MEMS accelerometers enable early detection of structural defects

Three axis MEMS accelerometers from Analog Devices are said to perform high resolution vibration measurement with low noise to enable the early detection of structural defects via wireless sensor networks.

According to the company, the low power consumption of the ADXL354 and ADXL355 accelerometers lengthens battery life and allows extended product usage by reducing the time between battery changes. The low noise performance of the ADXL354 and ADXL355 with low power consumption makes it possible to cost-effectively enable low level vibration measurement applications such as structural health monitoring.

The tilt stability makes the accelerometers suitable for orientation and navigation systems in unmanned aerial vehicles using inertial measurement units and inclinometers. By providing repeatable tilt measurement under all conditions, the accelerometers enable minimal tilt error without extensive calibration in harsh environments.

The devices also offer guaranteed temperature stability with null offset coefficients of 0.15mg/C (max). The stability is claimed to minimise resource and expense associated with calibration and testing effort, helping to achieve higher throughput for device OEMs. According to the company, the hermetic package helps ensure that the end product conforms to its repeatability and stability specifications long after they leave the factory.

The accelerometers offer outputs ranging from ±2g to ±8g, selectable digital filtering from 1Hz to 1kHz, and noise density of 25µ/Hz at less than 200µA current consumption.