AXO®301 is a high-resolution digital accelerometer with ± 1g input range and SPI interface that is perfectly suited to acceleration, deceleration and inclination measurements for railway applications.

Rail digitalization is moving fast, sustained by the global demand for rail transportation that is expected to witness a 200% growth by 2050. Inertial sensors are part of the multiple sensing technologies that can be found inside a train on-board unit (OBU) to ensure a high quality and reliability of service.

High performance accelerometers are at the heart of demanding train functionalities like GNSS-assisted navigation, sensor-fusion odometry and train localization, which are required to enable the next generation of Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) systems. One example of CBTC deployment can be observed in Europe with the implementation of the future European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) that is aimed at reducing the maintenance costs of the trackside infrastructure. Moreover, measuring and diagnostic trains are also leveraging IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to assist the localization of rail geometry defects detected by laser and optical sensors.

After the successful launch of the ± 15 g AXO®315 accelerometer for high performance navigation and positioning, Tronics announces the availability of AXO®301, the second member of its AXO®300 accelerometers series, designed for high resolution acceleration, deceleration and inclination measurements in railway applications.

AXO®301 is a high accuracy, single-axis, closed-loop digital MEMS accelerometer with ± 1 g input range that offers a performance-equivalent and cost-effective alternative to quartz accelerometers at a fraction of their size, weight and power. Its 1-year composite bias repeatability of 1 mg with residual temperature error of 0.5 mg allows highly stable acceleration measurements during train operation, while the 50 μg resolution provides a high precision inclination measurement for train tilt sensing.

AXO®301 is compliant with the EN61373 railway standard for vibrations and shocks, which allows it to maintain its entire measurement capability and integrity when exposed to operating vibrations up to 3.8 g RMS and operational shocks up to 100 g that may occur when mounted on the train axles.

Similarly to all accelerometers from the AXO®300 product line, AXO®301 embeds a fully hard-coded electronics with a 24-bit digital SPI interface for a swift integration into IMU and stand-alone sensor modules. The built-in self-test ensures initial verification of the sensor’s integrity and continuous in-operation functionality test.

Contact our team at info@tronicsgroup.com to get your AXO^®301 evaluation boards and prototypes.

Key performances

• ±1 g range, single-axis in-plane accelerometer
• Resolution: 50 μg
• 1-year composite bias repeatability: 1 mg
• 1-year composite scale factor repeatability: 600 ppm
• Bandwidth: 15 Hz (configurable upon request)
• Vibration rejection: 20 μg/g²
• Compliant with EN61373 railway standard for vibrations and shocks

 Key features

• 24-bit digital SPI interface
• Initial and continuous self-test
• Factory-calibrated over temperature
• Hermetic ceramic SMD package
• Non classified under dual-use export control
• REACH and RoHS compliant

Applications

• IMU for train odometry and Automated Train Control
• INS for GNSS-assisted railway positioning and navigation
• Acceleration and deceleration measurement
• Train performance testing
• Train tilt sensing
• Dynamic inclinometers
• Track geometry measurement
• Ride comfort measurement

Download brochure here.