Claims
- 1. An apparatus, comprising:
a pendulous sensor component that reacts to a parameter; and one or more pickoff sensors that sense a value of the parameter from a substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises a rotation parameter, wherein the one or more pickoff sensors obtain the value of the rotation parameter from the substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:
one or more dampener components that control a rotation of the pendulous sensor component, wherein the rotation parameter is based on the rotation of the pendulous sensor component.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein one or more of the one or more dampener components cause an application of a dampening torque to the pendulous sensor component, wherein one or more locations of one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors serve to promote a reduction of the dampening torque.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pendulous sensor component comprises a pressure sensitivity, wherein one or more locations of one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors serve to promote a reduction of the pressure sensitivity of the pendulous sensor component.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pendulous sensor component is coupled with a frame, wherein one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors comprise one or more pickoff electrodes that serve to sense a change in a capacitance between the pendulous sensor component and the frame.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pendulous sensor component comprises a pressure sensitivity, wherein one or more of the one or more pickoff electrodes employ the change in the capacitance to promote a reduction in the pressure sensitivity of the pendulous sensor component.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pendulous sensor component is coupled with a drive component through employment of a hinge, wherein the parameter comprises a torque parameter derived from a torque on the pendulous sensor component, wherein the pendulous sensor component employs the torque parameter to accomplish one or more oscillations of the pendulous sensor component about the hinge.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors sense the value of the torque parameter to promote a reduction of the torque parameter on the pendulous sensor component.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the drive component comprises a dither drive component, wherein the hinge component comprises a flexure hinge component, wherein the dither drive component applies an acceleration on the pendulous sensor component to obtain the torque parameter.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors serve to promote a reduction of the acceleration on the pendulous sensor component
- 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the pendulous sensor component comprises a pressure sensitivity, wherein the one or more locations of the one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors serve to promote a reduction in the pressure sensitivity of the pendulous sensor component.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pendulous sensor component comprises one or more grooves, wherein one or more of the one or more grooves determine a location of one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors.
- 14. An electromechanical gyroscope, comprising:
a pendulous sensor component that reacts to a parameter; one or more pickoff sensors that obtain a value of a rotation from a substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component; and wherein a location of the one or more pickoff sensors promotes a reduction in a pressure sensitivity of the pendulous sensor component.
- 15. A method, comprising the steps of:
obtaining a value of a rotation parameter from a substantially zero net dampening torque location of a pendulous sensor component; and employing the value of the rotation parameter to make a determination of one or more locations of one or more pickoff sensors.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the pendulous sensor component is coupled with one or more dampeners, wherein the rotation parameter comprises a dampening torque, wherein the step of employing the value of the rotation parameter to make the determination of the one or more locations of the one or more pickoff sensors comprises the steps of:
measuring the value of the dampening torque of one or more of the one or more dampeners; employing the value of the dampening torque to make the determination of the one or more locations of the one or more pickoff sensors; and employing the determination of the one or more locations of the one or more pickoff sensors to promote a reduction of the dampening torque.
- 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the pendulous sensor component comprises a pressure sensitivity, wherein the pendulous sensor component is coupled with a frame, wherein one or more of the one or more pickoff sensors comprise one or more pickoff electrodes, the method further comprising the steps of:
sensing a change in a capacitance between the pendulous sensor component and the frame; and employing the change in the capacitance to promote a reduction in the pressure sensitivity of the pendulous sensor component.
- 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the pendulous sensor component is coupled to a drive component through employment of a hinge, wherein the rotation parameter comprises a torque parameter derived from a torque on the pendulous sensor component, wherein the step of obtaining the value of the torque parameter from the substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component comprises the steps of:
employing the torque parameter provided by the drive component to accomplish one or more oscillations of the pendulous sensor component about the hinge; measuring the value of the torque parameter at the pendulous sensor component; sensing the value of the torque parameter from the substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component.
- 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the pendulous sensor component comprises a pressure sensitivity, wherein the drive component generates an acceleration to derive the torque parameter on the pendulous sensor component, wherein the step of sensing the value of the torque parameter from the substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component comprises the steps of:
employing the determination of the one or more locations of the one or more pickoff sensors to promote a reduction of the acceleration on the pendulous sensor component from the substantially zero net dampening torque location of the pendulous sensor component; and employing the determination of the one or more locations of the one or more pickoff sensors to promote a reduction in the pressure sensitivity of the pendulous sensor component.
- 20. The method of claim 13, wherein the pendulous sensor component comprises one or more grooves, wherein the step of employing the value of the rotation parameter to determine the one or more locations of the one or more pickoff sensors comprises the steps of:
determining one or more locations of one or more of the one or more grooves; and employing one or more of the one or more locations of the one or more of the one or more grooves and the value of the rotation parameter to determine one or more of the one or more locations of the one or more pickoff sensors.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/464,795 (by Stanley F. Wyse, filed Apr. 23, 2003, and entitled “PICKOFF SENSOR OBTAINING OF VALUE OF PARAMETER FROM SUBSTANTIALLY ZERO NET DAMPENING TORQUE LOCATION OF PENDULOUS SENSOR COMPONENT”).
[0002] This application contains subject matter that is related to the subject matter of the following application, which is assigned to the same assignee as this application. The below-listed application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:
[0003] “HINGE POSITION LOCATION THAT CAUSES PENDULOUS AXIS TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH DRIVE COMPONENT DIRECTION,” by Robert E. Stewart, co-filed herewith.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60464795 |
Apr 2003 |
US |