Back to results
US 5,452,519 AGranted
Attitude sensor
Assignee3D Instruments Limited
InventorsTimothy R. Crocker, Anthony I. Rees
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An attitude sensor comprises a spherical ball suspended in a fluid contained in a housing. The ball is maintained neutrally buoyant with respect to the fluid and out of direct contact with the housing. A means is provided for detecting the orientation of the ball. The sensor is particularly useful as a compass, in which case one or more magnets may be provided within the ball or a passive magnetic element is provided which is influenced by the earth's magnetic field.
Claims11
An attitude sensor comprising:
- a housing containing a fluid;
- a spherical ball freely suspended in said fluid;
- buoyancy control means for ensuring that the ball is neutrally buoyant with respect to said fluid, said buoyancy control means comprising
- means for altering the buoyancy of said spherical ball,
- means for measuring the buoyancy of said spherical ball,
- control means, operatively connected to said means for altering buoyancy and said means for measuring buoyancy, for causing said means for altering buoyancy to alter the buoyancy of said spherical ball to obtain neutral buoyancy with respect to said fluid when said means for measuring buoyancy detects a departure of the buoyancy of said spherical ball from neutral buoyancy with respect to said fluid;
- means for maintaining said spherical ball out of direct contract with said housing;
- means for detecting orientation of said spherical ball.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.