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Claim 1

A LINEAR ACCELEROMETER COMPRISING A SEALED TUBULAR HOUSING, A PROOF MASS FITTED TO THE TUBULAR HOUSING COAXIALLY THEREWITH, A PLURALITY OF SPRING MEANS FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO THE HOUSING SUPPORTING THE PROOF MASS TO PERMIT LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT FOR THE PROOF MASS, COACTING MEANS PARTIALLY SUPPORTED BY THE TUBULAR HOUSING AND PARTIALLY FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO THE PROOF MASS, ADAPTED TO PICK OFF AS AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL AND TRANSMIT TO AN EXTERNAL POINT, THE LONGITUDINAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE PROOF MASS, INITIALLY ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLABLE PERMANENT MAGNET RESTRAINING MEANS MOUNTED AT ONE END OF THE TUBULAR HOUSING, AND MEANS FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO THE PROOF MASS ADAPTED TO CO-ACT WITH THE ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED PERMANENT MAGNET MEANS TO RESTRAIN THE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE PROOF MASS, THE PERMANENT MAGNET RESTRAINING MEANS INCLUDING A PERMANENT MAGNET FORMED IN TWO SECTIONS, WITH AN ANNULAR GAP BETWEEN THE TWO SECTIONS OF THE PERMANENT MAGNET, AN ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZABLE COIL FITTED TO THE ANNULAR AIR GAP BETWEEN THE TWO PERMANENT MAGNET SECTIONS, MEANS ADAPTED TO CONTROL THE VOLTAGE TRANSMITTED TO THE ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZABLE COIL, PRIOR TO NORMAL OPERATION OF THE ACCELEROMETER, THE VOLTAGE TRANSMITTED THROUGH SAID ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZABLE COIL BEING ADAPTED TO INTIALLY REGULATE THE MAGNETIC LINES OF FORCE BETWEEN THE TWO SECTIONS OF THE PERMANENT MAGNET, EACH SPRING MEANS SUPPORTING THE PROOF MASS INCLUDING A TUBULAR OUTER RING, THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL OUTER SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR OUTER RING BEING FIXEDLY ATTACHED IN SHEAR TO THE INNER SURFACE OF WHICH IS FIXEDLY ATTACHED IN SHEAR TO THE PROOF MASS, CONCENTRICALLY WITH THE OUTER RING, AND A RELATIVELY THIN SPRING DIAPHRAGM INTEGRAL WITH AND CONNECTING THE INNER AND OUTER RINGS, SAID SPRING DIAPHRAGM HAVING A PLURALITY OF UNCONNECTED CUTOUTS THERETHROUGH, SAID CUTOUTS PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL SPRING ARMS CONNECTING THE INNER RING WITH THE OUTER RING, SAID SPRING ARMS ALLOWING FLEXURE OF THE SPRING DIAPHRAGM ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE INNER AND OUTER RINGS AND RESTRAINING ROTATIONAL ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT OF THE INNER RING RELATIVE TO THE OUTER RING, THE PICK-OFF STATOR INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY POSITIONED POLES, A PLURALITY OF STATOR COIL WINDINGS SURROUNDING PAIRS OF POLES OF THE STATOR, THE ARMATURE BEING FORMED IN TWO TUBULAR SECTIONS, EACH TUBULAR SECTION OF THE ARMATURE HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY POSITIONED POLES INTEGRAL THEREWITH, THE NUMBER OF POLES IN EACH TUBULAR ARMATURE SECTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO ONE-HALF THE NUMBER OF POLES IN THE STATOR, THE POLES OF ONE TUBULAR SECTION OF THE ARMATURE BEING ROTATIONALLY ANGULARLY OFFSET RELATIVE TO THE POLES OF THE SECOND TUBULAR SECTION THEREOF, INDIVIDUAL POLES OF BOTH SECTIONS OF THE TUBULAR ARMATURE BEING NOMINALLY RADIALLY ALIGNED WITH THE CORRESPONDING POLES OF THE STATOR, THE STATOR COIL WINDINGS BEING ADAPTED TO CO-ACT WITH THE POLES OF THE ARMATURE TO DETERMINE AND TRANSMIT AS AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL THE LONGITUDINAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE POLES OF THE TUBULAR ARMATURE SECTIONS RELATIVE TO THE POLES OF THE STATOR.