Accelerometer

Claim 1

AN ACCELEROMETER FOR USE WITH A MOVING VEHICLE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE CHANGE IN RATE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID VEHICLE ALONG A PREDETERMINED AXIS OF SAID ACCELEROMETER COMPRISING AN INERTIA MEMBER COMPOSED OF A FIRST SLAB OF MATERIAL HAVING STABLE CHARACTERISTICS, A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT MEMBERS COMPOSED OF THIN SLABS OF HIGH Q, STABLE MATERIAL AND HAVING A NON-UNIFORM WIDTH MUCH GREATER THAN ITS THICKNESS, A SECOND SLAB OF SAID MATERIAL, MEANS SECURING SAID SECOND SLAB TO A WALL OF SAID SECOND CHAMBER, SAID RESILIENT MEMBERS SUPPORTING SAID FIRST SLAB FROM SAID SECOND SLAB PARALLEL TO SAID PREDETERMINED AXIS, SAID RESILIENT MEMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST SLAB WITH A SHORT PARALLEL SIDE OF EACH SAID RESILIENT MEMBER BEING COUPLED TO SAID FIRST SLAB EFFECTIVELY EQUIDISTANT FROM THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID FIRST SLAB AND THE OTHER PARALLEL SIDE OF EACH SAID RESILIENT MEMBER BEING COUPLED TO SAID SECOND SLAB, SAID RESILIENT MEMBERS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER SPRING CONSTANT IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID PREDETERMINED AXIS AND NEGLIGIBLE FLEXIBILITY ALONG AXES PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PREDETERMINED AXIS TO RESTRICT SAID INERTIA MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE SAID HOUSING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID PREDETERMINED AXIS WHEN THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID VEHICLE CHANGES, A SOURCE OF LIGHT DISPOSED IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER, INTERFEROMETER MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER AND COACTING WITH SAID INTERIA MEMBER AND COUPLING THE LIGHT BEAM FROM SAID LIGHT SOURCE TO SAID INTERIA MEMBER TO PRODUCE AN INTERFEROMETER FRINGE PATTERN WHICH MOVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID INERTIA MEMBER, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID SECOND CHAMBER AND PHOTOELECTRIC MEANS FOR SENSING SAID MOVEMENT OF SAID FRINGE PATTERN TO PRODUCE A DIGITAL OUTPUT OF SAID ACCELEROMETER INDICATIVE OF THE MAGNITUDE AND DIRECTION OF SAID MOVEMENT OF SAID FRINGE PATTERN WHICH IS MATHEMATICALLY RELATED TO SAID CHANGE IN THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID VEHICLE.