The application of MEMS inertial measurement units (IMU) in the industrial field mainly focuses on high-precision motion control, equipment monitoring, and automated production. Choosing a suitable MEMS IMU in the industrial application field requires comprehensive consideration of accuracy, environmental adaptability, interface compatibility, and cost-effectiveness.

The application of MEMS IMU in the field of industrial robots and automation mainly focuses on attitude feedback and control, AGV/AMR navigation, and vibration monitoring and diagnosis. In the application of attitude feedback and control, MEMS IMU provides real-time attitude (pitch, roll, yaw) and angular velocity information for robot joints, end effectors or mobile platforms, achieving precise motion control, path planning and collision prevention. In the application of AGV/AMR navigation , MEMS IMU is integrated with wheel speed sensors, LiDAR, and visual sensors to provide dead reckoning functionality. When the external reference is temporarily lost, IMU can maintain short-term positioning and heading, improving the robustness and continuity of navigation. In the application of vibration monitoring and diagnosis, MEMS IMU is installed on robot joints, key structures, or motors to monitor the vibration spectrum and amplitude during operation, for predictive maintenance, and to identify early faults such as bearing wear, imbalance, and misalignment.

The requirements for MEMS IMU in the field of industrial robots and automation mainly focus on the following aspects:

1.       Requirements for static performance indicators (high precision)

Zero bias stability is the most important indicator of static performance, and low zero bias stability means that the long-term accuracy of attitude estimation (pitch, roll, yaw) is crucial. When robots run for long periods of time or AGVs navigate accurately, low zero bias drift is the core to ensure attitude accuracy. The zero bias stability of gyroscopes usually requires <1°/h, and high-end applications require <0.5°/h. The zero bias stability index of accelerometers requires <1 mg. In addition, the angle random walk reflects the white noise characteristics of the gyroscope output, which determines the rate at which the angle integration error increases over time. Low ARW is the foundation for achieving high-precision posture, especially in a short period of time, and is particularly critical for motion control of high-speed and high dynamic robots.

Taking the high-performance MEMS IMU U6300 series and U7000 from Micro-Magic Inc as an example:

2.       Dynamic performance requirements (high bandwidth, large range)

The joint motion frequency of industrial robots is high, and the vibration frequency at the end of the robotic arm may be even higher. High bandwidth is crucial for accurately capturing fast motion and vibration. Usually, the bandwidth needs to be greater than 100 Hz, even hundreds of Hz. In addition, robots can quickly start and stop, collide, or AGVs can travel on uneven roads. Overload can cause data saturation distortion, therefore MEMS IMUs are required to have a sufficiently wide range. Typically, gyroscopes may require ± 300°/s to ± 2000°/s or higher, while accelerometers may require ± 2g to ± 50g or higher.

Taking the products U3600, U5000, and U6488 from Micro-Magic Inc as an example:

3.       Environmental adaptability requirements (excellent resistance to vibration and impact)

The industrial environment is full of vibrations (motors, gears, conveyor belts, etc.). IMU must be able to suppress these vibration interferences and avoid outputting erroneous data (especially gyroscopes that are sensitive to linear vibrations and generate G-sensitive errors). Good mechanical design (such as damping) and advanced signal processing algorithms are required. Ensure that the equipment is not damaged and its performance is not permanently degraded when dealing with unexpected collisions, falls, or high impact operations. It usually needs to withstand impacts of thousands of g.

Taking the products U3500,U3600 and U3700 from Micro-Magic Inc as an example:

4.       System integration and practicality

MEMS IMUs have been increasingly widely used in industrial and military fields due to their small size, light weight, and low power consumption. Miniaturization allows IMUs to be easily embedded into robot joints, linkage ends, compact AGV bodies, and even tool interiors without significant burden or design changes; Lightweight design minimizes the impact of IMU on the load capacity and motion performance of robots, especially for high-speed, high-precision, or collaborative robots; The low power consumption of IMU extends the battery life of mobile robots and wireless sensor nodes, reducing the overall energy consumption and heat dissipation requirements of the system.

Taking the products U300, U3500 and U3000 from Micro-Magic Inc as an example:

Conclusion

Industrial grade MEMS IMUs need to achieve a high level of balance on these stringent indicators in order to meet the comprehensive requirements of modern industrial robots and automation systems for perception accuracy, reliability, real-time performance, and robustness.

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