Accelerometer

Claim 1

AN ACCELEROMETER FOR DETECTING VIBRATION FORCES ACTING ALONG ONE AXIS OF A BODY, COMPRISING A BASE ADAPTED TO BE RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID BODY, THE BASE HAVING A FLAT SURFACE TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXIS, A PIEZOELECTRIC CRYSTAL ENGAGING SAID FIRST SURFACE, AN INERTIAL MEMBER HAVING A FLAT SURFACE AT ONE END ENGAGING THE OPPOSITE SURFACES OF THE CRYSTAL, A RIGID ENCLOSURE MEMBER HAVING A SOLID NONCOMPLIANT CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL AND AN END WALL, THE END OF THE SIDE WALL REMOTE FROM THE END WALL BEING THREADED FOR THREADABLY SECURING THE ENCLOSURE MEMBER TO THE BASE AND COMPLETELY ENCLOSING THE CRYSTAL AND THE INERTIAL MEMBER, THE END WALL OF THE ENCLOSURE HAVING A COUNTERBORE, A COMPLIANT DIAPHRAGM PRESS FITTED INTO THE COUNTERBORE TO BE IN RADIAL CONTACT WITH THE END WALL AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE DIAPHRAGM, THE DIAPHRGM HAVING A DEPRESSION IN THE CENTER OF THE SURFACE OPPOSITE THE OTHER END OF THE INERTIAL MEMBER, A BALL POSITIONED IN THE DEPRESSION AND ENGAGING SAID OTHER END SURFACE OF THE INERTIAL MEMBER TO HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY POINT CONTACT WITH THE INERTIAL MEMBER ALONG THE AXIS OF REVOLUTION OF THE THREADED PORTION OF THE ENCLOSURE MEMBER SO THAT IT CAN BE THREADED ON THE BASE UNTIL THE BALL IS PRESSED AGAINST THE INERTIAL MEMBER BY THE DIAPHRAGM, THE DIAPHRAGM BEING NORMALLY DEFLECTED IN THE CENTER SO AS TO EXERT A FORCE ON THE CRYSTAL THROUGH THE BALL AND SAID MEMBER, THE FORCE BEING INCREASED OR DECREASED BY ACCELERATION FORCES EXERTED BY THE INERTIAL MEMBER ALONG SAID AXIS, AND ELECTRICAL MEANS CONNECTED TO THE CRYSTAL FOR SENSING CHANGES IN THE ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CRYSTAL WITH CHANGES IN THE FORCES EXERTED ON THE CRYSTAL BY ACCELERATION OF THE INERTIAL MEMBER.