A Digital Offset Fluxgate Magnetometer for Use in Remote Geomagnetic Observatories,

Abstract

The circuit design of a completely automatic fluxgate magnetometer is presented. The instrument is designed to measure the magnitude and direction of the local field vector at the observatory over a dynamic range of plus or minus 65,500 gamma with a resolution of 0.1 gamma. Design goals for the uncertainty in the zero offset of the sensor and noise level of the sensor are less than 1 gamma and 0.1 gamma peak to peak, respectively. The ring core fluxgate sensors are constructed using commercially available nickel alloy magnetic cones. The electronics of each axis contain two null feedback circuits. The fine feedback system with a dynamic range of plus or minus 64 gamma establishes the fundamental resolution and frequency response of the instrument. A digital offset feedback system maintains the ambient field along the sensor axis within the dynamic range of the fine system by automatic application of an appropriate number of discrete steps of 64 gamma. (Modified author abstract)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 20, 1973
Accession Number
AD0777885

Entities

People

  • James J. Power

Organizations

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Automatic
  • Closed Loop Systems
  • Detectors
  • Dynamic Range
  • Feedback
  • Frequency Response
  • Magnetometers
  • Nickel Alloys
  • Observatories
  • Vector Magnetometers

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Solar Physics
  • Superconducting Magnet Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems