Acceleration measuring device

• US 4,095,547 A
• Filed: 04/27/1976
• Issued: 06/20/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brown Brothers Limited (Unipart Group of Cos. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Brown Brothers Limited (Unipart Group of Cos. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Benington, Charles Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Kunin, Stephen G.
• Application Number:
  US05/680,929
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 73/71.4, 73/505, 73/510, 73/517 B, 73/1 E, 73/503, 73/517 A, 114/122, 114/125, 114/126, 180/103, 180/104, 244/177-179, 244/191, 318/585, 318/588, 318/648, 318/651, 318/489, 324/162, 340/262
• US Class Current: 114/122
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 39/06 to decrease vessel movements by using foils acting on ambient water constructional aspects of bilge keels B63B3/44 ; foils mounted on the housing of outboard motors B63H20/34
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 39/14 for indicating inclination or duration of roll
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0888 for indicating angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 7/00 Measuring speed by integrating acceleration measuring travelled distance by double integration of acceleration G01C21/16

Abstract

An angular accelerometer incorporates two tilt sensors both connected to a differential amplifier arranged to provide a difference signal which is fed to a first integrator the output of which is fed to a second integrator. The tilt sensors are of the torque balance type. The tilt sensors are spaced from one another in a direction transverse to the direction along which the angular acceleration movement takes place.

Claims

1. An angular accelerometer for detecting the angular acceleration of an object about a rotational axis thereof comprising first and second tilt sensors of the torque-balance type oriented in the same direction to be sensitive to accelerations occurring in the direction in which the object rotates, said first and second tilt sensors being spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the direction of rotation of the body and at different distances from the axis of rotation of the object, each of said tilt sensors being capable of providing an output signal containing a component representative of the angular acceleration of the body, a differential amplifier connected to said first and second tilt sensors to receive as inputs thereto the outputs of said tilt sensors and to derive a difference output signal therefrom, a first integrator connected to said differential amplifier so as to be operable to integrate the output signal therefrom to provide an output signal related to instantaneous velocity of the rotating object, and a second integrator connected to said first integrator to receive the output signal therefrom and to be operable to integrate the output signal from said first integrator to provide an output signal related to the angle of swing of the rotating object.

2. An angular accelerometer as claimed in claim 1 including a control mechanism to which the outputs of the differential amplifier, of the first integrator, and of the second integrator are additionally connected, said control mechanism including a servo-mechanism coupled to a ship'"'"'s stabilizing apparatus and arranged to control the stabilizing apparatus so that said stabilizing apparatus operates in conformity with the information contained in the output signals from the differential amplifier, the first integrator and the second integrator.