Acceleration-sensitive instrument

Claim 1

AN ACCELERATION-SENSING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING: FIRST MEANS, INCLUDING RIGID SUPPORT MEANS; SECOND MEANS, INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND INERTIAL MASSES; THIRD MEANS, INCLUDING FOR EACH OF SAID INERTIAL MASSES A RESPECTIVE SET OF ELONGATE LEAF SPRINGS EACH SPRING HAVING ONE END THEREOF AFFIXED TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND THE OTHER END THEREOF AFFIXED TO THE RESPECTIVE INTERIAL MASS TO SUPPORT THAT MASS FOR LIMITED ROCKING MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS, AND A FIRST SPRING OF EACH OF SAID SETS BEIGN DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE INTERSECTING ALONG A LINE ANOTHER PLANE IN WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY DISPOSED A SECOND SPRING OF EACH OF SAID SETS WHEREBY THE LINE OF INTERSECTION OF THE PLANES BECOMES AN AXIS ABOUT WHICH THE SAID MASSES ARE CONSTRAINED TO ROTATE IN ROCKING MOVEMENTS RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND WHEREBY EACH OF SAID MASSES IS SUPPORTED FOR RESPECTIVE LIMITED ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS ABOUT SAID AXIS AND FOR MOVEMENT OF EITHER MASS RELATIVE TO THE OTHER, AND WHEREBY IN RESPONSE TO ACCELERATION OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS IN A SELECTED DIRECTIO TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXIS THE MASSES ROTATE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND THE EXTENT OF RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE MASSES IS A MEASURE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE ACCELERATION OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS IN SAID DIRECTION; FOURTH MEANS, INCLUDING DASHPOT DAMPING MEANS AND DAMPING FLUID THEREFOR, SAID DAMPING MEANS INCLUDING A CYLINDER MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID MASSES FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH AND A COOPERATING PISTON MOUNTED ON THE OTHER OF SAID MASSES FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, AND INCLUDING A SMALL SHARP-EDGE CIRCULAR ORIFICE THROUGH WHICH DAMPING FLUID IS FORCIBLY ACCELERATED BY RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON AND CYLINDER INCIDENT TO MOVEMENT OF EITHER OF SAID MASSES RELATIVE TO THE OTHER, TO DAMP SUCH RELATIVE MOVEMENT, WHEREBY THE DAMPING OF MOVEMENT OF EITHER OF SAID MASSES RELATIVE TO THE OTHER IS SUBSTANTIALLY INDEPENDENT OF THE VISCOSITY OF SAID DAMPIGN FLUID; AND FIFTH MEANS, INCLUDING HOUSING MEANS IN WHICH SAID FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH MEANS ARE HOUSED.