Gradiometer

摘要

Primarily (but not exclusively) in the field of natural resources exploration, there is a requirement to measure the absolute value and variation of gravity at a given point and over an area gradient, thereby detecting the presence of sub-surface anomalies which give rise to the variation in the measured gravity value. In order to provide a portable, accurate, efficient and cost effective method for making the measurements, a gravity sensing apparatus (ABCD) can be deployed using a variety of vehicles, such as (for example, but not limited to) an aircraft or helicopter, with compensation applied by a motion sensing apparatus (EFGH) to reduce or eliminate the effects of vibration and vehicle motion and structural flexure on the gravity and gravity gradiometry data.

主权项

1. A gradiometer comprising:
a first accelerometer arranged to generate a first acceleration signal; a second accelerometer spaced from the first accelerometer and arranged to generate a second acceleration signal; a first monitoring device having a known spatial relationship with the first accelerometer and being arranged to detect movement of the second accelerometer with respect to the first accelerometer and to generate a first correction signal that is representative of the detected movement; a controller arranged to modify the second acceleration signal based on the first correction signal such that a gravity gradient can be measured using the first acceleration signal and the second acceleration signal.