Inclinometern

Inclinometern, the Swedish term for an inclinometer, is a device designed to measure the tilt or inclination of an object relative to the direction of gravity. Inclinometers provide a tilt angle along one or more axes and are used across engineering, geoscience, and navigation. Basic mechanical versions rely on gravity-based indicators such as a pendulum, a bubble in a spirit level, or a rolling element, while modern variants use electronic sensors, typically MEMS accelerometers or capacitive sensors, to convert tilt into electrical signals.

Inclinometers can be categorized by dimensionality: two-dimensional devices measure tilt about a single horizontal axis, while three-dimensional instruments measure tilt about two axes in combination. Outputs can be analog or digital, and many systems include onboard microprocessors for calibration, temperature compensation, and data logging. Calibration and reference alignment are important for accurate measurements, and some designs provide continuous self-checking or redundancy for critical monitoring.

Common applications include geotechnical and structural monitoring, where inclinometer wells or boreholes record lateral ground movement and slope stability; civil engineering for monitoring settlement and tilting of towers, bridges, dams, or slopes; surveying and construction for aligning equipment and structures; and robotics and automation for platform stabilization and navigation. The concept is also used in aerospace attitude sensing and other fields that require measurement of orientation relative to gravity.

See also: tilt sensor, accelerometer, geotechnical instrumentation, attitude indicator.