GB2110374A - Device for measuring inclination electrically - Google Patents
Device for measuring inclination electrically Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2110374A GB2110374A GB08134338A GB8134338A GB2110374A GB 2110374 A GB2110374 A GB 2110374A GB 08134338 A GB08134338 A GB 08134338A GB 8134338 A GB8134338 A GB 8134338A GB 2110374 A GB2110374 A GB 2110374A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- vessel
- inclination
- resistance
- wall
- strip
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
- G01C9/00—Measuring inclination, e.g. by clinometers, by levels
- G01C9/02—Details
- G01C9/06—Electric or photoelectric indication or reading means
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
- Remote Sensing (AREA)
- Measurement Of Length, Angles, Or The Like Using Electric Or Magnetic Means (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Electric Means (AREA)
Abstract
A device for measuring inclination comprises a vessel partly filled with mercury or some other flowable conductive liquid or fluent powder, the wall 1 or 2, of the vessel being provided with a series of parallel resistance strips which in the horizontal position of the vessel are equally immersed in the mercury (3). When the device is tilted, the resistances of the unimmersed parts of the strips vary and the difference between the maximum and minimum resistance is a measure of the inclination and the position of the maximum and minimum resistance is a measure of the direction of the inclination. The measurements of resistance may be fed to a micro- processor which can then extrapolate them into a sinusoidal form to give exact measurements of both the angle and direction of inclination. <IMAGE>
Description
SPECIFICATION
Device for measuring inclination
This invention relates to devices for measuring inclination or drift.
While the device in accordance with the present invention is initially designed for mounting in a drill stack to measure its inclination from the vertical, and particularly in connection with the drilling apparatus described and claimed in my copending application No. 8134337 filed simultaneously herewith and entitled "Drilling
Apparatus and Method", it will be understood that it has wider applications. For instance it may be usable as an instrument to be incorporated with existing or future methods employed in the drilling industry. Also, it may find wider application outside the drilling industry.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device for measuring inclination comprising a vessel having a wall carrying a plurality of electrical resistance strips, a body of conductive liquid or liquid-like material in the vessel immersing and in electrical contact with a lower part of each strip and having a free surface selecting a horizontal position to leave a part of each strip uncovered, and means for measuring the effective resistance of the uncovered length of each strip.
It is preferred that the said vessel wall should be cylindrical and that the resistance strips shall be parallel with the axis of the cylinder.
The conductive liquid is preferably mercury and to reduce the amount of this heavy and expensive material required, the vessel may be of annular cross section. Other liquids may be used or alternatively a flowable powder could act as a liquid-like material. A suitable inert gas may be used above the liquid.
The device is preferably associated with a microprocessor which is programmed to derive the angle of deviation of the wall from the vertical and the direction of the deviation from the resistance measurements made.
The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a device in accordance with a preferred form of the invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Figure 1;
Figure 3 illustrates the device in a tilted position; and
Figure 4 is a histogram of the resistances measured.
The vessel consists of a double walled cylinder with an inner wall 1 and an outer wall 2 between which is enclosed a body 3 of mercury which in the horizontal position shown in Figure 1 assumes a horizontal surface indicated at 4. As illustrated in Figure 2, either the wall 1 or the wall 2 is provided with a plurality of closely spaced resistance strips, only a proportion of which are illustrated, and which have been given the references Rio to R5. In the horizontal position illustrated in Figure 1, it will be realized that the resistances of all the resistance strips will be similar, but in the tilted position shown in Figure 3, greater lengths of some resistance strips will be exposed than of others varying between a maximum for the strip RP and a minimum for the diametrically opposed strip which is very largely immersed in the mercury.
By ascertaining the difference between the maximum and minimum resistances, the actual amount of tilting can be calculated very readily and by ascertaining positions of the maximum and minimum resistance strips, the actual correction of inclination can also be ascertained.
In practice, the resistances of the various strips will be measured and the resulting information fed to a microprocessor which will provide the required information. In particular, the microprocessor may also be programmed to extrapolate a smooth sinusoidal curve, indicated at 6 in Figure 4, from the measured resistances and thereby arrive at more accurate measurements of the inclination and its direction, since it will be understood that the maximum and minimum inclination will not normally coincide with any one strip but will normally be found between two. Figure 4 shows the maximum resistance as R M and a minimum as Rm In addition, a microprocessor may also be used to average a varying resistance and arrive at the histogram and curve of Figure 4 even if no steady state can be achieved.
Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A device for measuring inclination comprising a vessel having a wall carrying a plurality of electrical resistance strips, a body of conductive liquid or liquid like material in the vessel immersing and in electrical contact with a lower part of each strip and having a free surface selecting a horizontal position to leave a part of each strip uncovered, and means for measuring the effective resistance of the uncovered length of each strip.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the said vessel wall is cylindrical and the strips are parallel with the axis of the cylinder.
3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which the vessel is of annular cross section.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the conductive liquid is mercury.
5. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, associated with a microprocessor which is
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.
Claims (6)
1. A device for measuring inclination comprising a vessel having a wall carrying a plurality of electrical resistance strips, a body of conductive liquid or liquid like material in the vessel immersing and in electrical contact with a lower part of each strip and having a free surface selecting a horizontal position to leave a part of each strip uncovered, and means for measuring the effective resistance of the uncovered length of each strip.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the said vessel wall is cylindrical and the strips are parallel with the axis of the cylinder.
3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which the vessel is of annular cross section.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the conductive liquid is mercury.
5. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, associated with a microprocessor which is programmed to derive the angle of deviation of the wall from the vertical and the direction of the deviation.
6. A device for measuring inclination substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB08134338A GB2110374A (en) | 1981-11-13 | 1981-11-13 | Device for measuring inclination electrically |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB08134338A GB2110374A (en) | 1981-11-13 | 1981-11-13 | Device for measuring inclination electrically |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB2110374A true GB2110374A (en) | 1983-06-15 |
Family
ID=10525883
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB08134338A Withdrawn GB2110374A (en) | 1981-11-13 | 1981-11-13 | Device for measuring inclination electrically |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2110374A (en) |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4779353A (en) * | 1987-03-26 | 1988-10-25 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Tool for measuring inclination and rotation |
US5014795A (en) * | 1989-05-01 | 1991-05-14 | Augers Unlimited, Inc. | Percent grade boring and monitoring apparatus |
US5072615A (en) * | 1990-12-17 | 1991-12-17 | Ford Motor Company | Apparatus and method for gauging the amount of fuel in a vehicle fuel tank subject to tilt |
US5133417A (en) * | 1990-06-18 | 1992-07-28 | The Charles Machine Works, Inc. | Angle sensor using thermal conductivity for a steerable boring tool |
US5279040A (en) * | 1990-05-18 | 1994-01-18 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Fluid-based acceleration and tilt sensor |
US5425179A (en) * | 1993-10-22 | 1995-06-20 | The Charles Machine Works, Inc. | Optical sensor for measuring inclination angles |
WO1999063305A2 (en) * | 1998-06-01 | 1999-12-09 | Gersak Boris | Electronic spirit level for measurement of inclination |
-
1981
- 1981-11-13 GB GB08134338A patent/GB2110374A/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4779353A (en) * | 1987-03-26 | 1988-10-25 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Tool for measuring inclination and rotation |
US5014795A (en) * | 1989-05-01 | 1991-05-14 | Augers Unlimited, Inc. | Percent grade boring and monitoring apparatus |
US5279040A (en) * | 1990-05-18 | 1994-01-18 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Fluid-based acceleration and tilt sensor |
US5133417A (en) * | 1990-06-18 | 1992-07-28 | The Charles Machine Works, Inc. | Angle sensor using thermal conductivity for a steerable boring tool |
US5072615A (en) * | 1990-12-17 | 1991-12-17 | Ford Motor Company | Apparatus and method for gauging the amount of fuel in a vehicle fuel tank subject to tilt |
US5425179A (en) * | 1993-10-22 | 1995-06-20 | The Charles Machine Works, Inc. | Optical sensor for measuring inclination angles |
WO1999063305A2 (en) * | 1998-06-01 | 1999-12-09 | Gersak Boris | Electronic spirit level for measurement of inclination |
WO1999063305A3 (en) * | 1998-06-01 | 2000-03-02 | Boris Gersak | Electronic spirit level for measurement of inclination |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |