INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT WITH ENHANCED ACCELERATION WITHSTAND CAPABILITY

• US 20090314083A1
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Millet, Hervé
• Granted Patent: US 8,028,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.40
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/56 Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/183 Compensation of inertial measurements, e.g. for temperature effects

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inertial measurement unit with enhanced resistance to acceleration, and it is characterized in that it comprises at least five accelerometers (Acc1 to Acc5), the sensing axes of which are arranged at various positions on the generatrix of a conical surface, and in that they comprise a device for detecting saturation of the accelerometers and a device for detecting abnormal biases.

Claims

1. An inertial measurement unit with enhanced resistance to acceleration, comprising five accelerometers, the sensing axes of which are arranged such that any three of them are not in the same plane;

a device for detecting saturation of the accelerometers. and a device for detecting abnormal biases.

2. The inertial measurement unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing axes are arranged at various positions on the generatrix of an at least approximately conical surface.

3. The inertial measurement unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing axes of the accelerometers are distributed asymmetrically relative to the reference axes of the inertial measurement unit.

4. The inertial measurement unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing axes of the accelerometers intersect at a single point.

5. The inertial measurement unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensing axes of the accelerometers are distributed asymmetrically relative to the reference axes of the inertial measurement unit.

6. The inertial measurement unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensing axes of the accelerometers intersect at a single point.

7. The inertial measurement unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensing axes of the accelerometers intersect at a single point.