Wireless 3-axis accelerometer system for measurement of structural displacement

In this study, we present the design of a 3-axis acceleration measurement system that is capable of UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) time-stamping captured from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver module. With this achievement, the system is able to monitor and record the 3-axis vibrations with respect to an absolute time rather than the local sensor (and computer) time. Acquired 3-axis acceleration data and UTC are transferred via Bluetooth® protocol and developed software which enables monitoring and recording of UTC and acceleration data on a PC, respectively. For verification and synchronization quality test of acceleration data, shake-table tests were conducted for simulation of structural displacement and the calculated displacements were compared with a displacement sensor of a commercially available shake table system.