US 12,259,401 B2
Fibre optic accelerometer
Eric Meijer, The Hague (NL); Germán Enrique Knoppers, The Hague (NL); Yorick Koumans, The Hague (NL); and Bastiaan Meulblok, The Hague (NL)
Assigned to SOMNI CORPORATION B.V., The Hague (NL)
Appl. No. 17/431,231
Filed by SOMNI CORPORATION B.V., The Hague (NL)
PCT Filed Feb. 18, 2020, PCT No. PCT/NL2020/050094
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 16, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/171700, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 27, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2022593 (NL), filed on Feb. 18, 2019; and application No. 2023232 (NL), filed on May 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0137088 A1, May 5, 2022
Int. Cl. G01P 15/093 (2006.01)
CPC G01P 15/093 (2013.01) 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An accelerometer for measuring acceleration along a measurement direction, wherein the accelerometer comprises:
a movable mass which is moving with respect to a frame member only along the measurement direction;
a suspension system for suspending the movable mass in the frame member while limiting movement of the movable mass to be movement along only the measurement direction; and
an optical fibre that is connected at a fibre connection point that is coupled to the movable mass, wherein the optical fibre is arranged between the movable mass and the frame member, and wherein the optical fibre comprises a measurement section for measuring the movement of the movable mass along the measurement direction;
wherein the suspension system comprises two flexure guide systems, each arranged in a U-shape and comprising two leaf springs forming a first leg and a second leg of the U-shape, wherein an intermediate element, having a substantial higher bending stiffness compared to the leaf springs, is arranged between the first leg and a second leg to form a bottom of the U-shape, wherein a free end of the first leg of the U-shape is connected to the frame member and a free end of the second leg of the U-shape is connected to the movable mass; and
wherein the intermediate elements of the two flexure guide systems are coupled by means of a coupling element having a substantial higher bending stiffness compared to the leaf springs.