Electrolytic tilt sensor having a meniscus inhibitor

An electrolytic tilt sensor having improved linearity and response time, comprising:

• a metallic containment envelope defining a chamber and having a plurality of apertures therethrough;
• an electrolytic solution partially filling the chamber;
• a plurality of electrodes, each electrode extending through a corresponding one of the apertures and having an electrolytically active portion located within the chamber and spaced apart from an interior surface of the envelope and a lead portion extending to the exterior of the envelope, at least one of the electrodes being a sensing electrode and at least one electrode being a common electrode;
• and
• a meniscus inhibitor located within the interior chamber and comprising a nonporous, chemically resistant, high dielectric material surrounding the electrodes and in contact with a peripheral wall of the interior chamber.

An electrolytic tilt sensor having improved linearity and response time, comprising:

• a metallic containment envelope defining a chamber and having a plurality of apertures therethrough;
• an electrolytic solution partially filling the chamber;
• a plurality of electrodes, each electrode being electrically isolated from the chamber and extending through a corresponding one of the apertures, each electrode further having an electrolytically active portion located within the chamber and spaced apart from an interior surface of the envelope and a lead portion extending to the exterior of the envelope, at least one of the electrodes being a sensing electrode and at least one electrode being a common electrode;
• and
• a meniscus inhibitor located within the interior chamber and comprising a hollow cylinder open at each end and surrounding the electrodes and in contact with a peripheral wall of the interior chamber, the cylinder being a nonporous, chemically resistant, high dielectric material and having a preselected outer diameter and a preselected inner diameter to define a preselected wall thickness, the cylinder occupying at least a portion of the interior volume of the containment envelope where a meniscus would normally form for reducing fluid volume normally consumed by the meniscus.