Acceleration measurement system and method

• US 6,711,951 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2003
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kicher & Company
• Original Assignee: Kicher & Company
• Inventors: Kicher, Thomas P., Kicher, Paul T.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOLLER, RICHARD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/394,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 734/93
• US Class Current: 73/493
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/003 used for damping
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/02 by making use of inertia forces using solid seismic massesG01P15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/123 by piezo-resistive elements, e.g. semiconductor strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions

Abstract

An acceleration measurement system for measuring acceleration of a target object includes an accelerometer mount that includes at least one mass, at least one elastic member, and at least one damping material. A method of measuring acceleration of a target object includes selecting the at least one elastic member and the damping material provide a more accurate transmission from the target object to an accelerometer that is connected to the accelerometer mount.

Claims

1. An acceleration measurement system for measuring acceleration of a target object, the system comprising:

an accelerometer mount configured to be mounted on the target object, the accelerometer mount including;

at least one damping material,

at least one mass, and

at least one elastic member; and

an accelerometer connected to the accelerometer mount.

2. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the at least one elastic member includes at least one fastener.

3. The acceleration measurement system of claim 2, wherein the at least one fastener includes a system-mount fastener for mounting the system on the target object.

4. The acceleration measurement system of claim 3,

wherein the accelerometer mount includes a mounting block that the accelerometer is connected to; and

wherein the at least one damping material includes mount-fastener damping material between the mounting block and the mounting fastener.

5. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the at least one elastic member includes a weldment.

6. The acceleration measurement system of claim 5, wherein the weldment is at least part of an attachment between portions of the accelerometer mount.

7. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the at least one elastic member includes an adhesive material.

8. The acceleration measurement system of claim 7, wherein the at least one damping material also includes the adhesive material.

9. The acceleration measurement system of claim 7, wherein the adhesive material is at least part of a connection between portions of the accelerometer mount.

10. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1,

wherein the accelerometer mount further includes:

a mounting block to which the accelerometer is attached; and

a shoe coupled to the mounting block; and

wherein the shoe is configured to interface with the target object.

11. The acceleration measurement system of claim 10, wherein the at least one elastic member includes at least one shoe-mounting fastener that couples the shoe to the mounting block.

12. The acceleration measurement system of claim 11, wherein the at least one shoe-mounting fastener includes at least one threaded fastener.

13. The acceleration measurement system of claim 12, wherein each of the at least one threaded fastener passes through a respective hole in the shoe, and engages internal threads in a respective opening in the accelerometer mount.

14. The acceleration measurement system of claim 11, wherein the at least one damping material includes mount-shoe damping material between the shoe and the accelerometer mount.

15. The acceleration measurement system of claim 11, further comprising a system-mounting fastener for mounting the system on the target object.

16. The acceleration measurement system of claim 10, wherein the at least one damping material includes a damping material layer between the shoe and the mounting block.

17. The acceleration measurement system of claim 16, wherein the at least one elastic member includes a system-mount fastener for mounting the system on the target object.

18. The acceleration measurement system of claim 17,

wherein the accelerometer mount includes a mounting block that the accelerometer is connected to;

and

wherein the at least one damping material further includes mount-fastener damping material between the mounting block and the mounting fastener.

19. The acceleration measurement system of claim 18,

wherein the accelerometer mount includes a sleeve between the mount-fastener damping material and the mounting fastener.

20. The acceleration measurement system of claim 19, wherein the mounting block is not in direct contact with either the sleeve or the system-mount fastener.

21. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the at least one damping material is configured to be between the accelerometer mount and the target object when the accelerometer mount is mounted on the target object.

22. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the at least one damping material includes a flexible solid.

23. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the at least one damping material includes a liquid.

24. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the at least one damping material includes butyl rubber.

25. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer mount is a multiple degree of freedom system including multiple damping components and multiple elastic components.

26. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer includes a suspended mass responsive to acceleration, and wherein the accelerometer includes an accelerometer damper that damps motion of the suspended mass.

27. The acceleration measurement system of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer mount includes a mounting block that the accelerometer is connected to.

28. The acceleration measurement system of claim 27, wherein the at least one damping material and the at least one elastic member are coupled in series between the mounting block and the target object.

29. The acceleration measurement system of claim 27, wherein the at least one damping material and the at least one elastic member are coupled in parallel between the mounting block and the target object.

30. The acceleration measurement system of claim 27, wherein the at least one elastic member includes a system-mount fastener for mounting the system on the target object.

31. The acceleration measurement system of claim 30, wherein the at least one damping material includes a damping material layer a side of the mounting block.

32. The acceleration measurement system of claim 31, wherein the damping material layer is configured to press against the target object when the system is mounted to the target object.

33. A method of measuring acceleration of a target object, the method comprising:

selecting at least one elastic member and at least one damping material for inclusion in an accelerometer mount;

coupling an accelerometer to the accelerometer mount and the accelerometer mount to the target object; and

using the accelerometer to measure the acceleration of the target object.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the selecting includes selecting the at least one elastic member and the at least one damping material to minimize differences between the acceleration of the target object and acceleration of the accelerometer.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the selecting includes iteratively tentatively choosing the at least one elastic member and the at least one damping material, and examining the effect of the tentative choosing on the response of the accelerometer to accelerations of the test object.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the examining the effect of the tentative choosing includes experimentally examining the effect of the tentative choosing.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the examining the effect of the tentative choosing includes analytically examining the effect of the tentative choosing.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the selecting includes selecting a thickness of the at least one damping material.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the selecting includes selecting the at least one elastic member and the at least one damping material as part of a coupling between the accelerometer mount and the target object.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the selecting includes selecting the at least one elastic member and the at least one damping material as part of a coupling between parts of the accelerometer mount.