The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 29, 2013
Filed:
Apr. 13, 2010
Thomas J. Meyer, Corfu, NY (US);
Thomas J. Meyer, Corfu, NY (US);
Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, MD (US);
Abstract
An instrument for determining the second and/or third-order components of the gravity tensor includes a group of six accelerometers arranged at an equal radius from a spin axis and positioned at 60 degree intervals about the spin axis with the sensing axis of each accelerometer aligned tangentially to the circle subscribed by the accelerometers as they rotate about the spin axis. A gyro-stabilized platform maintains the accelerometer arrangement at a preferred alignment relative to the local gravity vector. As the accelerometers orbit about the spin axis, each accelerometer outputs a sinusoidal signal that is offset by 60 degrees from its immediately adjacent leading and trailing accelerometers with the outputs thereof processed to provide the second-order component and the third-order tensor component. In another arrangement, a group of eight accelerometers arranged at an equal radius from a spin axis and positioned at 45 degree intervals about the spin axis can provide second, third, and fourth-order tensor components. The higher-order tensor components are of use in 'de-cluttering' the lower-order tensor components.