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Abstract

This invention concerns improvements in the performance of a mobile gravity gradient instrument (GGI). Gravity gradiometers measure one or more components of the gradient of gravity which is expressed as the gradient of a gravity vector, or in other words a tensor. The instrument comprises a first, second, third and fourth accelerometer equally spaced around the circumference of a circle, with their sensitive axes tangential to the circle, and arranged in opposing pairs with the first accelerometer opposite the second, and the third accelerometer opposite the fourth. In use the accelerometers are spun around an axis normal to the circle which passes through its center. A summing amplifier receives the outputs of the accelerometers and combines them in a manner to cancel the common mode output signals and so produces all instrument output. One or more feedback loops extend from the instrument output to one or more of the accelerometers to compensate for errors. In general, the invention embraces the concept of balancing any feedback signal so that it is applied, after appropriate division (if required), to two or more of the accelerometers in appropriately inverted senses, rather than being applied to a single accelerometer.

First Claim