Hughes Aircraft Company

Raytheon Company

James W Casalegno

Kirk K Kohnen

Wilbur W Eaton

Michael F Janik

Eric K Slater

Arnold W Novick

Kenneth J McPhillips

John R Short

Ilya Rozenfeld

Thomas J McHale

Self leveling apparatus that includes a frame, a device that is to be leveled, and a leveling mechanism such as a double ring gimbal having an inner gimbal ring and an outer gimbal ring. The outer gimbal ring is secured to the frame and the inner gimbal ring is secured to the device and to the outer ring. The inner ring comprises a viscous or preloaded bearing that allows the device to swing around an inner ring axle to thereby level itself in that axis and prevent spurious movement of the device. The outer gimbal ring and inner gimbal ring are attached by outer axles that comprise a viscous or preloaded bearing that allow the inner gimbal ring to swing around the outer axles thereby level the inner gimbal ring in that axis and prevent spurious movement of the device. A disclosed embodiment of the invention includes a magnetometer sensor that is coupled to signal processing and telemetry electronics and a power source that are leveled to keep axes of the sensor oriented along horizontal and vertical axes.

Self leveling sensor/device package

Growing community of inventors

Fullerton, CA, United States of America

James W Casalegno