Electronic magnetic compass system
First Claim
1. An electronic magnetic compass system for computing the magnetic heading of a vehicle having two iron bodies relatively movable with respect to each other about a vertical rotary axis comprising;
- a non-pendulous triaxial magnetometer to be fixedly mounted on one of said bodies for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the three axial components on the magnetic field at the location of the magnetometer;
a first sensor on said one body for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the pitch of said one body;
a second sensor on said one body for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the roll of said one body;
an angle measuring device for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the angle of rotation between said two bodies about said vertical rotary axis;
a non-volatile memory for storing a plurality of pre-calibrated correction factors for correcting the effects of the permanent magnetic field and the induced magnetic field on the measurements of the magnetometer for each of a plurality of angles of rotation between the two bodies;
and an electronic computer for computing on a real-time basis the magnetic headings of both said bodies from said magnetic field electrical signals, as corrected by said stored correction factors for the respective angle of rotation, together with the pitch, roll and rotation angles electrical signals inputted into the computer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic magnetic compass for computing the magnetic heading of a vehicle, such as a tank, having two iron bodies relatively movable with respect to each other about a vertical rotary axis comprises: a non-pendulous triaxial magnetometer outputting magnetic field electrical signals representing the three axial components of the magnetic field at the location of the magnetometer; sensors outputting electrical signals representing the pitch and roll of the vehicle body on which the sensors are mounted; an angle measuring device for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the angle of rotation between the two bodies; a memory for storing a plurality of pre-calibrated correction factors for correcting the effects of the permanent magnetic field and the induced magnetic field on the measurements of the magnetometer for each of a plurality of angles of rotation between the two bodies; and an electronic computer for computing on a real-time basis the magnetic heading of both bodies from the magnetic field electrical signals as corrected by the stored correction factors for the respective angle of rotation, together with the pitch, roll and rotation angles electrical signals inputted into the computer.
52 Citations
14 Claims
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1. An electronic magnetic compass system for computing the magnetic heading of a vehicle having two iron bodies relatively movable with respect to each other about a vertical rotary axis comprising;
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a non-pendulous triaxial magnetometer to be fixedly mounted on one of said bodies for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the three axial components on the magnetic field at the location of the magnetometer; a first sensor on said one body for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the pitch of said one body; a second sensor on said one body for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the roll of said one body; an angle measuring device for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the angle of rotation between said two bodies about said vertical rotary axis; a non-volatile memory for storing a plurality of pre-calibrated correction factors for correcting the effects of the permanent magnetic field and the induced magnetic field on the measurements of the magnetometer for each of a plurality of angles of rotation between the two bodies; and an electronic computer for computing on a real-time basis the magnetic headings of both said bodies from said magnetic field electrical signals, as corrected by said stored correction factors for the respective angle of rotation, together with the pitch, roll and rotation angles electrical signals inputted into the computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electronic magnetic compass system for computing the magnetic heading of a tank having a turret rotatable on a hull about a vertical rotary axis comprising;
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a non-pendulous triaxial magnetometer to be fixed mounted on said turret for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the three axial components on the magnetic field at the location of the magnetometer; a first sensor on said turret for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the pitch of said turret; a second sensor on said turret for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the roll of said turret; an angle measuring device for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the angle of rotation between said turret and about said vertical rotary axis; a non-volatile memory for storing a plurality of pre-calibrated correction factors for correcting the effects of the permanent magnetic field and the induced magnetic field on the measurements of the magnetometer for each of a plurality of angles of rotation between the turret with respect to the hull; and an electronic computer for computing on a real-time basis the magnetic headings of both said turret and hull from said magnetic field electrical signals, as corrected by said stored correction factors for the respective angle of rotation, together with the pitch, roll and rotation angles electrical signals inputted into the computer. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification