Inclinometer

Abstract

The present invention discloses an inclinometer, which relates to the technical field of measuring instruments and is primarily intended to improve the measurement accuracy of a building's tilt angle. The present invention comprises a microwave sensing mechanism and a suspension beam mechanism. The microwave sensing mechanism comprises a metal tube shell, a metal rod, and a reflective component. The metal tube shell is fixedly mounted on the side of the object being measured, one end of the metal tube shell is provided with an opening, the metal rod is coaxially disposed within the metal tube shell, one end of the metal rod points toward the opening, the other ends of the metal rod and the other end of the metal tube shell are respectively connected to a radio frequency connector, the radio frequency connector is electrically connected to a vector network analyzer, and the reflective component is fixedly mounted between the metal rod and the metal tube shell. The suspension beam structure comprises a suspension beam, a flexible rope, and a counterweight. One end of the suspension beam is fixedly connected to the side of the object being measured, the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the flexible rope, the other end of the flexible rope is fixedly connected to the counterweight, and a reflective surface is provided in the middle of the suspension beam, the reflective surface corresponding to the opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of measuring instruments, in particular to an inclinometer. Background Art

[0002] Inclinometers are typically installed buried in hydraulic or civil structures to measure the structure's tilt angle and determine its safety. Several types of inclinometers are commonly used, including vibrating wire inclinometers and MEMS inclinometers. However, current inclinometers suffer from low accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides an inclinometer, the main purpose of which is to improve the measurement accuracy of the inclination angle of a building.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention mainly provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] The present invention provides an inclinometer, which comprises: a microwave sensing mechanism and a suspension beam mechanism;

[0006] The microwave sensing mechanism includes a metal tube shell, a metal rod, and a reflective component. The metal tube shell is fixedly arranged on the side of the object to be measured. One end of the metal tube shell is provided with an opening. The metal rod is coaxially arranged in the metal tube shell, with one end of the metal rod pointing to the opening. The other ends of the metal rod and the other end of the metal tube shell are respectively connected to a radio frequency connector, and the radio frequency connector is electrically connected to a vector network analyzer. The reflective component is fixedly arranged between the metal rod and the metal tube shell.

[0007] The cantilever structure includes a cantilever beam, a flexible rope and a counterweight block. One end of the cantilever beam is fixedly connected to the side of the object to be measured, and the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the flexible rope. The other end of the flexible rope is fixedly connected to the counterweight block. A reflecting surface is provided in the middle of the cantilever beam, and the reflecting surface corresponds to the mouth.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention and the solution to its technical problems can be further achieved by adopting the following technical measures.

[0009] Optionally, a steel piece is further included, one end of the steel piece is pre-buried in the object to be measured, and one end of the cantilever beam is bolted to the other end of the steel piece.

[0010] Optionally, the cantilever beam is located above the metal tube shell, the other end of the cantilever beam is tilted downward, and the mouth is tilted upward to correspond to the reflective surface.

[0011] By means of the above technical solution, the present invention has at least the following advantages:

[0012] The metal tube and suspension beam are fixed to the side of the object being measured, preventing relative movement or rotation. When the object being measured tilts, the metal tube and suspension beam rotate, with the counterweight and flexible rope always pointing downward. This changes the moment arm and torque of the counterweight relative to one end of the suspension beam. This, in turn, changes the deflection of the reflective surface in the middle of the suspension beam, essentially changing the distance between the reflective surface and the reflective component. This changes the frequency corresponding to the peak value of the microwave sensing mechanism. The peak frequency can be used to determine the angle of rotation of the suspension beam and, therefore, the tilt angle of the object being measured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 A first state diagram of an inclinometer provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 A second state diagram of the inclinometer provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 This is the schematic diagram of the microwave sensing mechanism;

[0016] Figure 4 is the spectrum diagram of the microwave sensing mechanism;

[0017] Figure 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the tilt angle and the peak frequency.

[0018] The reference numerals in the drawings of the specification include: metal tube shell 1, metal rod 2, reflective component 3, radio frequency connector 4, vector network analyzer 5, suspension beam 6, flexible rope 7, counterweight block 8, and steel part 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] To further illustrate the technical means and effects employed by the present invention to achieve its intended objectives, the following detailed description of the specific implementation methods, structures, features, and effects of the present invention is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. In the following description, different references to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, specific features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner.

[0020] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides an inclinometer, which includes: a microwave sensing mechanism and a suspension beam mechanism;

[0022] The microwave sensing mechanism includes a metal tube shell 1, a metal rod 2 and a reflective component 3. The metal tube shell 1 is fixedly arranged on the side of the object to be measured. One end of the metal tube shell 1 is provided with an opening. The metal rod 2 is coaxially arranged in the metal tube shell 1, with one end of the metal rod 2 pointing to the opening. The other ends of the metal rod 2 and the other end of the metal tube shell 1 are respectively connected to a radio frequency connector 4, and the radio frequency connector 4 is electrically connected to a vector network analyzer 5. The reflective component 3 is fixedly arranged between the metal rod 2 and the metal tube shell 1.

[0023] The suspension beam structure includes a suspension beam 6, a flexible rope 7 and a counterweight 8. One end of the suspension beam 6 is fixedly connected to the side of the object to be measured, and the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the flexible rope 7. The other end of the flexible rope 7 is fixedly connected to the counterweight 8. A reflecting surface is provided in the middle of the suspension beam 6, and the reflecting surface corresponds to the mouth.

