Title :
Measurement of the road gradient using an inclinometer mounted on a moving vehicle
Author :
Mangan, S. ; Wang, J. ; Wu, Q.H.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Electron., Liverpool Univ., UK
Abstract :
Inclinometers are sensors used to measure the angle of tilt of the surface they are placed upon. Unfortunately inclinometers are very susceptible to noise caused by their movement. Therefore, they are generally only suitable for tilt measurements in static situations. This paper will investigate the inclinometer signal under dynamic conditions. A number of methods of analysing the inclinometer signal will be investigated, with the aim being to develop a method of de-coupling the error signals from the gradient signal. A successful error removal algorithm will enable the errors caused by movement of the sensor to be removed, thus, enabling the inclinometer to be used to measure the angle of tilt of a body under dynamic conditions. For example, the inclinometer can be placed in a vehicle and the gradient of the road can be logged whilst the car is travelling along.
Keywords :
accelerometers; angular measurement; measurement errors; microsensors; road vehicles; signal processing; automatic cruise control system; dynamic conditions; error removal algorithm; error signal de-coupling; inclinometer; inclinometer signal analysis; micro-machined acceleration sensing element; moving vehicle; road gradient measurement; sensor movement; tilt angle measurements; Automatic control; Electric variables measurement; Goniometers; Q measurement; Radar tracking; Road vehicles; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Vehicle detection; Vehicle driving; Vehicle dynamics;
Conference_Titel :
Computer Aided Control System Design, 2002. Proceedings. 2002 IEEE International Symposium on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7388-X
DOI :
10.1109/CACSD.2002.1036933