SIX FACE, MULTI-EVENT, ORIENTATION SENSOR

• US 20080140339A1
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ciccaglione, Terry Michele, Sanders, Robert Tucker, Maresh, Mark Edmund
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/10 by using rolling bodies , e.g. spheres, cylinders, mercury droplets
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions

Abstract

An apparatus and a computer implemented method for monitoring and recording the orientation data for an object. The orientation apparatus comprises an outer casing. Inside the outer casing is an orientation device that comprises six chambers, with a ball sensor in each chamber, and a ball. The orientation apparatus also comprises a data recorder for recording an event history of the orientation device, and a communicator for conveying the event history.

Claims

1. An orientation apparatus comprising:

an outer casing;

an orientation device within the outer casing, wherein the orientation device comprises six chambers, a ball sensor in each chamber tip, and a ball;

a data recorder for recording an event history; and

a communicator for conveying the event history.

2. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein each chamber tip terminates in a different face of a cubically shaped outer casing.

3. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data recorder is one of a solid state memory, an optical disk, or a magnetic disk.

4. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data recorder is physically located outside the outer casing.

5. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data recorder is physically located inside the outer casing.

6. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communicator is physically attached to the outer casing.

7. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ball sensor is at least one of a pressure switch, an electrical contact switch, or an optical switch.

8. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the six chambers are conically shaped.

9. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the six chambers are pyramid shaped.

10. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the six chambers are substantially hollow and wherein a roughly spherical center of the orientation apparatus is substantially hollow.

11. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the six chambers are connected to four adjacent chambers via a tunnel, wherein the ball moves freely through each tunnel.

12. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communicator is at least one of a text screen, an audio signal, an indicator light, or any combination of text screen, audio signal, and indicator light.

13. The orientation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data recorder comprises a processor with instructions to convert raw sensor data into processed sensor data, wherein the processed sensor data does not include bounce or vibrational sensor data.

14. A three axis orientation monitoring system comprising:

an object of interest;

an apparatus for monitoring each orientation of the object;

a processor for interpreting each orientation of the object, forming orientation information;

a storage device for storing orientation information; and

a user interface for communicating orientation information to a user.

15. The three axis orientation monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the apparatus comprises:

an outer casing;

six chambers within the outer casing;

each of the six chambers containing a ball sensor; and

a ball that freely flows through each chamber as influenced by gravity.

16. The three axis orientation monitoring system of claim 15, wherein the processor, storage device, and user interface are located within the outer casing.

17. The three axis orientation monitoring system of claim 15, wherein the processor, storage device, and user interface are located outside of the outer casing.

18. A computer implemented method for monitoring an orientation of an object, the computer implemented method comprising:

interpreting three axis orientation sensor data associated with the object;

storing a record of each orientation of the object; and

communicating a history of each orientation of the object to a user.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 19, wherein interpreting three axis orientation sensor data comprises computer readable instructions for eliminating bounce and vibrational raw data.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 20, wherein interpreting three axis orientation sensor data comprises computer readable instructions for creating an event history.