Simplified particle containment device

Claim 1

AN ACCELERATION SENSING DEVICE UTILIZING A PARTICLE OF HIGH CHARGE TO MASS RATIO WITHOUT USING ALTERNATE GRADIENT FOCUSING CONTAINMENT OF SUCH PARTICLE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING AT LEAST THREE SUBSTANTIALLY ORTHOGONALLY DISPOSED ELECTRODES DEFINING A PART OF A SUSPENSION SYSTEM BY WHICH SAID PARTICLE IS SUPPORT AND WITH RESPECT TO WHICH SAID PARTICLE MAY MOVE IN RESPONSE TO ACCELERATIONS, SAID SUSPENSION SYSTEM INCLUDING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY PROVIDING VOLTAGES TO SAID ELECTRODES TO CREATE ELECTRIC FORCES TO HOLD SAID PARTICLE AT A NULL POINT COMMON TO SAID ELECTRODES, PICKOFF MEANS FOR SENSING DEVIATIONS OF SAID PARTICLE FROM SAID NULL POINT, SAID PICKOFF MEANS ARRANGED IN A QUARDRANT ARRAY, DIRECT CURRENT AMPLIFICATION MEANS FOR AMPLIFYING THE OUTPUT SIGNALS FROM SAID PICKOFF MEANS AND FOR APPLYING ONLY A DIRECT CURRENT COUNTER ELECTRIC FORCE TO THE APPROPRIATE ELECTRODES TO MAINTAIN SAID PARTICLE IN SAID NULL POSITION, AND MEANS FOR UTILIZING THE SIGNAL NECESSARY TO NULL OUT SAID PARTICLE AS THE READOUT OF THE ACCELERATION FORCES TO WHICH SAID DEVICE IS SUBJECTED.