Multiaxial vibration sensor
First Claim
1. A multiaxial vibration sensor comprising:
- a float;
a housing closely surrounding said float and permitting limited freedom of motion of said float within said housing;
means responsive to excitation for electromagnetically constraining said float within said housing without physical contact therebetween against translational and rotational motion;
means for applying excitation to said constraining means;
means responsive to a characteristic of said excitation for providing an indication of vibration applied to said housing; and
said constraining means further including means responsive to said indication of vibration for applying forces to said float to restrain relative motion between said float and said housing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A single vibration sensor having the capability of sensing vibration along three rotational axes as well as three translational axes and exhibiting consistent dynamics over a wide frequency range. The sensor includes an elongated mass formed of a generally rigid material suspended in a fluid within a housing. The exterior surface of the mass is spaced from the interior surface of the housing to permit limited freedom of motion of the mass within the housing. The mass is provided with multiaxial radial and axial electromagnetic suspensions, and is typically supported by a fluid within the housing. Rotational positioning is provided by a signal generator, torque generator combination. Vibration is sensed by additive or differential measurements of current changes in the coils of different axes of the suspensions or electromagnetic signal and torque generator combinations. The sensor is conveniently implemented as a single degree of freedom inertial gyroscope without the gyroscope wheel and adapted to permit sensing of current changes in coils provided to achieve suspension or suspension and signal and torque generation functions.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A multiaxial vibration sensor comprising:
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a float; a housing closely surrounding said float and permitting limited freedom of motion of said float within said housing; means responsive to excitation for electromagnetically constraining said float within said housing without physical contact therebetween against translational and rotational motion; means for applying excitation to said constraining means; means responsive to a characteristic of said excitation for providing an indication of vibration applied to said housing; and said constraining means further including means responsive to said indication of vibration for applying forces to said float to restrain relative motion between said float and said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16)
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15. A vibration sensor comprising:
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a float of a generally cylindrical form and having a cylindrical axis; a housing for containing said float within a cavity thereof and providing for movement of said float within the cavity of said housing of a closely limited extent; said limited motion including axial and radial motion of said float within said housing whereby the axial and radial gaps through said cavity between said float and said housing at the ends thereof can be made to vary independently along said float axis and two radial axes orthogonal to said float axis, or combinations thereof; means for sensing motion of said float with respect to said housing along said float axis to provide an axial vibration signal; means for sensing the motion of said float with respect to said housing at each end thereof along said radial axes to provide a set of radial axis signals; means for combining said radial axis signals to provide an indication of rotational and translational motion of said float with respect to said housing along and about said two radial axes, both orthogonal to said float axis; means for sensing rotation of said float about said float axis to provide an indication of rotational motion of said float about said radial axis. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification