TheEarth inductor compass (or simplyinduction compass[1]) is acompass that determines directions using the principle ofelectromagnetic induction, with theEarth's magnetic field acting as theinduction field for anelectric generator.[2] The electrical output of the generator will vary depending on its orientation with respect to the Earth's magnetic field. This variation in the generated voltage is measured, allowing the Earth inductor compass to determine direction.
The earth inductor compass was first patented by Donald M. Bliss in 1912 and further refined in the 1920s byPaul R. Heyl andLyman James Briggs of theUnited States National Bureau of Standards,[3] and in 1924 byMorris Titterington at thePioneer Instrument Company inBrooklyn, New York. Heyl and Briggs were awarded theMagellan Medal of theAmerican Philosophical Society for this work in 1922. Designed to compensate for the weaknesses of themagnetic compass, the Earth inductor compass provided pilots with a more stable and reliable reference instrument.[4] They were used in theDouglas World Cruisers in 1924 during theAround-the-World flight by theU.S. Army Air Corps.[4]Charles Lindbergh used the compass on histransatlantic flight in theSpirit of St. Louis in 1927.[5] Over the transatlantic leg of his voyage – a distance of about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) – he was able to navigate with a cumulative error of about 10 miles (16 km) in landfall, or about one half of one percent of the distance travelled, by computing hisheading at hourly intervals for adead reckoning estimate of position.[6]
Bliss' original design consisted of twoarmatures spinning on a single vertical axle. One armature was connected tocommutators that were 90 degrees offset from the commutators connected to the other armature. When one set of commutators is aligned with the earth's magnetic field no current is produced, but an offset angle creates a positive or negative current in proportion to the sine of the offset angle. Since the sine of the angle peaks at 90 degrees, a reading could indicate either a certain direction or the exact opposite direction. The solution to this was a second armature with commutators offset by 90 degrees to help distinguish the two opposite directions.
The direction of travel was read by comparing the indications on two independentgalvanometers, one for each armature. The galvanometers had to be calibrated with the correct headings, since the voltage was proportional to the sine of the angle. Readings could be impacted by the armature's speed of rotation and by stray magnetic fields.
Later versions simplified readings to show the offset from the intended heading, rather than the full range of compass directions. The revised design allowed the user to rotate the commutators in such a way that zero current would be produced when the craft was traveling in the intended direction. A single galvanometer was then used to show if the pilot was steering too far to the left or to the right.
Lindbergh's compass used ananemometer to spin the armature through auniversal joint. The armature was mounted on gimbals to prevent it from tilting with the airplane's pitch and roll. Tilting the armature could have changed the angle of the Earth's flux to the armature, resulting in erroneous readings. Thegyroscopic effect of the spinning armature also helped to keep it properly aligned.
induction compass
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