Inclinometers made in China

Inclinometers are used often in constructions machines as well as sun-tracking photovoltaic systems in China. Shanghai Vigor Technology was the first Chinese supplier followed by Shanghai Zhichuan Electronics.

THE SST300 SERIES OF INCLINOMETERS by Vigor are tilt sensors with a measuring range from ±5° to ±60°. They feature a resolution of 0,0025° with a measurement accuracy from ± 0,01° to ±0,08°. The CANopen versions are compliant to CiA 301 (application layer), CiA 303 (connector pin-assignment), and CiA 410 (device profile). In addition the devices support the Layer Setting Services (CiA 305). The CANopen interface implements Heartbeat producer functionality as well as Node/Life guarding (which CiA doesn’t recommend for new designs). The inclinometer transmit its PDOs event-driven (change-of-state), periodically, or synchronously by means of the Sync mechanism. The device supports bit-rates up to 1 Mbit/s.

In May 2012, Vigor, presented at the Sensor+Test 2012 exhibition in Nuremberg (Germany) its inclinometer. The Chinese company is specialized in inclinometer, accelerometer, infrared temperature sensor, electronic compass & gyroscope, and laser distance meter.

Shanghai Zhichuan Electronics is another Chinese manufacturer of tilt sensors. The company provides single- and dual-axes inclinometers with CAN interface. The J1939 similar CAN messages use extended frame format (29-bit identifier). The data-rate is 250 kbit/s. Other versions claim to be CANopen compliant (CiA 410), but the provider recommends using the NMT-start-all command to switch-on the PDO transmission respectively to send the NMT-stop-all command to switch-off the PDO transmission. The default bit-rate is 250 kbit/s. The measurement resolution is 0,1° with an accuracy of ±0,5°. The single-axis version has a measuring range of 360° or ±45°. The two-axes inclinometer specifies a measuring range of ±90°. All the devices come in IP65-rated aluminum enclosures. The Chinese sensor maker got recently a bulk order for its inclinometers from Toyota (Japan) to be intergrated in construction machines.