Inclinometer

Compass with inclinometer

Drawing of an inclinometer, Museo Galileo, Florence.

1 History
Inclinometers include examples such as Wells inclinometer, the essential parts of which are a at side,
or base, on which it stands, and a hollow disk just half
lled with some heavy liquid. The glass face of the disk
is surrounded by a graduated scale that marks the angle
at which the surface of the liquid stands, with reference
to the at base. The zero line is parallel to the base, and
when the liquid stands on that line, the at side is horizontal; the 90 degree is perpendicular to the base, and when
the liquid stands on that line, the at side is perpendicular
or plumb. Intervening angles are marked, and, with the
aid of simple conversion tables, the instrument indicates
the rate of fall per set distance of horizontal measurement, and set distance of the sloping line.

Military model

A clinometer or inclinometer is an instrument for measuring angles of slope (or tilt), elevation or depression of
an object with respect to gravity. It is also known as
a tilt meter, tilt indicator, slope alert, slope gauge, gradient meter, gradiometer, level gauge, level meter, declinometer, and pitch & roll indicator. Clinometers measure both inclines (positive slopes, as seen by an observer
looking upwards) and declines (negative slopes, as seen
by an observer looking downward) using three dierent
units of measure: degrees, percent, and topo (see Grade
(slope)#Nomenclature for details). Astrolabes are inclinometers that were used for navigation and locating astronomical objects from ancient times to the Renaissance.

The Abney level is a handheld surveying instrument developed in the 1870s that includes a sighting tube and inclinometer, arranged so that the surveyor may align the
sighting tube (and its crosshair) with the reection of the
bubble in the spirit level of the inclinometer when the line
of sight is at the angle set on the inclinometer.
One of the more famous inclinometer installations was on
the panel of the Ryan NYP The Spirit of St. Louis
in 1927 Charles Lindbergh chose the lightweight Rieker

In aircraft, the ball in turn coordinators or turn and bank

indicators is sometimes referred to as an inclinometer.
1

3 ACCURACY
the tree, again using percents. The observer than takes
the slope to the top of the tree, and subtracts the slope
of the bottom of the tree from it. Note that when the
ground slopes downwards, the observer will record a negative slope to the base of the tree. When this is subtracted
from the slope to the top of the tree, it is actually being
added. These numbers are then divided by 100, and multiplied by the distance from the tree.

There is still some error in this number, because the distance is measured along the ground, and is not the actual
The Wells clinometer
horizontal distance. By standing at the base of the tree,
the observer should mark his/her eye level. They then
Inc P-1057 Degree Inclinometer[1] to give him climb and stand back, and nd the slope expressed as a degree to
descent angle information.
the mark. This is the slope of the ground. By taking the
cosine of that number, and multiplying it with the previous number, the observer will calculate the height of the
tree.
2 Use
The observer must always measure a leaning tree so that
the tree is leaning to the left or right. Measurements
should never be taken with the tree leaning toward or
away from the observer because this will aect their
accuracy because of foreshortening.

Measuring slope with a clinometer

A forester using a clinometer makes use of basic

trigonometry. First the observer measures a straight-line
distance D from some observation point O to the object.
Then, using the clinometer, the observer measures the angle a between O and the top of the object. Then the observer does the same for the angle b between O and the
bottom of the object. Multiplying D by the tangent of
a gives the height of the object above the observer, and
by the tangent of b the depth of the object below the observer. Adding the two of course gives the total height
(H) of the object.
The forester stands at a xed distance from the base of the
tree. The most common distances in the United States are
50 feet (15.24 m) and 66 feet (20.12 m).[2] To obtain accurate readings it is best to use taped measured distance
instead of paced distances. For the most accurate readings it is best to use a distance that is not less than the
height of the tree being measured,[3] that is, that the clinometer will measure an angle less than 45 (100%).
The observer sights to the top of tree, if total height is
the desired measurement. If the desired measurement is
merchantable heightthat is, the height producing timber that can be soldthe observer sights to a point on the
tree above which no more merchantable timber is found.
Note that the observer should use slopes expressed as a
percent. The observer then measures to the bottom of

The clinometer is also commonly used by foresters to

obtain the percent slope of terrain. This measurement
is based on the same trigonometric principles described
above. Slope measurements, however, require that both
observer and target be a constant height above the ground;
thus a range pole or height of measurement (HI) stick is
often used in slope measurements.

3 Accuracy
Certain highly sensitive electronic inclinometer sensors
can achieve an output resolution to 0.0001 degrees
depending on the technology and angle range, it may be
limited to 0.01. An inclinometer sensors true or absolute accuracy (which is the combined total error), however, is a combination of initial sets of sensor zero oset and sensitivity, sensor linearity, hysteresis, repeatability, and the temperature drifts of zero and sensitivity
electronic inclinometers accuracy can typically range
from .01 to 2 depending on the sensor and situation.
Typically in room ambient conditions the accuracy is limited to the sensor linearity specication.
Simple clinometer
Digital protractor
Clinometer designed to enable indirect re capability with a Vickers machine gun circa 1918
Mechanical spirit level clinometer with micrometer
adjustment

