Direction sensing device
AssigneeBrookes & Gatehouse Limited
InventorMichael J. Gill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluxgate compass direction sensor in which a fluxgate is mounted relative to a receptacle by means of a flexible circuit. The fluxgate is also suspended in a liquid by means of a float. In use, if the receptacle tilts relative to the horizontal, the level of the liquid will move to retain a horizontal aspect and the float, being buoyant in the liquid, will retain the fluxgate in the horizontal plane. The flexible circuit acts to allow tilting of the float and fluxgate relative to the receptacle while retaining the fluxgate in lateral and directional alignment relative to the receptacle.
Claims19
A direction sensing device, comprising:
- a receptacle;
- a liquid at least partially filling said receptacle;
- a direction sensor within said receptacle, said direction sensor being buoyant in said liquid;
- and
- movement regulating means for causing said direction sensor to be free to move so as to remain in a horizontal plane but to be in all other respects constrained to follow the movement of said receptacle, such that when said direction sensing device is in operation, said direction sensor is free to move so as to remain in a horizontal plane but to be in all other respects constrained to follow the movement of said receptacle.
A directional sensing device, comprising:
- a receptacle having an inside surface of generally annular shape, said inside surface having at least one projection extending therefrom;
- a liquid at least partially filling said receptacle;
- a generally annularly shaped direction sensor received in said receptacle and buoyed by said liquid, said direction sensor comprising:
- a base;
- an alignment member having at least one flexible spiral shaped portion extending from said receptacle to said base, said alignment member resisting rotational movement by said base;
- a fluxgate attached to said base having a magnetically permeable core;
- drive coil means wound around a first portion of said magnetically permeable core;
- and
- first and second orthogonally disposed sensor coil means wound around a second portion of said magnetically permeable core;
- and
- a float attached to said base for buoying said direction sensor in said liquid, said float having a peripheral surface, said peripheral surface having at least one rib attached thereto, such that said at least one rib of said float and said at least one projection of said receptacle cooperate to restrain said base from rotational movement exceeding a predetermined maximum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.