US 12,123,543 B2
Inclination sensor and data acquisition device
Fumitoshi Kasahara, Tokyo (JP); Fumio Ohtomo, Tokyo (JP); Naoki Shoji, Tokyo (JP); Masae Matsumoto, Tokyo (JP); and Jun Abe, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Topcon Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Topcon Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Mar. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/655,548.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-053570 (JP), filed on Mar. 26, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0307646 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. G01C 15/00 (2006.01); F16M 11/12 (2006.01); F16M 11/18 (2006.01)
CPC F16M 11/123 (2013.01) [F16M 11/18 (2013.01); G01C 15/008 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inclination sensor comprising:
a gimbal mechanism having a first shaft and a second shaft perpendicular to the first shaft and rotatably supported around the first shaft and the second shaft;
a first motor that rotates the first shaft;
a second motor that rotates the second shaft;
an acceleration sensor disposed in the gimbal mechanism with an origin point of coordinate axes being coincident with a point of intersection of a shaft center of the first shaft and a shaft center of the second shaft; and
a control unit that drives the first motor and the second motor to simultaneously rotate the first shaft and the second shaft and thereby continuously rotate the acceleration sensor around the first shaft and the second shaft, and applies frequency analysis to output values from the acceleration sensor to arithmetically determine an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal direction.