Optical accelerometer and its use to measure acceleration
US6567174B1 · kind B1 · utility
6Cited by
8References
12Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 28, 2001 |
| Grant date | May 20, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 2, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01P15/093
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method for measuring acceleration uses an accelerometer apparatus having an optically transparent, stress-birefringent material, a source of polarized light positioned to direct a polarized beam of light into the optically transparent, stress-birefringent material, and a detector system positioned to detect an output beam from the optically transparent, stress-birefringent material. The accelerometer apparatus is accelerated, and the acceleration of the accelerometer apparatus is simultaneously determined from a measurement of stress-induced optical birefringence in the optically transparent, stress-birefringent material.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.