Flow direction sensor

Claim 1

APPARATUS ADAPTED TO SENSE FLUID IMPACT PRESSURES AND FUNCTIONING TO ASSUME A PREDETERMINED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO A FLUID STREAM WHEN POSITIONED THEREIN COMPRISING: A SPHERICAL SHELL HAVING A REFERENCE AXIS CONSTITUTING AN AXIS OF SAID SPHERICAL SHELL; WALL PORTIONS OF SAID SHELL DEFINING AN OPENING PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID SHELL; SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTING SAID SHELL IN A FLUID STREAM FOR MOVEMENT THEREIN ABOUT A PAIR OF AXES OF SAID SHELL; THE POSITION OF SAID SHELL ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THAT SAID REFERENCE AXIS HAS A GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID FLUID STREAM; SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING ACTUATOR MEANS, THE LATTER MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF ZERO-BACKLASH ACTUATORS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID SHELL ALONG SAID RESPECTIVE SHELL AXES AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO COMMAND SIGNALS TO PIVOT SAID SHELL TO A POSITION IN WHICH SAID REFERENCE AXIS HAS A TRUE PARALLEL RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID FLUID STREAM; A PLURALITY OF PORTS PROVIDED IN A FORWARD PORTION OF SAID SHELL POSITIONED AT POSITIONS IN WHICH THEY ARE SUBJECTED TO DIRECT FLUID IMPACT PRESSURES OF SAID FLUID STREAM; TRANSDUCER MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID FLUID IMPACT PRESSURES TO WHICH SAID PORTS ARE SUBJECTED AND FUNCTIONING TO CONVERT SAID FLUID IMPACT PRESSURES INTO SAID COMMAND SIGNALS; CONDUIT MEANS TRANSMITTING SAID FLUID IMPACT PRESSURES FROM SAID PORTS TO SAID TRANSDUCER MEANS; AND MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING SAID COMMAND SIGNALS TO SAID ACTUATOR MEANS.