Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!rutgers!apple!agate!linus!philabs!ttidca!hollombe
From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re: ideas for inclination sensors
Message-ID: <20565@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 17 Oct 90 19:04:40 GMT
References: <3717@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 23

In article <3717@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> fredm@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Fred Martin) writes:
}... I'm soliciting
}all of you robot hackers for ideas on inclination sensors.

}Another idea is to have a pendulum-like rod mounted on a freely
}rotating shaft.  At all times, the pendulum would swing to point down,
}and one could use an optical shaft encoder to measure the rotation of
}the shaft.

You'll need something to damp the pendulum.  Otherwise, acceleration will
set it swinging and cause erratic readings.  I suggest a very simple
pneumatic piston-and-cylinder damper.  You could probably build one from
scrap.

I don't know what cheap optical encoders cost these days (the ones we use
cost about $800), but linear pots are cheap and ADCs are off-the-shelf
chips.

-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, M.A., CDP, aka: hollombe@ttidca.tti.com)
Head Robot Wrangler at Citicorp(+)TTI             Illegitimis non
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (213) 450-9111, x2483       Carborundum
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {csun | philabs | psivax}!ttidca!hollombe