Patents Assigned to United States of America as represened by the United States Department of Energy
  • Patent number: 5428219
    Abstract: A fiber optic inclination detector system for determining the angular displacement of an object from a reference surface includes a simple mechanical transducer which requires a minimum number of parts and no electrical components. The system employs a single light beam which is split into two light beams and provided to the transducer. Each light beam is amplitude modulated upon reflecting off the transducer to detect inclination. The power values associated with each of the reflected light beams are converted by a pair of photodetectors into voltage signals, and a microprocessor manipulates the voltage signals to provide a measure of the angular displacement between the object and the reference surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1995
    Assignee: United States of America as represened by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventor: Jeffrey P. Cwalinski