Inclination Sensor With a Wide Angle Measurement Range Using Half-Wavelength Microstrip Resonator

In this article, a new inclinometer concept based on an angular half-wavelength microstrip resonator is presented. The inclinometer has a wide dynamic range of 84° (B142°) which can be extended to 180° through a simple modification. The inclinometer is composed of a microstrip transmission line resonator on printed circuit board and a second transmission line on an overlapping circuit board that rotates according to the inclination angle. As the inclination angle changes, the overall length of the resonator varies and leads to resonance frequency shift, which is transformed into inclination variation. The sensor measurements results determined the sensitivity of the sensor as 0.384 mm/° and the resolution as 0.035°. The proposed sensor is also quite simple, cost-effective, compact, and robust.