Magnetic resonance alarm device

• US 5,656,997 A
• Filed: 06/16/1995
• Issued: 08/12/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Technology Consultants Limited, Directed, LLC (VOXX International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: W. A. Hays
• Inventors: Wooten, Lester, Hays, Al
• Primary Examiner(s): SWANN III, GLEN R
• Application Number:
  US08/491,371
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 340/566, 340/429, 340/571, 340/669, 340/665
• US Class Current: 340/566
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

A transducer device for converting mechanical motion into an electrical output, consists of an inductance, a flexible support and a permanent magnet positioned in approximately colinear alignment, the nature of the flexible support being such that the inductance and the permanent magnet are free to move mutually independently. The magnetic fields of the permanent magnet and the inductance are mutually interactive, and when the flexible support moves even slightly, it causes the magnet to move, which in turn induces changes in the self-inductance of the inductance and thus the resonance of the circuit, so as to convert the mechanical motion into an electrical output. This inventive transducer device may be implemented in a wide variety of different circuits to serve various functions, but it is particularly suited for use in an alarm device having one or more alarm or warning means.

Claims

1. An alarm device comprising:

a motion sensor including an inductance, a flexible support and a permanent magnet, the flexible support comprising a block of resilient material, a proximal and a distal end of the flexible support being fixed to the inductance, and to the permanent magnet respectively such that the inductance and the permanent magnet are free to move mutually independently, constrained only by the flexible support, magnetic fields of the permanent magnet and the inductance being mutually interactive such that motion of the permanent magnet relative to the inductance through the flexible support induces changes in the self inductance of the inductance.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the resilient material is foam rubber-like material.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein a core axis of the inductance is approximately colinearly aligned with a north-south axis of the permanent magnet when both the inductance and the permanent magnet are at rest.

4. An alarm device comprising:

a motion sensor including an inductance, a flexible support and a permanent magnet, the flexible support comprising a block of resilient material a proximal and a distal end of the flexible support being fixed to the inductance, and to the permanent magnet respectively such that the inductance and the permanent magnet are free to move mutually independently, constrained only by the flexible support, magnetic fields of the permanent magnet and the inductance being mutually interactive such that motion of the permanent magnet relative to the inductance through the flexible support induces changes in the self inductance of the inductance;

an electrical alarm circuit incorporating the motion sensor, and further providing a set of circuit elements including a tank circuit capacitance, a voltage amplifier circuit, a low-pass filter circuit, an output driver circuit, and a power supply circuit, the circuit elements interconnected such that the motion sensor inductance and the tank circuit capacitance form a tank circuit providing an electrical signal varying in magnitude with movement of the motion sensor, said signal boosted by the voltage amplifier circuit, and smoothed by the low-pass filter circuit, and thence directed to the output driver circuit for switching on a trigger output line.

5. The device of claim 4 further including an output pulse delaying circuit between the low-pass filter circuit and the output driver circuit so as to delay the signal.

6. The device of claim 4 further including a time delay circuit configured and interconnected with the device to delay start-up power by a selected time delay period when power is applied to the device.

7. The device of claim 4 further including a second electrical alarm circuit approximately identical to the first electrical alarm circuit, the alarm circuits adjusted for differing sensitivities for alarming at differing magnitudes of motion of the inductance.

8. The device of claim 4 wherein the resilient material is foam rubber-like material.

9. The device of claim 4 wherein a core axis of the inductance is approximately colinearly aligned with a north-south axis of the permanent magnet when both the inductance and the permanent magnet are at rest.