Monitoring Tilt of Elevated Loads Using MEMS Accelerometers

A problem of monitoring extreme values of tilt of a load being elevated by means of a hoist machine (e.g. crane) is addressed. The tilt is measured by means of MEMS accelerometer. Even though such measurement can be performed only under static or quasi-static conditions, in the considered case, having a dynamic nature, it is still possible to realize it, since only the extreme values of the tilt are being monitored. Due to the fact that the tilt takes place within an arbitrary vertical plane, it is expressed as axial tilt, instead of its typical components: pitch and roll. So far, the tilt has been determined with accuracy of ca. 5 degrees using the proposed methods.