High-Precision, Expendable, Six Degree-of-Freedom Sensor

Innalabs, Inc. has developed a concept based on ferromagnetic fluids that has the potential to serve as an alternative to MEMS based inertial measurement units (IMUs). It has the capability to precisely measure linear and angular acceleration in all three axes (six degrees-of-freedom). When the sensor detects position change in x, y, and z axis (movement along an axis) and orientation change in pitch, roll and yaw (movement about an axis), the sensor reports that movement from an initial position. The sensor, once "initialized" would be used to track movement and orientation, such as exactly where an individual weapon is and where it is pointed. The fundamental concept is to place a nonmagnetic object in a magnetic fluid inside of a container. Then, using DC currents on coils to create small electromagnetic fields, any displacement of the object will cause a change in relative distances between base points of the container and nonmagnetic object, and trigger a resultant change in the electromagnetic fields. Sensor can measure amount, rate, and ultimately acceleration of the displacement using the coils as transducers. This displacement can be along or around any axis, in other words, six degrees of freedom.