Use of Gyro/Accelerometer for Boat Tilt Application?

[TBan]

Hello,

I'm looking to try to use a gyroscope to determine the rocking motion (just side to side - not back and forth) of a boat while it is traveling forward or sitting still in the water. Specifically, I'm looking for the boat's angle from vertical and this angle's velocity. Can I do this with just a (2-axis, 3 axis?) gyroscope? Or would I need a gyroscope as well as an accelerometer? Any experience with mounting gyro devices?

Thanks for your help :)

 

[Rippetherocker]

The side to side movement is called rolling and the forward-aft is called pitching. Ships have been using gyros for this for a long long time.
Every ship has it. Just buy it.

 

[TBan]

Thanks for the reply. I do know that most ships have this, I wanted to know if just a 3-axis gyroscope will do it, or should I get something that also has accelerometers?

 

[Rippetherocker]

Gyroscopes should give you the change of angle and acc.meters rate of change I think. If you are making one make it for all movement. Use a 3axis one. I'm sorry but I don't know much else about it.
Level sensor apps on a smartphone can be reprogrammed to output on a scale. Though accuracy would be a concern

 

[stedwards]

Hello,

I'm looking to try to use a gyroscope to determine the rocking motion (just side to side - not back and forth) of a boat while it is traveling forward or sitting still in the water. Specifically, I'm looking for the boat's angle from vertical and this angle's velocity. Can I do this with just a (2-axis, 3 axis?) gyroscope? Or would I need a gyroscope as well as an accelerometer? Any experience with mounting gyro devices?

Thanks for your help :)

You would probably opt for a so-called strap-down gyro (it's not really a gyroscope). Consumer grade are usually memes. They're far cheaper. Everybody calls them gyroscopes, but they deliver different spatial information. A single strap-down will tell you how much the boat has rotated about a given axis. For pitch and roll, you'll need a minimum of two single axis memes or a dual axis meme unit.

 

[Baluncore]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrating_structure_gyroscope
One MEMS gyroscope should do the job. Do you need analogue or digital output?

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/sensors-transducers/gyroscopes/1967243?k=gyroscope
http://au.mouser.com/new/stmicroelectronics/stmemsgyroscopes/
See also devices like the Analog Devices ADXRS652.

 

[TBan]

Thanks for the replies! I would prefer if the sensor could work as J1939 CAN interface. Do you know of any devices like this?