The new IMU F99inclination sensor from Pepperl+Fuchs provides reliable inclination values fordynamic applications besides ensuring excellent angular stability.
Have you evertried to keep the bucket of a wheel loader horizontal while the machine isaccelerating, braking, or travelling over a gravel path or potholes? No, ofcourse not — neither a spirit level vial nor even a static inclination sensoris able to provide a meaningful value in this case!
The new IMU F99inclination sensor from Pepperl+Fuchs provides reliable inclination values fordynamic applications like these because it is able to immediately filter outexternal interference (e.g. potholes). The unique software adjustment via CANbus also ensures excellent angular quality, even when the driving behaviour ofmachines varies greatly.
Staticinclination sensors quickly reach their limits when used with machines thatmove dynamically, such as wind turbines, AGVs, and machines used inconstruction, agriculture, and forestry. This is because static inclinationsensors detect a change in angle based on gravitational acceleration that is alwayson the same axis. Any additional acceleration triggered, e.g., by braking ortravelling over a pothole, cause significant interference which makes reliableangle measurement impossible.
The IMU F99dynamic inclination sensor has been specially developed for this type ofapplication. At its core, rotation rates and acceleration are both measured inall three spatial directions and are then merged in the intelligent algorithmto produce an angle value. This makes it possible to achieve a reliable angleoutput.
Nevertheless, itis clear that the different types of machine movement mean that the rotationrate and acceleration need to be merged in a way that is adapted to theparticular machine. Pepperl+Fuchs, therefore, offer a unique and user-friendlyadjustment setting so that position measurements can be performed on a wheelloader, bulldozer, crane, etc., using just one device.
The IMU F99 alsoprovides the rotation and acceleration rates for each of the three axes inparallel to the angle output. This means that the product can be used in a widerange of applications. For example, the device can be used to determine therotation speed of wind turbines. At the same time, it can also monitor theblade acceleration rates, which may fluctuate when unwanted ice forms on theblades. In this way, it is possible to control rotation speed and performpredictive maintenance on the wind turbine.