A Low-Cost Chamber Prototype for Automatic Thermal Analysis of MEMS IMU Sensors in Tilt Measurements Perspective

Abstract

In this work, a low-cost, open-source and replicable system prototype for thermal analysis of low-cost Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors in tilt measurement perspective is presented and tested. The system is formed of a 3D printed frame, a thermal cell consisting in a Peltier element mounted over a heat sink, and a control and power system. The frame is designed to allow the independent biaxial tilting of the thermal cell through two servomotors. The control board is formed by an Arduino® and a self-made board including a power drive for controlling the thermal unit and servomotors. We tested the chamber analyzing the behavior of multiple MEMS IMU onboard accelerometers suitable for measuring tilt. Our results underline the variability of the thermal behavior of the sensors, also for different sensor boards of the same model, and consequently the need for the adoption of a thermal compensation strategy based on thermal analysis results. These data suggesting the need for the analysis of the thermal behavior of MEMS-based sensors, indicate the potential of our system in making low-cost sensors suitable in medium-to-high precision monitoring applications.

Lightweight Thermal Compensation Technique for MEMS Capacitive Accelerometer Oriented to Quasi-Static Measurements

“…Furthermore, it can be observed that the drifts in the X axis are greater than in the Y axis both in this work and in that of Ruzza et al [ 12 ]. This difference is quite remarkable in both studies, although the design of the two sensitive axes should be similar.…”

“…Ruzza et al also detected that the thermal drifts in a small population of sensors is random [ 12 ]. In all these studies, the Z axis shows a different behavior compared to the X and Y axes.…”

“…Thermal stresses can temporarily or permanently alter the behavior of the units [ 11 ]. These alterations are not deterministic; different units of the same model exposed to the same processes exhibit different thermal sensitivities [ 12 ].…”

BEGEOSCIENTIST a young network - I Congresso Nazionale dei Giovani Geoscienziati

“…In order to compensating the thermal drifting, we using a specific thermal analysis and an associated simple compensation strategy (Ruzza et al, 2018;Ruzza et al, 2019).…”

A Multi-Module Fixed Inclinometer for Continuous Monitoring of Landslides: Design, Development, and Laboratory Testing

“…In this paper, starting from precedent works of the authors of [20,21], who analyzed micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer behavior in an inclination measurement perspective, providing a strategy of thermal drift reduction that makes them suitable for field monitoring, we present a newly developed, low-cost, multi-module inclinometer, suitable for continuous landslide monitoring. This system can support landslide process understanding, including basal slip surface identification and movement tracking, and can be easily implemented with a real-time data transfer module for early warning purpose.…”