[0024] The working process of the inclinometer is as follows:

[0025] The metal tube housing 1 and suspension beam 6 are fixed to the side of the object being measured, and they do not move or rotate relative to each other. When the object being measured tilts, the metal tube housing 1 and suspension beam 6 rotate, and the counterweight 8 and flexible rope 7 are always oriented downward, causing the lever arm and torque of the counterweight 8 relative to one end of the suspension beam 6 to change. Correspondingly, the deflection of the reflective surface in the middle of the suspension beam 6 changes, that is, the distance between the reflective surface and the reflective component 3 changes, thereby changing the frequency corresponding to the peak value of the microwave sensing mechanism. The magnitude of the peak frequency can be used to determine the angle of rotation of the suspension beam 6 and the tilt angle of the object being measured.

[0026] In the technical solution of the present invention, the spectrum reference of the inclinometer Figure 5 Considering that the peak frequency change needs to be monotonic during the entire measurement process of the inclinometer, the middle value of the θ angle is set to 45 degrees, and the range is θ∈[45-α,45+α] degrees, where 0<α<45 degrees. Figure 5 , the relationship between peak frequency and tilt angle is calibrated for the tilt angle range θ∈[10,80]deg. As can be seen, as long as θ is monotonically increasing throughout the calibration process, the change in peak frequency is guaranteed to be monotonic. Through calibration, a curve relationship between the change in peak frequency and tilt angle is obtained.

[0027] Specifically, the inclinometer is provided with a suspension beam 6 structure and a microwave sensing mechanism, so that the deflection change of the suspension beam 6 is converted into the spectrum of the microwave sensing mechanism, thereby enabling the inclinometer to have higher measurement accuracy, smaller zero drift and higher fatigue resistance, thereby increasing the service life of the inclinometer.

[0028] Specifically, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, microwaves traveling within the microwave sensing mechanism are primarily reflected by reflective component 3, with a portion of their energy reflected. The microwaves then continue to travel to the reflective surface of cantilever beam 6, where a small portion of the electromagnetic wave is again reflected by the reflective surface. This repeated round trip is determined by the reflectivity of reflective component 3 and the reflective surface. Consequently, the microwaves are reflected multiple times within the microwave sensing mechanism, forming a spectrum. If the distance between reflective component 3 and the reflective surface of cantilever beam 6 changes, the frequency corresponding to the peak in the microwave spectrum graph will change. This frequency change can be used to determine the change in the distance between reflective component 3 and the reflective surface of cantilever beam 6, thereby determining the change in the tilt angle of cantilever beam 6 and, therefore, the change in the tilt angle of the object being measured.

[0029] Specifically, the inclinometer primarily comprises a microwave sensing mechanism, a cantilever structure, and a vector network analyzer (VNA). The inclinometer is installed at a target location, such as a wall or ground surface at varying heights on a hydraulic or concrete structure. The inclinometer typically converts the measured target's inclination angle into an electrical signal, facilitating long-distance signal transmission. The inclinometer and VNA are electrically connected, typically using a coaxial cable. The VNA analyzer analyzes the transmitted frequency spectrum to determine the target's inclination angle.

[0030] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in a specific embodiment, a steel member 9 is further included, one end of the steel member 9 is pre-buried in the object to be measured, and one end of the suspension beam 6 is bolted to the other end of the steel member 9 .

[0031] In this embodiment, specifically, the steel member 9 is an angle steel, which is welded to one end of a steel bar, and the other end of the steel bar is cast in the wall of the building to be measured. The side plate of the angle steel is provided with a first through hole, and one end of the suspension beam 6 is provided with a second through hole. The bolts pass through the first through hole and the second through hole in sequence and are screwed into the nuts, thereby fixing the positional relationship between the suspension beam 6 and the angle steel.

[0032] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in a specific embodiment, the suspension beam 6 is located above the metal tube shell 1, the other end of the suspension beam 6 is tilted downward, and the mouth is tilted upward to correspond to the reflection surface.

[0033] In this embodiment, specifically, the cantilever beam 6 is fixed on one side of the object to be measured. When the object to be measured tilts to the other side, θ becomes smaller, the lever arm of the counterweight block 8 relative to one end of the cantilever beam 6 increases, and the torque becomes larger. Correspondingly, the deflection of the reflecting surface in the middle of the cantilever beam 6 becomes larger, and the reflecting surface is slightly closer to the mouth of the metal tube shell 1, and the peak frequency becomes smaller.

[0034] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An inclinometer, characterized in that: include: A microwave sensing mechanism comprising a metal tube shell, a metal rod, and a reflective component. The metal tube shell is fixedly mounted on a side of the object to be measured, one end of the metal tube shell is provided with an opening, the metal rod is coaxially disposed within the metal tube shell, one end of the metal rod points toward the opening, the other ends of the metal rod and the other end of the metal tube shell are respectively connected to a radio frequency connector, the radio frequency connector is electrically connected to a vector network analyzer, and the reflective component is fixedly mounted between the metal rod and the metal tube shell; A cantilever structure includes a cantilever beam, a flexible rope and a counterweight block, one end of the cantilever beam is fixedly connected to the side of the object to be measured, and the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the flexible rope, and the other end of the flexible rope is fixedly connected to the counterweight block. A reflecting surface is provided in the middle of the cantilever beam, and the reflecting surface corresponds to the mouth.

2. The inclinometer according to claim 1, wherein It also includes a steel piece, one end of which is pre-buried in the object to be measured, and one end of the cantilever beam is bolted to the other end of the steel piece.

3. The inclinometer according to claim 1, wherein The cantilever beam is located above the metal tube shell, the other end of the cantilever beam is tilted downward, and the mouth is tilted upward to correspond to the reflecting surface.

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