Spatial angular positioning device with three-dimensional magnetoelectric sensors

This paper reports on the development of a novel simple three-dimensional geomagnetic device for sensing the spatial azimuth and pitch positions by using three one-dimensional magnetoelectric sensors assembled along three orthogonal axes. This sensing device combines piezoelectric transducer plates and elongated high-performance Ni-based Metglas ribbons. It allows the simultaneous detection of all three orthogonal components of the terrestrial magnetic field. Output signals from the device components are provided in form of sine and/or cosine functions of both the rotation azimuth and the pitch angles, from which the total intensity as well as the inclination angle of the Earth's magnetic field is determined in an overall field resolution of better than 10(-4) Oe and an angle precision of +/- 0.1 degrees, respectively. This simple and low-cost geomagnetic-field device is promising for the automatic determination and control of the mobile transceiver antenna's orientation with respect to the position of the related geostationary satellite. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4752763]