Patent ID: 7578188
Filing Date: 2009-08-25
Classification: G01C,G01P

Abstract:
1. A convective accelerometer comprising a sealed housing, wherein said sealed housing comprises a cavity and a channel, wherein both ends of said channel are immersed into said cavity; a liquid agent comprising an electrolyte solution, wherein said liquid agent is contained in said sealed housing such that it completely fills said cavity of said sealed housing; at least two installation modules secured in the sealed housing, wherein each of said at least two installation modules contains a sensing element rigidly mounted within, said sensing element comprising a cathode and an anode that are spatially separated and adapted to permit said liquid agent to flow through said cathode and said anode when an externally applied acceleration causes forced convection; and wherein the at least two installation modules are secured in an orientation such that a cathode in one of the at least two installation modules faces a cathode of another of the at least two installation modules, or an anode of one of the at least two installation modules faces the anode of another of the at least two installation modules, wherein the at least two installation modules are configured to create within the liquid agent in the channel a region that has a higher density or a lower density relative to a density of the liquid agent outside of the channel; wherein the sensing element in each of said at least two installation modules is configured to measure convection resulting from movement of the region of higher density or lower density liquid agent caused by the externally applied acceleration; and wherein an electronic circuit is connected to said sensing elements, said electronic circuit capable of amplifying and processing electronic signals generated by said sensing elements in response to convection caused by movement of the region of higher density or lower density liquid agent as the result of the externally applied acceleration.