Measuring tilt angle using Accelerometer

- Chandra Kanth, Abhishek Singh, Akshay Goyal

One of the most common inertial sensors is the accelerometer, a dynamic sensor capable of a vast range of sensing. Accelerometers are available that can measure acceleration in one, two, or three orthogonal axes. They are typically used in one of three modes, 1) As an inertial measurement of velocity and position, 2) As a sensor of inclination, tilt, or orientation in 2 or 3 dimensions, as referenced from the acceleration of gravity, and 3) As a vibration or impact (shock) sensor. Analog accelerometers output a constant variable voltage depending on the amount of acceleration. Analog accelerometers require little conditioning and the communication is simple by only using an Analog to Digital Converter on the microcontroller. By sensing the amount of dynamic acceleration, the accelerometer can find out how fast and in what direction the device is moving. The ADXL335 is a small, thin, low power, complete 3-axis accelerometer with signal conditioned voltage outputs. The product measures acceleration with a minimum full-scale range of 3 g. A simple tilt application can be implemented using 10-bit microcontroller that has ADC channels to input the analog output voltage of the accelerometers. By measuring the amount of acceleration due to gravity, an accelerometer can figure out the angle it is tilted at with respect to the earth. A 10-bit ADC cuts 3.3V supply into 1023 steps of 3.2mV for each step. Therefore, by taking one ADC reading of the ADXL335 again at 0g (0 of tilt for an x-axis device), would now result in the following: 0: 1650mV + 3.2mV = 1653.2mV 90 2450mV + 3.2mV = 2453.2mV This results in a 0.229 degree resolution at the highest sensitivity point (0) and a 3.26 degree resolution at the lowest sensitivity point (90). There are many applications where tilt measurements are required or will enhance its functionality. In the cell phone market and handheld electronics market, tilt applications can be used for controlling menu options, e-compass compensation, image rotation, or function selection in response to different tilt measurements. In the medical markets, tilt is used for making blood pressure monitors more accurate. They can also be used for feedback for tilting hospital beds or chairs. A tilt controller can also be used for an easier way to control this type of equipment. Accelerometers for tilt measurements can also be designed into a multitude of products, such as game controllers, virtual reality input devices, HDD portable products, computer mouse, cameras, projectors, washing machines, and personal navigation systems.

List of parts required for this project:

S.No 1. 2. Item ADXL335 Accelerometer PIC18F4520 board Quantity 1 1