Inclinometer
Encyclopedia
An inclinometer or clinometer is an instrument for measuring angles of slope
(or tilt), elevation
or depression
of an object with respect to gravity. It is also known as a tilt meter, tilt indicator, slope alert, slope gauge, gradient meter, gradiometer, level gauge, level meter, declinometer, and pitch & roll indicator.
Clinometers measure both inclines (positive slopes, as seen by an observer looking upwards) and declines (negative slopes, as seen by an observer looking downward). Astrolabes are inclinometers that were used for navigation and locating astronomical objects.
In aircraft, the "ball" in turn coordinator
s or turn and bank indicator
s is sometimes referred to as an inclinometer.
One of the more famous inclinometer installations was on the panel of the Ryan NYP "The Spirit of St. Louis" - in 1927 Charles Lindbergh chose the lightweight Rieker Inc P-1057 Degree Inclinometer to give him climb and descent angle information.
Important specifications to consider when searching for tilt sensors and inclinometers are the tilt angle range and number of axes (which are usually, but not always, orthogonal). The tilt angle range is the range of desired linear output.
Common sensor technologies for tilt sensors and inclinometers are accelerometer, Liquid Capacitive
, electrolytic, gas bubble in liquid, and pendulum.
Tilt sensor technology has also been implemented in video games. Yoshi's Universal Gravitation and Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
are both built around a tilt sensor mechanism, which is built into the cartridge. The PlayStation 3
and Wii
game controllers also use tilt as a means to play video games.
Inclinometers are also used in civil engineering
, for example to measure the inclination of land to be built upon.
Some inclinometers provide an electronic interface based on CAN (Controller Area Network)
. In addition, those inclinometers may support the standardized CANopen
profile (CiA 410). In this case, these inclinometers are compatible and partly interchangeable.
Slope
In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line describes its steepness, incline, or grade. A higher slope value indicates a steeper incline....
(or tilt), elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
or depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
of an object with respect to gravity. It is also known as a tilt meter, tilt indicator, slope alert, slope gauge, gradient meter, gradiometer, level gauge, level meter, declinometer, and pitch & roll indicator.
Clinometers measure both inclines (positive slopes, as seen by an observer looking upwards) and declines (negative slopes, as seen by an observer looking downward). Astrolabes are inclinometers that were used for navigation and locating astronomical objects.
In aircraft, the "ball" in turn coordinator
Turn coordinator
The turn coordinator is a flight instrument which displays to a pilot information about the rate of yaw , roll, and the coordination of the turn...
s or turn and bank indicator
Turn and bank indicator
In aviation, the turn and bank indicator shows the rate of turn and the coordination of the turn. The rate of turn is indicated from a rate gyroscopically and the coordination of the turn is shown by either a pendulum or a heavy ball mounted in a curved sealed glass tube. No pitch information is...
s is sometimes referred to as an inclinometer.
History
Early inclinometers include examples such as Well's inclinometer, the essential parts of which are a flat side, or base, on which it stands, and a hollow disk just half filled with some heavy liquid. The glass face of the disk is surrounded by a graduated scale that marks the angle at which the surface of the liquid stands, with reference to the flat base. The line 0.—0. being parallel to the base, when the liquid stands on that line, the flat side is horizontal; the line 90.—90. being perpendicular to the base, when the liquid stands on that line, the flat side is perpendicular or plumb. Intervening angles are marked, and, with the aid of simple conversion tables, the instrument indicates the rate of fall per set distance of horizontal measurement, and set distance of the sloping line.One of the more famous inclinometer installations was on the panel of the Ryan NYP "The Spirit of St. Louis" - in 1927 Charles Lindbergh chose the lightweight Rieker Inc P-1057 Degree Inclinometer to give him climb and descent angle information.
Accuracy
Certain highly sensitive electronic inclinometer sensors can achieve an output resolution to 0.0001 degrees - depending on the technology and angle range, it may be limited to 0.01º. An inclinometer sensor's true or absolute accuracy (which is the combined total error), however, is a combination of initial sets of sensor zero offset and sensitivity, sensor linearity, hysteresis, repeatability, and the temperature drifts of zero and sensitivity - electronic inclinometers accuracy can typically range from .01º to ±2º depending on the sensor and situation. Typically in room ambient conditions the accuracy is limited to the sensor linearity specification.Sensor technology
Tilt sensors and inclinometers generate an artificial horizon and measure angular tilt with respect to this horizon. They are used in cameras, aircraft flight controls, automobile security systems, and speciality switches and are also used for platform leveling, boom angle indication, indeed anywhere tilt requires measuring.Important specifications to consider when searching for tilt sensors and inclinometers are the tilt angle range and number of axes (which are usually, but not always, orthogonal). The tilt angle range is the range of desired linear output.
Common sensor technologies for tilt sensors and inclinometers are accelerometer, Liquid Capacitive
Liquid capacitive inclinometers
Liquid capacitive inclinometers are Inclinometers whose sensing elements are made with liquid capacitive technology; they are considered gravity based. The best way to understand how they work is to think of a disc-like cavity that is half filled with a dielectric liquid...
