range from -40 to +85°C, the IMS360 always delivers accurate position values. The robust housing made of anodized aluminum also offers many advantages: In addition to protection category IP67, the IMS360 also complies with the criteria for protection category IP6K9K, so that cleaning under high pressure is no problem for the sensor. Furthermore, the housing is resistant to salt spray up to severity level 4. Since the inclination sensor was also developed according to the requirements for commercial vehicles, it has a high EMC resistance. In addition, the IMS360 is tested according to the UN ECE R10 and is therefore suitable for use on public roads due to the accompanying E1 approval of the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.

Easy to integrate into the overall system

To enable easy integration into the overall system, the IMS360 is available with either CANopen or SAE J1939 interface. In addition to transmit the measurement data, parameters such as measurement range or resolution can be freely configured via these interfaces and adapted exactly to the requirements of the respective application. This provides maximum flexibility during the development phase and reduces integration effort and costs.

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