BURTON BOXENHORN
Engineering in Boston, MA

5796001, Aug 18, 1998

Jun 7, 1995

8/481898

Paul Greiff - Wayland MA
Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 904

7350416

A monolithic, micromechanical tuning fork gyroscope is fabricated from a unitary silicon substrate utilizing etch stop diffusions and selective anisotropic etching. A non-etched silicon structure is suspended over the selectively etched pit. The non-etched silicon structure includes at least first and second vibratable structures. Each vibratable structure is energizable to vibrate laterally along an axis normal to the rotation sensitive axis. The lateral vibration of the first and second vibratable structures effects simultaneous vertical movement of at least a portion of the non-etched silicon structure upon the occurrence of angular rotation of the gyroscope about the rotation sensitive axis. The vertical movement of the non-etched silicon structure is sensed, and a voltage proportional to the movement is generated, for providing an indication of angular rate of rotation detected by the gyroscope.

4598585, Jul 8, 1986

Mar 19, 1984

6/591007

Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 1502

73505

A planar inertial sensor includes a sheet member having one inner planar element adapted for limited angular motion about a (Y) axis perpendicular to an input (Z) axis. In a gyroscope form, the inner planar element is also adapted for limited angular motion about an (X) axis normal to and intersecting with the Y axis. The gyroscope form includes an outer driving planar element which is continuously driven in an oscillatory manner in limited excursions about the Y axis. The driving element is coupled to the inner element so that oscillatory motion of the driving element is coupled to the inner element. Position sensors provide signals representative of the angular position of the inner element relative to the X axis, which in turn are representative of angular rates impressed on the sensor about the input (Z) axis which is orthogonal to the X and Y axes. In an accelerometer form, the inner planar element is characterized by a mass imbalance across the Y axis. Position sensors provide signals representative of the angular position of the inner element, which in turn are representative of the acceleration of the sensor in the direction of the input (Z) axis.

5408877, Apr 25, 1995

Mar 16, 1992

7/851913

Paul Greiff - Wayland MA
Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 904

73505

A double gimbal micromachined gyroscopic transducer is provided in a substrate having a pit extending downwardly from a top surface of the substrate. A gyroscopic transducer element suspended above the pit comprises an outer sense gimbal plate integral with the substrate, coupled to the substrate by a pair of flexible elements attached to opposite ends of the plate. The flexible elements are axially aligned to permit oscillatory motion about a sense axis passing through the flexible elements. The gyroscopic transducer further includes an inner drive gimbal plate integral with and interior to the sense gimbal plate. The drive gimbal plate is coupled to the sense gimbal plate by a second pair of flexible elements along an axis orthogonal to the first pair of flexible elements. The drive gimbal plate also includes a balanced mass generally centrally located on the drive gimbal plate. Also included are drive and sense electronics, for energizing the drive gimbal plate to oscillate about the drive axis, and for sensing any movement of the sense gimbal plate indicative of an angular rate about an input axis.

5515724, May 14, 1996

Apr 20, 1995

8/425857

Paul Greiff - Wayland MA
Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 904

7350412

A double gimbal micromachined gyroscopic transducer is provided in a substrate having a pit extending downwardly from a top surface of the substrate. A gyroscopic transducer element suspended above the pit comprises an outer sense gimbal plate integral with the substrate, coupled to the substrate by a pair of flexible elements attached to opposite ends of the plate. The flexible elements are axially aligned to permit oscillatory motion about a sense axis passing through the flexible elements. The gyroscopic transducer further includes an inner drive gimbal plate integral with and interior to the sense gimbal plate. The drive gimbal plate is coupled to the sense gimbal plate by a second pair of flexible elements along an axis orthogonal to the first pair of flexible elements. The drive gimbal plate also includes a balanced mass generally centrally located on the drive gimbal plate. Also included are drive and sense electronics, for energizing the drive gimbal plate to oscillate about the drive axis, and for sensing any movement of the sense gimbal plate indicative of an angular rate about an input axis.

