A novel ultra-high-resolution inclination sensor based on diamagnetic levitation

Abstract

The development of advanced inclination sensors with high resolution has long been a demand for modern industry areas. Herein, in this work, we propose and demonstrate a novel ultra-high-resolution uniaxial inclination sensor rooting in diamagnetic levitation technique without control system. The sensor is mainly composed of a stable levitated diamagnetic mass (graphite rod) and a pair of rationally designed small permanent magnets, permitting a simple structure without additional power supply need. Inclination monitoring is realized by measuring the unidirectional displacement of the graphite rod using optical approach. The experimental results reveal that the measurement range of the sensor can reach ± 0.640° with an ultra-high resolution better than 0.69", a linear measurement range of ± 0.621° with a nonlinearity of − 4.263% and a sensitivity of 5.590 mm/°. Simulations were performed and the numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental measurement. Accompanied by the simplistic structural feature, such high resolution and excellent linearity suggest the feasibility and applicability of this novel sensor for numerous precision inclination measurement applications.