Three axis accelerometer with variable axis sensitivity
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorDouglas Byrd
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The accelerometer includes an inertial mass, a fixed base and at least one or more supports/sensors for supporting the mass from the base rendering the support system statically indeterminate. The supports/sensors are preferably double-ended dual beam tuning forks suspended between mounting pads and vibrated by an oscillator. By adding one or more supports/sensors beyond those supports/sensors necessary for a statically determinate support system, the support system is rendered statically indeterminate and therefore sensitive in one or more directions.
Claims18
A sensor for measuring acceleration in three dimensions, comprising:
- an inertial mass and a support system for the inertial mass, said support system including a base and a plurality of support members extending between said base and said inertial mass, and sufficient in number to suspend the inertial mass in orthogonal directions and to provide a statically indeterminate structure;
- and
- stress sensors for measuring the acceleration induced stress in the support members thereby affording a measure of acceleration of the mass.
An accelerometer comprising:
- an inertial mass and a support system for the inertial mass, said support system including a base and a plurality of support members extending between said base and said inertial mass, and sufficient in number to suspend the inertial mass in orthogonal directions and to provide a statically indeterminate structure;
- and
- at least six of said support members constituting respective stress sensors for measuring the acceleration induced stress in the support members to provide a measure of acceleration of the mass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.