, electrolytic, gas bubble in liquid, and pendulum.
Tilt sensor technology has also been implemented in video games. Yoshi's Universal Gravitation and Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, known in Japan as , is a 2000-01 action puzzle video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan on August 23, 2000 and in North America on April 11, 2001...
are both built around a tilt sensor mechanism, which is built into the cartridge. The PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game controllers also use tilt as a means to play video games.
Inclinometers are also used in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, for example to measure the inclination of land to be built upon.
Some inclinometers provide an electronic interface based on CAN (Controller Area Network)
Controller Area Network
Controller–area network is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other within a vehicle without a host computer....
. In addition, those inclinometers may support the standardized CANopen
CANopen
CANopen is a communication protocol and device profile specification for embedded systems used in automation. In terms of the OSI model, CANopen implements the layers above and including the network layer. The CANopen standard consists of an addressing scheme, several small communication protocols...
profile (CiA 410). In this case, these inclinometers are compatible and partly interchangeable.
Uses
Inclinometers are used for:- Determining latitude using PolarisPolarisPolaris |Alpha]] Ursae Minoris, commonly North Star or Pole Star, also Lodestar) is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star....
(in the Northern Hemisphere) or the two stars of the constellation CruxCruxCrux is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but is one of the most distinctive. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped asterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross.-Visibility:...
(in the Southern Hemisphere). - Determining the angle of the Earth's magnetic field with respect to the horizontal plane.
- Showing a deviation from the true vertical or horizontal.
- SurveyingSurveyingSee Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, to measure an angle of inclination or elevation. - Alerting an equipment operator that it may tip over.http://www.riekerinc.com/TiltIndicators.htm
- Measuring angles of elevation, slope, or incline, e.g. of an embankment.
- Measuring slight differences in slopes, particularly for geophysicsGeophysicsGeophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
. Such inclinometers are, for instance, used for monitoring volcanoVolcano2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
es, or for measuring the depth and rate of landslide movement. - Measuring movements in walls or the ground in civil engineering projects.http://www.slopeindicator.com/instruments/inclin-intro.html
- Determining the dip of bedsStrike and dipStrike and dip refer to the orientation or attitude of a geologic feature. The strike line of a bed, fault, or other planar feature is a line representing the intersection of that feature with a horizontal plane. On a geologic map, this is represented with a short straight line segment oriented...
or strata, or the slope of an embankment or cutting; a kind of plumb level. - Some automotive safetySafetySafety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
systems. - Indicating pitch and roll of vehicles, nautical craft, and aircraft. See turn coordinatorTurn coordinatorThe turn coordinator is a flight instrument which displays to a pilot information about the rate of yaw , roll, and the coordination of the turn...
and slip indicator.http://www.riekerinc.com/SlipIndicators.htm - Monitoring the boom angle of cranes and material handlers.
- Measuring the "look angle" of a satellite antenna towards a satellite.
- Adjusting a solar panel to the optimal angle to maximize its output.
- Measuring the slope angle of a tape or chain during distance measurement.
- Measuring the height of a building, tree, or other feature using a vertical angle and a distance (determined by taping or pacing), using trigonometryTrigonometryTrigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
. - Measuring the angle of drilling in well loggingWell loggingWell logging, also known as borehole logging is the practice of making a detailed record of the geologic formations penetrated by a borehole. The log may be based either on visual inspection of samples brought to the surface or on physical measurements made by instruments lowered into the hole...
. - Measuring the list of a shipShipSince the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
in still water and the roll in rough water. - Measuring steepness of a ski slope.
- Measuring the orientation of planePlane (mathematics)In mathematics, a plane is a flat, two-dimensional surface. A plane is the two dimensional analogue of a point , a line and a space...
s and lineationLineationIn Western handwriting, the base line, the x-height or corpus size, the height of the ascenders and the bottom line of the descenders make up four horizontal lines which represent the lineation of handwriting...
s in rocks, in combination with a compassCompassA compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
, in structural geologyStructural geologyStructural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation in the rocks, and...
. - Measuring Range of MotionRange of motionRange of motion , is the distance that a movable object may normally travel while properly attached to another object. It is also called range of travel, particularly when talking about mechanical devices and in mechanical engineering fields...
in the joints of the body - Measuring the inclination angle of the pelvis.
- Measuring the angles of elevation to, and ultimately computing the altitudes of, many things otherwise inaccessible for direct measurement.
See also
- TheodoliteTheodoliteA theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
- Clinometer (forestry)Clinometer (forestry)The clinometer, known in many fields as an inclinometer, is a common tool used in forestry to measure slope, vertical angles, and – in combination with distance measurements – elevation change or tree heights.-How it works:...
- TiltmeterTiltmeterA tiltmeter is an instrument designed to measure very small changes from the horizontal level, either on the ground or in structures. A similar term, in less common usage, is the inclinometer...
- Liquid capacitive inclinometersLiquid capacitive inclinometersLiquid capacitive inclinometers are Inclinometers whose sensing elements are made with liquid capacitive technology; they are considered gravity based. The best way to understand how they work is to think of a disc-like cavity that is half filled with a dielectric liquid...