Inclinometer IMS360

Inclination sensor for dynamic applications

Vibrations, shocks, and dynamic movements: applications in the field of commercial vehicles are characterized by a multiplicity of environmental influences and disturbance variables. Nevertheless, mobile machines must meet the highest standards of precision and reliability, and consequently the sensors installed in them must do the same. Sensor specialist SIKO is presenting the dynamic inclination sensor IMS360 for accurate inclination measurement in highly dynamic systems.

The IMS360 dynamic inclination sensor accurately measures the inclination in dynamic applications. Compared to static inclination sensors, the IMS360 also measures accelerations and rotation rates in all three spatial axes in addition to the inclination values. As a result, the complete functionality of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) is available. The integrated Kalman filter enables filtering out disturbance variables from the actual measurement signal, such as transverse accelerations, vibrations and shocks, and improves the stability of the measured values significantly. In addition to the variant with Kalman filter, the inclination sensor is also available with conventional low-pass filters "Butterworth" and "critically attenuated". 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. Another advantage: Both the number of axes and the measuring range can be configured subsequently.

Innovative sensor fusion algorithm
The integrated measuring systems alone are not sufficient to filter any disturbance variables from the inclination signal. 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 disturbance variables 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. 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 rugged use in mobile machines. The IMS360 always supplies accurate position values in a wide temperature range from -40 to +85° C. The robust shocks, from housing made of anodized aluminum also provides many advantages: In addition to protection class IP67, the IMS360 also complies with protection class IP6K9K, so that cleaning under high pressure is no problem for the sensor. The housing is also resistant to salt mist up to a severity degree of 4. Since the inclination sensor was also developed according to the requirements for commercial vehicles, it has high EMC immunity. In addition, the IMS360 has been tested according to the UN ECE R10 and is therefore suitable for use on public roads thanks to the accompanying E1 approval of the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.

Easy integration into the overall system
The IMS360 is available with either a CANopen or SAE J1939 interface to enable easy integration into the overall system. In addition to sending 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 work and costs.