Inclination sensor
AssigneeExelys LLC
InventorKeith E. Barr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic inclination sensor is provided for the determination and display of surface inclination and the direction of such inclination. The information regarding the inclination and direction of inclination can be displayed such that an end user can readily and easily comprehend and use the information without additional interpretation. Further, when the inclination is displayed in decimal values, a large range of inclination angles can be displayed with significant accuracy.
Claims27
An inclination measurement and display device, comprising:
- a conductive chamber containing a fluid;
- a plurality of electrodes provided in the chamber;
- a processing module configured to measure an electrical characteristic between each of the plurality of electrodes and the conductive chamber and to determine an overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the chamber;
- and
- a display for displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination and an indication of the direction of inclination.
An inclination measurement and display device, comprising:
- an enclosure having a reference surface;
- an inclination sensor provided in the enclosure and being configured to measure a first electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of the reference surface along a first axis and a second electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of the reference surface along a second axis, wherein said inclination sensor outputs a first signal corresponding to the first measured electrical characteristic and a second signal corresponding to the second measured electrical characteristic;
- a processing module for receiving the first and second signals from the inclination sensor and processing the first and second signals to determine the overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the reference surface;
- and
- a display for displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination and a directional indication corresponding to the two-dimensional direction of inclination.
A method of measuring inclination, comprising:
- measuring a first electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of a reference surface of an enclosure along a first axis and a second electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of the reference surface along a second axis;
- outputting a first signal corresponding to the first measured electrical characteristic and a second signal corresponding to the second measured electrical characteristic;
- processing the first and second signals to determine the overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the reference surface;
- displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination;
- and
- displaying an indication of a direction of inclination.
A method of measuring inclination, comprising:
- measuring an electrical characteristic of a fluid contained in a chamber in a plurality of directions;
- processing the measured electrical characteristics to determine an overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the chamber;
- displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination;
- and
- displaying an indication of a direction of inclination.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.