4699006, Oct 13, 1987

Feb 4, 1986

6/826133

Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 1508

73517AV

An accelerometer transducer has a base holding a sheet normal to an input axis. The sheet is suspended from the base by a first spring arrangement for oscillatory motion in the way of limited angular excursions about a central axis lying in the sheet. A weight is spring-suspended from the sheet in a manner permitting displacement of the center of gravity of the weight along the input axis. Acceleration along the input axis varies the moment of inertia of the assembly consisting of the sheet and the weight about the central axis, altering the frequency of oscillatory motion by an amount functionally related to the magnitude of the acceleration. The sheet is driven at its characteristic frequency, and its frequency of oscillation is measured. In a preferred embodiment, a first transducer includes a weight suspended offset from the sheet in a first direction along the input axis, and a second transducer includes a weight offset from the sheet in the opposite direction along the input axis. The change of oscillatory frequency of the second transducer is subtracted from that of the first transducer to develop an output quantity linearly related to the acceleration.

5473945, Dec 12, 1995

Aug 6, 1993

8/103896

Paul Grieff - Wayland MA
Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA
Marc S. Weinberg - Needham MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 900, G01P 1500

73510

A micromechanical accelerometer comprises a mass of monocrystalline silicon in which a substantially symmetrical plate attached to a silicon frame by flexible linkages is produced by selective etching. The plate has a plurality of apertures patterned and etched therethrough to speed further etching and freeing of the plate and flexible linkages, suspending them above a void etched beneath. The plate is capable of limited motion about an axis created by the flexible linkages. An accelerometer comprised of a substantially symmetrical, linkage supported plate configuration is implemented as an angular accelerometer paired with an auxiliary linear accelerometer, which is used to compensate for the linear sensitivity of the angular sensor, to achieve an instrument that is insensitive to linear acceleration and responds to angular acceleration.

5635739, Jun 3, 1997

Apr 25, 1995

8/428531

Paul Grieff - Wayland MA
Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA
Marc S. Weinberg - Needham MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

H01L 2982

257254

A micromechanical accelerometer comprises a mass of monocrystalline silicon in which a substantially symmetrical plate attached to a silicon frame by flexible linkages is produced by selective etching. The plate has a plurality of apertures patterned and etched therethrough to speed further etching and freeing of the plate and flexible linkages, suspending them above a void etched beneath. The plate is capable of limited motion about an axis created by the flexible linkages. An accelerometer comprised of a substantially symmetrical, linkage supported plate configuration is implemented as an angular accelerometer paired with an auxiliary linear accelerometer, which is used to compensate for the linear sensitivity of the angular sensor, to achieve an instrument that is insensitive to linear acceleration and responds to angular acceleration.

5505084, Apr 9, 1996

Mar 14, 1994

8/212320

Paul Greiff - Wayland MA
Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 904

7350414

A, micromechanical tuning fork gyroscope is fabricated from a unitary silicon substrate utilizing etch stop diffusions and selective anisotropic etching. A silicon structure is suspended over the selectively etched pit. The silicon structure includes at least first and second vibratable structures. Each vibratable structure is energizable to vibrate laterally along an axis normal to the rotation sensitive axis. The lateral vibration of the first and second vibratable structures effects simultaneous vertical movement of at least a portion of the silicon structure upon the occurrence of angular rotation of the gyroscope about the rotation sensitive axis. The vertical movement of the silicon structure is sensed, and a voltage proportional to the movement is generated, for providing an indication of angular rate of rotation detected by the gyroscope.

5331852, Jul 26, 1994

Dec 16, 1991

7/807726

Paul Greiff - Wayland MA
Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. - Cambridge MA

G01P 904, G01P 1513

73505

A method and apparatus for electromagnetically rebalancing a micromechanical transducer via a plurality of current carrying electrodes disposed beneath or above the transducer interacting with a current carrying conductor disposed on the transducer. In a first embodiment, the micromechanical transducer comprises a micromechanical accelerometer having electromagnetic rebalance of an asymmetric plate. In an alternative embodiment, the transducer comprises a micromechanical gyroscope having electromagnetic driving of an outer gimbal and electromagnetic rebalance of a sense gimbal.

4306691, Dec 22, 1981

Feb 27, 1970

5/018386

Burton Boxenhorn - Chestnut Hill MA
Brock S. Dew - Watertown MA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

F41G 700

244 318

The present invention concerns using star sightings to supplement the ineal instruments in nonfixed launch systems so as to provide increased accuracy without refinement of the inertial systems. It is particularly applicable to a system in which the missile is launched from a moving base of uncertain position. A stellar fix is obtained by pointing a sensor in the direction of a star, scanning the optical field of view through an elongated slit which is parallel to the pitch axis and centered along the missile roll axis, rotating the missile 90. degree. to interchange the pitch and roll axes and scanning again to establish another coordinate on the first star sighted and a single coordinate on a second star.