Holder for rotatable sensor array

• US 5,228,008 A
• Filed: 09/30/1991
• Issued: 07/13/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vivek P. Burhanpurkar
• Original Assignee: Vivek P. Burhanpurkar
• Inventors: Burhanpurkar, Vivek P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel T.
• Application Number:
  US07/767,277
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 367/99, 367/153, 367/165, 367/173, 367/188, 367/104
• US Class Current: 367/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/521 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: G12B 9/08 Supports; Devices for carrying

Abstract

A holder for holding a plurality of position sensors, such as ultrasonic position sensors, in a ganged array for pivotal movement about a vertical pivot axis passing through the holder. The holder includes a pair of housings carried on a rotatable shaft, each housing carrying six sensors in two groups of three. Each group is angularly offset from the other group. The sensors within a group are angularly offset from each other by angles that are multiples of the beam angle of the sensor beams.

Claims

1. A holder for carrying a plurality of position sensors defining an array of sensors, said holder comprising:

a. a first housing;

b. a first set of at least two sensors carried by the first housing, each sensor in the first set of sensors having a central axis and positioned to face outwardly of the first housing and having their respective axes lying in a first plane;

c. a second set of at least two spaced sensors carried by the first housing, each sensor of the second set of sensors having a central axis and positioned to face outwardly of the first housing and having their respective axes lying in a second plane;

d. wherein the sensors in each set of the first and second sets of sensors have their axes inclined relative to other sensors in the same set of sensors, and wherein the angle of inclination between a pair of adjacent sensors in a set of sensors is a selected angle and the inclination angles between non-adjacent sensors of that same set of sensors are whole number multiples of the selected angle.

2. A holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first plane is angularly offset from the second plane.

3. A holder as claimed in claim 2 wherein the angular offset is substantially 90°

.

4. A holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the sensors of a set of sensors has the same beam included angle and the selected angle is the included angle of the respective beams.

5. A holder as claimed in claim 4 wherein the whole number multiples are successive whole numbers.

6. A holder as claimed in claim 4 wherein there are three sensors in a set of sensors and the whole number multiples are successive whole numbers.

7. A holder for carrying a plurality of position sensors defining an array of sensors, said holder comprising:

a. a first housing;

b. a first set of at least two sensors carried by the first housing each sensor in the first set of sensors having a central axis and positioned to face outwardly of the first housing and having their respective axes lying in a first plane;

c. a second set of at least two spaced sensors carried by the first housing, each sensor of the second set of sensors having a central axis and positioned to face outwardly of the first housing and having their respective axes lying in a second plane;

d. wherein the sensors in each set of the first and second sets of sensors have their axes inclined relative to other sensors in the same set of sensors;

e. a second housing connected with the first housing, a third set of at least two spaced sensors carried by the second housing, each sensor in the third set of sensors having a central axis and positioned to face outwardly of the second housing and having their respective axes lying in a third plane;

f. a fourth set of at least two spaced sensors carried by the second housing, each sensor in the fourth set of sensors having a central axis and positioned to face outwardly of the second housing and having their respective axes lying in a fourth plane;

g. wherein the sensors in each of the third and fourth sets of sensors have their axes inclined relative to the other sensors in the same set of sensors.

8. A holder as claimed in claim 7 wherein the third plane is angularly offset from the fourth plane.

9. A holder as claimed in claim 10 wherein the angular offset is substantially 90°

.

10. A holder as claimed in claim 7 wherein each sensor in the first and second sets of sensors has its axis inclined relative to the axis of each adjacent sensor in that same set of sensors.

11. A holder as claimed in claim 10 wherein the angle of inclination between a pair of adjacent sensors in a set of sensors is a selected angle and the inclination angles between non-adjacent sensors of that same set of sensors are whole number multiples of the selected angle.

12. A holder as claimed in claim 11 wherein each of the sensors of a set of sensors has the same beam included angle and the selected angle is the included angle of the respective beams.

13. A holder as claimed in claim 12 wherein the whole number multiples are successive whole numbers.

14. A holder as claimed in claim 12 wherein there are three sensors in a set of sensors and the whole number multiples are successive whole numbers.

15. A holder as claimed in claim 7 wherein the inclination of the axes of the sensors carried by the first housing is in an opposite direction to the inclination of the axes of the sensors carried by the second housing, relative to a plane passing between the first and second housings and perpendicular to each of the first, second, third and fourth planes.

16. A holder as claimed in claim 7 wherein the first and third planes are coincident.

17. A holder as claimed in claim 7 wherein the second end fourth planes are coincident.

18. A holder as claimed in claim 7 wherein the first and third planes are coincident with each other and wherein the second and fourth planes are coincident with each other.

19. A holder as claimed in claim 7 including a connecting member extending between the first and second housings, the connecting member having a longitudinal axis, and wherein the first and second housings are each carried by the connecting member for pivotal movement about the longitudinal axis of the connecting member.

20. A holder as claimed in claim 19 wherein the first and second housings are spaced from each other along the longitudinal axis of the connecting member.

21. A holder as claimed in claim 19 including a drive motor drivingly connected with the connecting member for pivoting the connecting member and the first and second housings about the connecting member longitudinal axis.