Flueric transverse-impact modulator accelerometer

Claim 1

A fluidic accelerometer for measuring acceleration along an axis of the accelerometer comprising: a housing that defines a fluid impact chamber, a pair of power jet tubes for directing two power jet fluid flows into said fluid impact chamber, said power jet tubes being mounted in said housing in an opposing position so that the longitudinal axes of the tubes coincide and the power jet tubes discharge toward one another so that the fluid flows therefrom meet head on in the fluid impact chamber and form a radial flow cone that tends to move relative to said housing as said accelerometer is subjected to acceleration and deceleration forces, a common source of fluid pressure connected to said power jet tubes for supplying fluid thereto, detector means for detecting the position of said radial flow cone in said fluid impact chamber and providing a signal that is indicative of the position of said radial flow cone, said detector means including two receiving chambers formed in said housing that are in fluid communication with said fluid impact chamber, said two receiving chambers being positioned so that a receiving chamber is arranged around each power jet tube whereby movement of the radial flow cone in the fluid impact chamber will cause a pressure differential between the two receiving chambers, control means that receives a signal from said detector means and develops a control signal for modulating the power jet fluid flow so as to maintain the radial flow cone centered in said fluid impact chamber, means for transmitting fluid signals indicative of fluid conditions in said receiving chambers from said receiving chambers to said control means, said control means including: a fluidic amplifier means that receives as inputs the signals from the receiving chambers and selectively delivers an outpuT signal in response thereto in the form of two control fluid flows, a first control duct formed in said housing that receives one of the two control fluid flows and discharges a flow into said fluid impact chamber, said first control duct being positioned so that the flow therefrom will impinge on one of said power jet flows at a point ahead of the impact point of the two power jets, a second control duct formed in said housing that receives the other of the two control fluid flows and discharges into said fluid impact chamber, said second control duct being positioned so that flow therefrom will impinge on the other of said power jets at a point ahead of the impact point of the two power jets, whereby the momentum of said power jets can be selectively altered to balance the impact point of the power jet fluid flows and maintain the radial flow cone centered in the fluid impact chamber and conduit means connected between said fluid amplifier and the conrol ducts for applying one of the two control fluid flows to said first control duct and the other control fluid flow to said second control duct.