Electromechanical magnetometer and applications thereof
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a magnetic core;
a mechanical resonator comprising an active layer on a compensating structure; and
an induction coil formed on the mechanical resonator and arranged to produce an electrical signal having an operating frequency proportional to a mechanical resonating frequency of the mechanical resonator and proportional to a change in a magnetic flux in the magnetic core resulting from a change in orientation of the apparatus.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for producing an electrical signal from an apparatus comprising an induction coil coupled to a mechanical resonator, wherein the electrical signal has an operating frequency proportional to a mechanical resonating frequency of the mechanical resonator and proportional to a change in a magnetic flux resulting from a change in orientation in the apparatus, detecting with a detection circuit a change in the electrical signal resulting from a change in the magnetic flux caused by the change in orientation in the apparatus, and determining a direction of the apparatus according to the change in the electrical signal. Other embodiments are disclosed.
105 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a magnetic core; a mechanical resonator comprising an active layer on a compensating structure; and an induction coil formed on the mechanical resonator and arranged to produce an electrical signal having an operating frequency proportional to a mechanical resonating frequency of the mechanical resonator and proportional to a change in a magnetic flux in the magnetic core resulting from a change in orientation of the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus, comprising:
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a magnetic core; a mechanical resonator having an annular geometry with an opening, wherein the magnetic core is at least partially located within the opening, and wherein the mechanical resonator is coupled to two or more anchors; and an induction coil formed on the mechanical resonator, comprising a conductor having at least one loop, and arranged to produce an electrical signal having an operating frequency proportional to a mechanical resonating frequency of the mechanical resonator and proportional to a change in a magnetic flux in the magnetic core resulting from a change in orientation of the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A navigation system, comprising:
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a global positioning system receiver; a gyroscope; an accelerometer; an orientation sensor, comprising; a mechanical resonator; and an induction coil formed on the mechanical resonator and arranged to produce an electrical signal having an operating frequency proportional to a mechanical resonating frequency of the mechanical resonator and proportional to a change in a magnetic flux resulting from a change in orientation of the orientation sensor; a memory to store instructions; and a controller coupled to the memory, the global positioning system receiver, the gyroscope, the accelerometer and the orientation sensor, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the controller performs operations comprising; detecting a failure of the global positioning system receiver to provide a reliable location coordinate; and determining a position and orientation of the navigation system according to a last known location coordinate supplied by the global positioning system receiver and position information obtained from at least one of the gyroscope, the accelerometer, the orientation sensor, or a combination thereof. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method, comprising:
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producing an electrical signal from an apparatus comprising an induction coil formed on a mechanical resonator, the mechanical resonator comprising an active layer on a compensating structure, wherein the electrical signal has an operating frequency proportional to a mechanical resonating frequency of the mechanical resonator and proportional to a change in a magnetic flux resulting from a change in orientation in the apparatus; detecting with a detection circuit a change in the electrical signal resulting from a change in the magnetic flux caused by the change in orientation in the apparatus; and determining a direction of the apparatus according to the change in the electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (21, 23, 24)
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22. A method, comprising:
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producing an electrical signal from an apparatus comprising an induction coil formed on a mechanical resonator, wherein the electrical signal has an operating frequency proportional to a mechanical resonating frequency of the mechanical resonator and proportional to a change in a magnetic flux resulting from a change in orientation in the apparatus; detecting with a detection circuit a change in the electrical signal resulting from a change in the magnetic flux caused by the change in orientation in the apparatus; determining a direction of the apparatus according to the change in the electrical signal; and supplying the direction to a navigation system, wherein the direction enables the navigation system to determine a position and orientation of the navigation system based on a last known reliable location coordinate of a global positioning system receiver.
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Specification