Used to measure acceleration, probably the world’s largest selection of both piezoelectric accelerometer types charge mode and IEPE and DC accelerometers which work from 0 Hz and are relative to gravitational pull. Cable assemblies, mounting blocks, signal conditioners and amplifiers are readily available for both the piezoelectric accelerometers both charge mode and IEPE and the gravitational pull DC types.
Applications include Crash, Research & Development, Rail, Military/Aerospace, Automotive testing and Industrial applications.
Options include single axis accelerometers to trixial axis accelerometers with a wide range of supply voltages to measure acceleration.
All sensors incorporate the latest technologies whether this be the latest 6-inch wafer MEMs technology for the gravitational pull DC types, or shear mode clamping systems for the charge mode or IEPE piezoelectric accelerometers.
Incorporated brands include Measurement Specialties, TE Connectivity, IC Sensors, FGP, ATEX sensors and Entran.
An accelerometer measures the vibration or acceleration of motion from a structure. The force produced by the change in motion causes the mass to squeeze the piezoelectric strands. These stands will produce electrical charge proportionally to the amount of force exerted onto them.
Types of Accelerometers
There are two main type of accelerometers, low impedance and high impedance.
In a high impedance accelerometer, the electrical charge from the piezoelectric material is connected directly with a measurement instrument. Outputting the charge from this type of accelerometer requires instruments normally only found in research facilities.
A low impedance accelerometer works almost the same as the high impedance accelerometer, except it has a built-in transistor to convert the electrical charge to a voltage that is suitable for more common instrumentation.
Properties of an Accelerometers
The dynamic range of an accelerometer is the minimum and maximum amplitudes that the accelerometer can measure.
Frequency response is set by the mass, the piezoelectric properties and the resonance frequency. It is the frequency range where the output of the accelerometer is within a specified deviation, generally around 5% G.
The high frequency limit is the frequency where the output exceeds the stated output deviation. Low frequency cut-off is when the frequency goes below the stated accuracy and the sensitivity decreases.
Electronic noise is produced by the amplifying circuit. Noise typically decreases as frequency increases. The resonance frequency is the frequency at which the sensor rings or ‘resonates’. Frequency measurements should always be below the resonance frequency.
Sensitivity is the voltage that is outputted. Low output accelerometers are used to measure high vibration levels, whilst high output accelerometers are used for measuring low levels of vibration.
What Is Are Accelerometers?
An accelerometer is used to measure all the different acceleration forces exerted onto it. It is an electromechanical component that is used to many different forces and can be seen commonly in many devices to measure the gravitational force exerted. Accelerometers can be commonly found in smart devices such as mobiles phones. You will have used the features made possible by an accelerometer without even knowing it. When you flip your phone screen around and the screen changes it’s orientation, it is able to tell which way is up by using the gravitational force from the accelerometer built into it. They are perfect for this task as acceleration is a change in force so will activate when the phone is tilted or rotated. Another common use of accelerometers is to prevent damage, they are often used in storage devices such as hard drives. As it can detect movement, if the device is dropped, it will shut off to prevent damage on impact. These are a couple of modern commercial uses for accelerometers, but they are used for many other purposes.
What Are The Uses Of Accelerometers
Accelerometers are used for many different things across the board. Their detection of all forces makes them very useful in different scenarios. For example, when trying to detect an earthquake, with enough accelerometers you can detect the force of the earthquake and where it is coming from. But that is only for the most extreme uses, there are many small things that they are uses for and make things a lot easier. A trigger such as a movement sensor or door opening detector are all possible by using accelerometers.