Lockheed Martin Corporation

David L Sieracki

Walter K Feldman

Daniel E Dosch

Melvin Schweitzer

Daniel J DiFrancesco

Carlo P San Giovanni

William F Konig

Thomas R Metzger

A method and apparatus for an improved gravity gradiometer are disclosed.

Gravity gradiometer system

A method includes measuring an acceleration along an input axis of an accelerometer mounted to a gradiometer disc, the accelerometer having a coordinate axis that is parallel to a spin axis of the disc, and includes calculating a gravity tensor element as a function of the measured acceleration and a component of the measured acceleration caused by an acceleration along the coordinate axis. Consequently, this technique typically yields a more accurate calculation of the gravitational field by accounting for undesired accelerations picked up by accelerometers having input axes that are not parallel to the gradiometer disc.

Gravity gradiometer and method for calculating a gravity tensor with increased accuracy

Gravity gradient measurements taken by an accelerometer type gradiometer are optimized by tilting the measuring plane of the instrument by a selected angle above and below the horizontal to obtain data that can be differenced or otherwise processed to remove instrument bias and by taking data at first and then at a second orthogonal azimuth heading to obtain absolute non-relative gradient measurements.

System and process for optimizing gravity gradiometer measurements

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Depew, NY, United States of America

David L Sieracki