Sensor technology

two-dimensional surface plane angle rather than two independent orthogonal single-axis objects. Two-axis inTilt sensors and inclinometers generate an articial hori- clinometers that are built with MEMS tilt sensors prozon and measure angular tilt with respect to this horizon. vides simultaneous two-dimensional angle readings of a
They are used in cameras, aircraft ight controls, auto- surface plane tangent to earth datum.
mobile security systems, and speciality switches and are Typical advantages of using two-axis inclinometers over
also used for platform leveling, boom angle indication, conventional single-axis bubble or mechanical leveling
and in other applications requiring measurement of tilt.
instruments may include:
Important specications to consider when searching for
tilt sensors and inclinometers are the tilt angle range
and number of axes (which are usually, but not always,
orthogonal). The tilt angle range is the range of desired
linear output.
Common implementations of tilt sensors and inclinometers are accelerometer, Liquid Capacitive, electrolytic,
gas bubble in liquid, and pendulum.
Tilt sensor technology has also been implemented in
video games. Yoshis Universal Gravitation and Kirby Tilt
'n' Tumble are both built around a tilt sensor mechanism,
which is built into the cartridge. The PlayStation 3 and
Wii game controllers also use tilt as a means to play video
games.
Inclinometers are also used in civil engineering, for example to measure the inclination of land to be built upon.
Some inclinometers provide an electronic interface based
on CAN (Controller Area Network). In addition, those
inclinometers may support the standardized CANopen
prole (CiA 410). In this case, these inclinometers are
compatible and partly interchangeable.

Two-axis digital inclinometer

Two-axis MEMS technology enables simultaneous

two-dimensional (X-Y plane) tilt angles (i.e. pitch
& roll) measurement, eliminates tedious trial-anderror (i.e. going back-and-forth) experienced when
using single-axis levels to adjust machine footings to
attain a precise leveling position.
Two-axis MEMS inclinometers can be digitally
compensated and precisely calibrated for nonlinearity for operating temperature variation resulting in higher angular accuracy over wider angular
measurement range.
Two-axis MEMS inclinometer with built-in accelerometer sensors may generate numerical data
tabulated in the form of vibration proles enable
machine installer to track and assess alignment quality in real-time and verify structure positional stability by comparing machines leveling proles before
and after setting up.

6 Applications
Inclinometers are used for:
Determining latitude using Polaris (in the Northern
Hemisphere) or the two stars of the constellation
Crux (in the Southern Hemisphere).
Determining the angle of the Earths magnetic eld
with respect to the horizontal plane.
Showing a deviation from the true vertical or horizontal.
Surveying, to measure an angle of inclination or elevation.
Alerting an equipment operator that it may tip over.
Measuring angles of elevation, slope, or incline, e.g.
of an embankment.

Two-axis digital inclinometer

Traditional spirit levels and pendulum-based electronic

leveling instruments are usually constrained by only
single-axis and narrow tilt measurement range. However,
most precision leveling, angle measurement, alignment
and surface atness proling tasks essentially involve a

Measuring slight dierences in slopes, particularly

for geophysics. Such inclinometers are, for instance,
used for monitoring volcanoes, or for measuring the
depth and rate of landslide movement.
Measuring movements in walls or the ground in civil
engineering projects.

10
Determining the dip of beds or strata, or the slope
of an embankment or cutting; a kind of plumb level.
Some automotive safety systems.
Indicating pitch and roll of vehicles, nautical craft,
and aircraft. See turn coordinator and slip indicator.
Monitoring the boom angle of cranes and material
handlers.
Measuring the look angle of a satellite antenna towards a satellite.
Adjusting a solar panel to the optimal angle to maximize its output.
Measuring the slope angle of a tape or chain during
distance measurement.
Measuring the height of a building, tree, or other
feature using a vertical angle and a distance (determined by taping or pacing), using trigonometry.
Measuring the angle of drilling in well logging.
Measuring the list of a ship in still water and the roll
in rough water.
Measuring steepness of a ski slope.
Measuring the orientation of planes and lineations in
rocks, in combination with a compass, in structural
geology.
Measuring range of motion in the joints of the
body[4]
Measuring the inclination angle of the pelvis. Numerous neck and back measurements require the simultaneous use of two inclinometers.[5]
Measuring the angles of elevation to, and ultimately
computing the altitudes of, many things otherwise
inaccessible for direct measurement.
Measuring and ne tuning the angle of line array
speaker hangs. Conrmation of the angle achieved
via use of a laser built into the remote inclinometer.
Setting correct orientation of solar panels while installing
Setting ring angle of a cannon or gun (determines
projectile range)
Electronic games

Inclinometer manufacturers

Commercial manufacturers of inclinometers include

Rieker Inc,[6] GeoSense,[7] etc.

EXTERNAL LINKS

8 See also
Grade (slope)
Liquid capacitive inclinometers
Theodolite
Tiltmeter
Tilt sensor

9 References
[1] Rieker Inc P-1057 Degree Inclinometer
[2] Avery, T.E.; Burkhart, H.E. (2002). Height Measurement Principles. Forest Measurements (5th ed.).
McGraw-Hill. p. 154.
[3] Williams MS, Bechtold MA, LaBau VJ (1994). Five
instruments for measuring tree heights: an evaluation.
Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. 18: 7682.
[4] http://www.jtechmedical.com/
Tracker-Freedom-Wireless-Instruments/
tracker-freedom-wireless-dual-inclinometry
[5] http://www.quickmedical.com/
fabrication-enterprises-j-tech-dualer-iq-inclinometer-12-1059.
html
[6] http://www.riekerinc.com/
[7] http://www.geosense.co.uk/

10 External links
Inclinometer Blog - General Inclinometer Information

11
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