A 3-axis acceleration sensor data acquisition instrument system

It is not always possible to wire a 3-axis rotating sensor on a rotating drum directly to data acquisition equipment in an experiment or in testing industrial equipment. A special 3-axis motion sensor subsystem mounted onto a rotating drum is indirectly coupled to data acquisition system by broadband amplitude modulation (AM) radio. The sensor subsystem consists of one 2-axis accelerometer circuit in the x-y plane, one 2-axis accelerometer circuit in the z-plane, and two z-axis gravity switches. The sensor subsystem is self-contained and hermetically sealed. The sensor subsystem send 3-axis motions to a computer-based data acquisition equipment using the broadband AM radio signals. The computer then calculates the acceleration, the vibrations of bucket, and position of the sensors. The computer, using a graphical unit interface, then shows the position and rotation of the drum. The program for the sensor subsystems utilizes interrupts that allow the sensor subsystem to interpret and send data quickly. The software and the sensor subsystems are portable and can be integrated into other applications or expanded.