Inclinometer devices for civil engineering works

Precision sensor nodes that measure structural tilt in real time and transmit it over an industrial RS485 bus. Robust, continuous monitoring for civil engineering.

Civil engineering RS485 bus Multi-node
How it works What we built
Real time tilt, roll and temperature from every node
RS485 bus dozens of nodes on a single line (Modbus RTU)
IP65–IP67 rugged enclosure for the outdoors

The problem: structures move

On civil works, walls, slopes and structures undergo millimetric movements that are worth watching before they become a problem.

Manual measuring doesn’t scale

One-off, manual readings give no continuity and can’t cover many points at once.

A worksite is a hostile environment

Dust, moisture, temperature and long cable runs demand rugged electronics and reliable communication.

How it works

Precision nodes spread across the site, connected on a single industrial bus.

Precision nodes

Each node measures tilt (pitch), roll and temperature with a precision inertial sensor.

Industrial RS485 bus

The nodes connect on a single RS485 line and speak Modbus RTU, the standard of industrial instrumentation.

Many points, one network

Each node has a configurable address, so dozens of measuring points share the same bus and are read by a single master.

Built for the outdoors

IP65–IP67 enclosure and thermal compensation to run on site over long periods.

Batch of manufactured inclinometer sensor nodes: custom PCB with microcontroller, IMU and RS485 transceiver
The manufactured sensor nodes: custom PCB with microcontroller, inertial sensor and RS485 transceiver.

What we built

End-to-end development, from the electronics design to manufacturing the batch.

Custom hardware

Own PCB with microcontroller, inertial sensor and RS485 transceiver, with power and consumption management.

Firmware

Modbus RTU slave node: sensor reading, data exposed through registers and an address stored in non-volatile memory.

Multi-node network

Addressing of each node —including remote reconfiguration over the bus itself— to deploy many sensors in one installation.

Data and maintenance

CSV/JSON data export and over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates.

Technology

The whole stack, from the sensor to the industrial bus.

  • ESP32 microcontroller
  • Precision inertial sensor (IMU)
  • RS485 bus
  • Modbus RTU
  • Configurable addresses (multi-node)
  • Non-volatile memory
  • Power management
  • Custom PCB
  • IP65–IP67 enclosure
  • Thermal compensation
  • Firmware with OTA
  • CSV/JSON export

End-to-end development by RobotUNO

Custom electronics, firmware and a multi-node system over an industrial bus: from design to manufacturing the batch. Have a similar project?

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