Particle reference device

Claim 1

AN ACCELERATION SENSING DEVICE UTILIZING A PARTICLE OF HIGH CHARGE-TO-MASS RATIO COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE FIELD ELECTRODE DISPOSED SO AS TO DEFINE A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED ARRAY, A PAIR OF SEPARATED END ELECTRODES DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID FIELD ELECTRODE, MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTRODYNAMIC SUSPENSION SYSTEM BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES, SAID MEANS INCLUDING AN ALTERNATING POTENTIAL EXISTING BETWEEN SAID FIELD ELECTRODE ON THE ONE HAND, AND SAID END ELECTRODES ON THE OTHER HAND, THE ELECTROSTATIC LINES OF FORCE EXISTING BETWEEN EACH END ELECTRODE AND THE FIELD ELECTRODE BEING DISPOSED IN A CONTINUOUS 360* ARRAY AT EACH END OF SIAD ELECTRODE ARRANGEMENT, WITH SUCH LINES OF FORCE AT THE ENDS OF THE ARRANGEMENT, BEING DISPOSED CLOSELY ENOUGH TOGETHER AS TO TOGETHER DEFINE A LOCATION OF LOWEST POTENTIAL IN THE APPROXIMATE CENTER THEREOF, A CHARGED PARTICLE DISPOSED IN SAID LOCATION OF LOWEST POTENTIAL AND BEING ACTED UPON BY ANY INERTIAL OR ELECTRICAL FORCE, SAID CHARGED PARRICLE RESISTING SUCH FORCE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A STABLE EQUILIBRIUM IN SAID LOCATION OF LOWEST POTENTIAL, AND IN SO DOING TENDING TO OSCILLATE AT THE FREQUENCY OF SAID ALTERNATING POTENTIAL EXISTING BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES, THE DIRECTION AND MAGNITUDE OF THE OSCILLATION OF SIAD PARTICLE BEING A MEASURE OF SAID FORCE, AN OPTICAL PICKOFF FOR SENSING THE OSICLLATION OF SAID CHARGFED PARTICLE, SAID PICKOFF BEING ARRANGED TO SUPPLY OUTPUT SIGNALS TO AN AMPLIFICATION MEANS HAVING AN OUTPUT, SAID AMPLIFICATION MEANS BEING RESTRICTED IN FREQUENCY RESPONSE TO NON-ZERO FREQUENCIES, MEANS FOR CONVERTING THE OUTPUT OF SAID AMPLIFICATION MEANS TO AN ESSENTIALLY D.C. SIGNAL, A FORCE BALANCE SYSTEM FOR UTILIZING SAID D.C. SIGNAL TO SUPPLY A COUNTER ELECTRIC FORCE TO SAID END ELECTRODES TO MAINAIN SAID PARTICLE IN SUBSTANTIALLY NULL CONDITION, SAID PICKOFF HAVING NO OUTPUT UNLESS OSCILLATORY MOTION OF SAID CHARGED PARTICLE IS PRESENT, SAID CHARGED PARTICLE THUS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY RESTRICTED TO SAID LOCATION OF LOWEST POTENTIAL WITHOUT THE PHYSICAL DIMENSIONAL COORDINATES OF SUCH LOCATION BEING USED AS A REFERENCE.