Portable assembly for supporting magnetic and electrical sensors
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorCharles W. Ouellette
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable underwater mount for magnetic and electric field sensors. The mount has a gimbal-like structure comprising a ball member having a mounting flange for coupling to the magnetometer. The ball member is cast from polyurethane with Teflon powder suspended therein, providing a substantially frictionless surface. The ball member is disposed over a support platform having a spherical contour so that the weighted sensor positions itself to true vertical. A collar having a lock terminating in the support platform rests over the ball member so that once the sensor is oriented to magnetic north, the lock is engaged to secure the sensor in true vertical and magnetic north positions.
Claims15
A portable assembly for supporting a magnetic sensor comprising:
- a pedestal comprising a platform and a plurality of supporting legs, each one of the plurality of supporting legs connected to the platform, said platform having an aperture and a portion of a spherical surface disposed with said aperture extending through said portion;
- a sensor module comprising a ball member having a spherical shape complementary to said portion of said platform and disposed over said portion of said platform, said ball member having a flange adapted for mating with a magnetic sensor, wherein said sensor module extends down through said aperture in said platform;
- and
- a locking cover having an aperture, said locking cover disposed over said ball member with the ball member extending into the aperture of the locking cover.
A portable assembly for supporting a magnetometer and an alternating magnetic sensor comprising:
- a pedestal comprising a platform, a plurality of supporting feet and a plurality of supporting legs, each one of the plurality of supporting legs connected to the platform and to a corresponding one of the plurality of supporting feet, said platform having an aperture and a portion of a spherical surface disposed with said aperture extending through said portion;
- a sensor module comprising:
- a magnetometer;
- a ball member having a spherical shape complementary to said portion of said platform and disposed over said portion of said platform, said ball member having a flange adapted for mating with said magnetometer, wherein said senor module extends down through said aperture in said platform;
- and
- a block coupled to said magnetometer and having an aperture disposed therethrough adapted for receiving an alternating magnetic sensor;
- and
- a locking cover having an aperture, said locking cover disposed over said ball member with the ball member extending into the aperture of the locking cover.
A portable assembly for supporting magnetic and electrical sensors underwater comprising:
- a pedestal comprising a platform and a plurality of supporting legs, each one of the plurality of supporting legs connected to the platform;
- means for mounting and manually adjusting a sensor to align with true north and for affixing the sensor to the platform, said mounting and manually adjusting and affixing means comprising:
- a portion of the platform having a spherical surface disposed within the platform;
- a ball member having a spherical shape complementary to said portion of the platform to mate with said portion of the platform, said ball member attached to said sensor;
- a locking cover having a portion of a spherical surface disposed within the locking cover complementary with said ball member;
- and
- means for affixing the locking cover to the platform with the ball member disposed between the platform and the locking cover;
- and
- a shroud disposed around said supporting legs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.