Inclination sensor

• US 7,188,426 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Exelys LLC
• Original Assignee: Exelys LLC
• Inventors: Barr, Keith E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): REIS, TRAVIS M
• Application Number:
  US10/820,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 333/661.9, 333/661.1, 333/661.5, 333/661.8, 333/662.1, 333/662.2, 333/662.5, 333/662.6, 324/663, 702/154
• US Class Current: 33/366.19
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0691 Maps, e.g. yardage maps or electronic maps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 2009/062 capacitive
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 2009/185 dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/06 Electric or photoelectric indication or reading means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/20 the indication being based on the inclination of the surface of a liquid relative to its container

Abstract

An electronic inclination sensor is provided for the determination and display of surface inclination and the direction of such inclination. The information regarding the inclination and direction of inclination can be displayed such that an end user can readily and easily comprehend and use the information without additional interpretation. Further, when the inclination is displayed in decimal values, a large range of inclination angles can be displayed with significant accuracy.

Claims

1. An inclination measurement and display device, comprising:

a conductive chamber containing a fluid, wherein the conductive chamber comprises an annular chamber having an inner wall and an outer wall;

a plurality of electrodes provided in the chamber, wherein at least three electrodes of said plurality of electrodes are partially immersed in the fluid, each of the at least three electrodes including more than one side, and more than one side of each of the at least three electrodes being partially immersed in the fluid, and wherein each of said plurality of electrodes is provided approximately equidistantly from the inner wall and the outer wall of the annular chamber;

a processing module configured to measure an electrical characteristic between each of the plurality of electrodes and the conductive chamber and to determine an overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the chamber; and

a display for displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination and an indication of the direction of inclination.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said indication of the direction of Inclination comprises a plurality of Indicators positioned radially about said numerical value.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrical characteristic comprises capacitance.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises a dielectric fluid.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of electrodes comprises three electrodes spaced approximately equidistantly from each other In the annular chamber.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of electrodes comprise conductive plates provided in the annular chamber.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said processing module comprises:

an oscillator; and

a microcontroller configured to count the oscillator'"'"'s output cycles.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said processing module further comprises;

a controllable switch for selectively coupling the oscillator with each of the plurality of electrodes.

9. An inclination measurement and display device, comprising:

an enclosure having a reference surface;

an inclination sensor provided in the enclosure and being configured to measure a first electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of the reference surface along a first axis and a second electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of the reference surface along a second axis, wherein the inclination sensor outputs a first signal corresponding to the first measured electrical characteristic comprising capacitance and a second signal corresponding to the second measured electrical characteristic, the inclination sensor including at least one electrode having more than one side partially immersed in a fluid, and the inclination sensor comprising a conductive housing defining an annular chamber having an inner wall and an outer wall, a plurality of electrodes provided in the chamber, and a dielectric fluid provided in the chamber;

a processing module for receiving the first and second signals from the inclination sensor and processing the first and second signals to determine the overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the reference surface; and

a display for displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination and a directional indication corresponding to the two-dimensional direction of inclination.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said directional indication comprises a plurality of indicators positioned radially about said numerical value.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of electrodes are provided approximately equidistantly from the inner wall and the outer wall of the annular chamber.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein said plurality of electrodes comprise conductive plates provided in the annular chamber.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein:

said inclination sensor comprises a plurality of electrodes.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said processing module comprises:

an oscillator; and

a microcontroller configured to count the oscillator'"'"'s output cycles.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said processing module further comprises:

a controllable switch far selectively coupling the oscillator with each of the plurality of electrodes.

16. A method of measuring inclination, comprising:

measuring a first electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of a reference surface of an enclosure along a first axis and a second electrical characteristic indicative of an inclination of the reference surface along a second axis, wherein measuring the first and second electrical characteristics include partially immersing more than one side of at least one electrode in a fluid and measuring an electrical characteristic of the fluid contained in a chamber in three non-parallel directions;

outputting a first signal corresponding to the first measured electrical characteristic and a second signal corresponding to the second measured electrical characteristic;

processing the first and second signals to determine the overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the reference surface;

displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination; and

displaying an indication of a direction of inclination.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said measuring the first electrical characteristic and the second electrical characteristic comprises:

measuring an electrical characteristic of the fluid contained in a chamber in a plurality of directions.

18. A method of measuring inclination, comprising:

measuring an electrical characteristic of a fluid contained in a chamber in a plurality of directions using at least three electrodes partially incensed in the fluid, wherein each of the at least three electrodes include more than one side more than one side of each of the at least three electrodes are partially immersed in the fluid, and the chamber comprises an annular chamber having an inner wall and an outer wall;

processing the measured electrical characteristics to determine an overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the chamber;

displaying a numerical value corresponding to the overall angle of inclination; and

displaying an indication of a direction of inclination.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said measuring the electrical characteristic comprises:

in each of the plurality of directions, measuring a capacitance value between a pair of electrodes immersed in the fluid contained in the chamber, wherein the fluid in a dielectric fluid.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein:

said measuring the electrical characteristic comprises measuring a capacitance value between each of at least three electrodes and the chamber to generate three capacitance values; and

said processing the measured electrical signals comprises processing the three capacitance values to determine the overall angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the chamber.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

said processing the measured electrical signals comprises processing the three capacitance values to calculate a capacitance value In two non-parallel directions.