Lorentz force magnetometer having a resonator
US5959452A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 3, 1997 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 3, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R33/028
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention consists, in one embodiment, of a resonator such as a conductive bar supported by two wires placed at the nodal points of the fundamental resonance frequency. The wires also supply current of this frequency to the resonator. In the presence of a magnetic field, the Lorentz force causes the resonator to vibrate. The amplitude of this vibration is proportional to a vector component of the magnetic field. The motion of the resonator is detected using one of a number of possible methods including optical beam deflection. The invention has a sensitivity of at least 1 nT, comparable to that of a commercial fluxgate magnetometer, and a dynamic range exceeding 80 dB.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.