Apparatus for monitoring acceleration
First Claim
1. An apparatus for monitoring acceleration of a body comprising;
- (a) a casing having at least one cavity disposed in a predetermined relationship to the axes of the body when secured thereto;
(b) a proof mass disposed in said cavity, said proof mass adapted to move in said cavity in response to an acceleration of the body for a period of time, said movement proportional to the time integral of said body acceleration;
(c) damping fluid disposed in said cavity;
(d) a first chamber including,(i) a first float member disposed therein,(ii) means for urging said float member from a first position in said chamber to a second position therein in a predetermined time,(iii) fluid, disposed in said chamber, said float member submerged in said fluid in a neutrally buoyant condition, such that said float member is insensitive to the acceleration of the body,(iv) fluid passage means connecting the portion of said chamber between said float member and one end thereof to the portion of said chamber disposed on the other side of said float member; and
(e) means responsive to the movements of said proof mass and communicating with said float member such that the movement of said float member is interrupted if the time integral of the body acceleration exceeds a predetermined amount.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There is disclosed an apparatus for monitoring acceleration of a body which utilizes liquid flow technology thus avoiding the need for electrical power. The apparatus includes steel balls of predetermined mass (hereafter "proof masses") disposed in annular cavities of a casing, the cavities containing a damping fluid. The cavities are grouped in pairs, each pair aligned with a principal axis of the body. The pairing allows for detection of acceleration in opposite directions along the respective axis.
Movement of the proof masses in these respective cavities is proportional to the time integral of acceleration along the corresponding axis. This movement develops a force which opens a check valve arrangement allowing for displacement of the fluid through a temperature compensating mechanism to a first piston-chamber arrangement which registers the total movement of all such proof masses. Fluid is returned to the cavity by a second path connected between the cavity and the chamber.
Disposed in a second chamber is another piston like arrangement. The piston or float member is in a neutrally buoyant condition. When the apparatus is made operable, the float member is urged from an initial position to a second one which takes a prespecified amount of time. If during this time, the total movement of the proof masses (as combined by the movement of the piston in the first chamber) reflects a time integral of acceleration above a predetermined amount, the first piston interrupts the movement of the float member.
Thus the apparatus is suitable for registering when a "zero" G condition has existed for a prespecified period of time, in that, under such a condition, the piston in the first chamber will not have moved the distance required to interrupt the movement of the float member.
8 Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus for monitoring acceleration of a body comprising;
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(a) a casing having at least one cavity disposed in a predetermined relationship to the axes of the body when secured thereto; (b) a proof mass disposed in said cavity, said proof mass adapted to move in said cavity in response to an acceleration of the body for a period of time, said movement proportional to the time integral of said body acceleration; (c) damping fluid disposed in said cavity; (d) a first chamber including, (i) a first float member disposed therein, (ii) means for urging said float member from a first position in said chamber to a second position therein in a predetermined time, (iii) fluid, disposed in said chamber, said float member submerged in said fluid in a neutrally buoyant condition, such that said float member is insensitive to the acceleration of the body, (iv) fluid passage means connecting the portion of said chamber between said float member and one end thereof to the portion of said chamber disposed on the other side of said float member; and (e) means responsive to the movements of said proof mass and communicating with said float member such that the movement of said float member is interrupted if the time integral of the body acceleration exceeds a predetermined amount. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for monitoring the acceleration of a body comprising:
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(a) a casing having a plurality of cavities, said cavities grouped in pairs, each cavity of each pair axially aligned, one with the other, and with an axis of the body when said casing is secured thereto; (b) a plurality of proof masses disposed in corresponding ones of said cavities, said proof masses adapted to move in said cavity in response to an acceleration of the body for a period of time, said movement proportional to the time integral of said body acceleration; (c) damping fluid disposed in said cavities; (d) a first chamber including, (i) a first float member disposed therein, (ii) means for urging said float member from a first position in said chamber to a second position therein in a predetermined amount of time; (iii) fluid disposed in said chamber, said float member submerged in said fluid in a neutrally buoyant condition, such that said float member is insensitive to the acceleration of the body, (iv) fluid passage means connecting the portion of said chamber between said float member and one end thereof to the portion of said chamber disposed on the other side of said float member; and (e) means responsive to the movement of said proof masses and including, (i) check valve means communicating with the space between each of said proof masses and one end of each said cavity, said check valve means responsive to the pressure differential thereacross whereby said damping fluid passes therethrough, (ii) a second chamber including, (1) a second float member disposed therein, and (2) fluid disposed in said chamber, said float member submerged in said fluid in a neutrally buoyant condition, such that said float member is insensitive to the acceleration of the body, (iii) a first fluid passage means connected between each said check valve means and the space between said second float member and one end of said second chamber, (iv) a second fluid passage means connected to the space between said second float member and the opposite end of said second chamber and communicating with the space between each said proof mass and the other end of the corresponding cavity, said second float member displaced from a first portion in said second chamber towards a second position therein in response to the fluid pressure created thereupon by the movement of said proof masses and communicated thereto by said first and second fluid passage means, and, (v) means responsive to the displacement of said second float member and communicating with said first float member to interrupt the movement of the latter, if the time integral of the body acceleration exceeds said predetermined amount. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification