US3905121A — Device for indicating a direction on the earth{3 …

Claim 1

Independent Claim 97 words

A device for indicating a direction of an object on the earth''s surface comprising magneto-electric transducer means responsive to terrestrial magnetism to produce an electric output; amplifier means amplifying the output of said magnetoelectric transducer means; and indicator means indicating a direction, by an output of said amplifier, according to the terrestrial magnetism detected by said magneto-electric transducer means in relation to the position of said object, wherein said magneto-electric transducer means has four magnetoelectric transducer elements disposed at right angles with one another and said indicator means has four indicator members thereby to indicate eight directions.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 97 words

A device for indicating a direction of an object on the earth''s surface comprising magneto-electric transducer means responsive to terrestrial magnetism to produce an electric output; amplifier means amplifying the output of said magnetoelectric transducer means; and indicator means indicating a direction, by an output of said amplifier, according to the terrestrial magnetism detected by said magneto-electric transducer means in relation to the position of said object, wherein said magneto-electric transducer means has four magnetoelectric transducer elements disposed at right angles with one another and said indicator means has four indicator members thereby to indicate eight directions.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 61 words

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said four magneto-electric transducer elements provide four parallel amplifier outputs and said indicator means has eight indicator members, said device further comprising logical circuit means responsive to each of eight discrete patterns of said four parallel amplified outputs for actuating a respective one of said indicator members thereby to indicate eight directions independently.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 49 words

A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said magneto-electric transducer means further has four ferromagnetic members disposed at right angles with one another with partly tapered inner ends adjacent and facing respective magneto-electric transducer elements and substantially cylindrical outer end portions extending away from the respective transducer elements.

Claim 5

Independent Claim 125 words

A device for indicating a direction of an object on the earth''s surface comprising magneto-electric transducer means responsive to terrestrial magnetism to produce an electric output; amplifier means amplifying the output of said magneto-electric transducer means; and indicator means indicating a direction, by an output of said amplifier, according to the terrestrial magnetism detected by said magneto-electric transducer means in relation to the position of said object, wherein said magneto-electric transducer means includes at least two magneto-electric transducer elements disposed at right angles with each other, said device further comprising comparator means comparing outputs of said magneto-electric transducer elements with at least two reference voltages; and logical circuit means forming patterns of combinations of outputs of said comparators, the number of said patterns being 2n.

Claim 6

Independent Claim 125 words

A device for indicating a direction of an object on the earth''s surface comprising magneto-electric transducer means responsive to terrestrial magnetism to produce an electric output; amplifier means amplifying the output of said magneto-electric transducer means; and indicator means indicating a direction, by an output of said amplifier, according to the terrestrial magnetism detected by said magneto-electric transducer means in relation to the position of said object, wherein said magneto-electric transducer means includes at least two magneto-electric transducer elements disposed at right angles with each other, said device further comprising comparator means comparing outputs of said magneto-electric transducer elements with at least two reference voltages; and logical circuit means forming patterns of combinations of outputs of said comparators, the number of said patterns being 2n.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 39 words

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said magneto-electric transducer means further has at least four ferromagnetic members disposed at right angles with one another a said magneto-electric transducer elements being disposed between each two opposite ferromagnetic members.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 28 words

A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said ferromagnetic member has a tapered inner end portion in facing one side of the corresponding said magneto-electric transducer element.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 17 words

A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said indicator members comprise an array of luminous diodes.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 56 words

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transducer elements each comprise a Hall element, said electrical output thereof being a DC voltage variable in amplitude level with the turning of said object in the earth''s magnetic field, said amplifying means comprising four amplifiers respectively connecting said elements each to a respective said indicator member.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 141 words

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said indicator means haS plural indicator members, the transducer elements each having an output variable ln level by turning of said object through different directions on the earth''s surface, said comparator means having parallel output lines which in number are a multiple of the number of transducer elements, said parallel output lines being connected to corresponding parallel inputs of said logic circuit means and together carrying a different pattern of comparator output signal levels for each of several directions in which said object can be faced, the number 2n of patterns being a multiple of the number of said comparator output lines, and n being an integer, there being at least one discrete pattern for each indicator member and a discrete and corresponding logic circuit means output connection to each said indicator member.

Claim 12

Independent Claim 232 words

A device for indicating, in response to terrestrial magnetism, the direction of an object on the earth''s surface, comprising: a terrestrial magnetism detector fixed on the object and including at least a pair of magneto-electric transducer elements fixed to face at right angles to each other and each having a voltage varied by turning of the object in the earth''s magnetic field; said magneto-electric transducer elements each comprising a Hall element, the voltage level of which is at a maximum when said Hall element is facing in one direction along the earth''s magnetic field, the voltage levels of the two elements being displaced 90* in phase as the object turns, said detector further including an aligned pair of elongate ferromagnetic members of cross-sectional size exceeding the width of the Hall element and extending in opposite directions from opposite faces of each of the said pair of Hall elements, said ferromagnetic members each having a partially tapered inner end adjacent the opposed face of corresponding Hall element, the one pair of ferromagnetic members being disposed at right angles to the other pair of ferromagnetic members; indicator means having a plurality of indicator members each corresponding to a different direction of said object; and circuit means coupling said transducer elements to said indicator members for actuating a preselected indicator member in response to a uniquely corresponding pattern of said transducer element output voltage levels.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 232 words

A device for indicating, in response to terrestrial magnetism, the direction of an object on the earth''s surface, comprising: a terrestrial magnetism detector fixed on the object and including at least a pair of magneto-electric transducer elements fixed to face at right angles to each other and each having a voltage varied by turning of the object in the earth''s magnetic field; said magneto-electric transducer elements each comprising a Hall element, the voltage level of which is at a maximum when said Hall element is facing in one direction along the earth''s magnetic field, the voltage levels of the two elements being displaced 90* in phase as the object turns, said detector further including an aligned pair of elongate ferromagnetic members of cross-sectional size exceeding the width of the Hall element and extending in opposite directions from opposite faces of each of the said pair of Hall elements, said ferromagnetic members each having a partially tapered inner end adjacent the opposed face of corresponding Hall element, the one pair of ferromagnetic members being disposed at right angles to the other pair of ferromagnetic members; indicator means having a plurality of indicator members each corresponding to a different direction of said object; and circuit means coupling said transducer elements to said indicator members for actuating a preselected indicator member in response to a uniquely corresponding pattern of said transducer element output voltage levels.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 152 words

A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said circuit means includes means connected to the outputs of said elements and having four parallel output paths and responsive to said element voltage for producing on said output paths a different pattern of signals for each of at least eight substantially evenly angularly spaced directions in which said object can face, said indicator members being arranged in a display sequence corresponding to the sequence of directions assumed by said detector in a rotation of said object substantially in the plane of the earth''s magnetic field; and logic circuit means having a respective output line to each said indicator member and having inputs coupled to said four output paths and responsive to each said different signal pattern for actuating a different indicator member; whereby the instantaneous orientation of the object on the earth''s surface is indicated by at least one corresponding said indicator member.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 68 words

A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the means including four parallel output paths comprises an amplifier receiving the variable electrical output of a corresponding Hall element and having a corresponding output voltage variable with the orientation of said corresponding element, the output voltages of the two amplifiers having a 90* phase difference corresponding to the orientation of said Hall elements at right angles to each other.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 66 words

A device as claimed in claim 11 in which said means including four parallel output paths includes four comparators respectively connected to said output paths and a pair of reference voltage sources of diFfering level each coupled to reference inputs of a respective pair of said comparators, the output of each transducer element being coupled to a remaining input of one comparator of each said pair.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 69 words

A device as claimed in claim 13 in which said comparators include shaping circuitry and each provide alternative outputs at logic 1 and logic 0 levels to define said pattern of signals, said logic circuit means being a logic circuit of the type capable of actuating a respective one of its output lines for each distinct pattern of logic 1 and 0 signals applied to the parallel inputs thereof.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 38 words

A device according to claim 14 in which said indicator members comprise luminous diodes coupled to the respective logic circuit output actuated in response to facing of the detector in the direction to be indicated by said diode.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-09-15	1979-03-17	1979-09-16	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-09-15	1983-03-17	1983-09-16	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-09-15	1987-03-17	1987-09-16	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Device for indicating a direction on the earth{3 s surface

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