Accuracy of angular displacements and velocities from inertial-based inclinometers

Howard Chen; Mark C Schall; Nathan Fethke

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2017.09.007

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Accuracy of angular displacements and velocities from inertial-based inclinometers

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Accuracy of angular displacements and velocities from inertial-based inclinometers

Howard Chen, Mark C Schall and Nathan Fethke

Applied ergonomics, Vol.67, pp.151-161

02/2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.09.007

PMID: 29122186

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/9605618View

Open Access

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of various sensor fusion algorithms for measuring upper arm elevation relative to gravity (i.e., angular displacement and velocity summary measures) across different motion speeds. Thirteen participants completed a cyclic, short duration, arm-intensive work task that involved transfering wooden dowels at three work rates (slow, medium, fast). Angular displacement and velocity measurements of upper arm elevation were simultaneously measured using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and an optical motion capture (OMC) system. Results indicated that IMU-based inclinometer solutions can reduce root-mean-square errors in comparison to accelerometer-based inclination estimates by as much as 87%, depending on the work rate and sensor fusion approach applied. The findings suggest that IMU-based inclinometers can substantially improve inclinometer accuracy in comparison to traditional accelerometer-based inclinometers. Ergonomists may use the non-proprietary sensor fusion algorithms provided here to more accurately estimate upper arm elevation. •Sensor fusion algorithms are proposed to improve inclinometer accuracy.•Accelerometer-based inclinometers become inaccurate under increasing movement speed.•Fusion of accelerometer and gyroscope measurements improved inclinometer accuracy.

Inclinometer

Inertial measurement units

Kalman filter

Inertial-based motion capture

Details

Title: Subtitle: Accuracy of angular displacements and velocities from inertial-based inclinometers
Creators: Howard Chen - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, AL, USA
Mark C Schall - Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
Nathan Fethke - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Applied ergonomics, Vol.67, pp.151-161
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.09.007
PMID: 29122186
NLM abbreviation: Appl Ergon
ISSN: 0003-6870
eISSN: 1872-9126
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Language: English
Date published: 02/2018
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Industrial and Systems Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center
Record Identifier: 9983997321102771

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