Accelerometer method and apparatus for integral display and control functions

Apparatus for detecting mechanical vibration and outputting an electrical control signal in response to the attainment of a specific amplitude level of said vibration, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing, said housing having an opening;
• an accelerometer transducer for detecting and measuring vibrations and generating an accelerometer electrical analog signal representative of such vibrations, said accelerometer transducer being mounted within said housing and provided with an output terminal for outputting said accelerometer signal;
• an integrator circuit disposed and mounted within said housing and being electrically connected to said accelerometer output terminal, said integrator circuit being responsive to said analog accelerometer signal for producing a corresponding velocity signal and being provided with an integrator circuit output terminal for said velocity signal;
• calibrating means coupled to said integrator circuit output terminal for calibrating said velocity signal;
• an adjustable analog signal dividing circuit operatively associated with said calibrating means for producing from said calibrated velocity signal a number of discrete output signals wherein said number of discrete output signals is a function of the amplitude of said calibrated velocity signal and wherein each said discrete output signal is generated at a different discrete level of amplitude of the calibrated velocity signal, said adjustable analog signal dividing circuit being disposed within said housing;
• coupling means for selectively coupling each of said discrete output signals to a connector output terminal of said apparatus, said coupling means comprising a plurality of conductors and a plurality of mechanical dip switches, each of said conductors having a different one of said dip switches operatively connected therein whereby the closing of a selected one of said dip switches conditions said apparatus to couple a selected one of said discrete output signals to the connector output terminal when the calibrated velocity signal reaches the level of amplitude at which said selected discrete output signal is generated;
• and
• means for shock-mounting said integrator circuit, signal dividing circuit and selective coupling means within said housing, said plurality of dip switches being mounted in said housing to be accessible through said housing opening.

Apparatus for detecting mechanical vibrations of an object and producing an electrical control signal in response to the attainment of a specific amplitude level of said vibrations, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing, said housing having an opening;
• an accelerometer transducer for detecting said vibrations and generating an accelerometer electrical signal representative of such vibrations, said accelerometer transducer being mounted within said housing and provided with an output terminal for said accelerometer signal;
• an integrator circuit for integrating said accelerometer signal, said integrator circuit being mounted within said housing and provided with an input which is electrically coupled to said accelerometer output terminal, said integrator circuit being responsive to said accelerometer signal for producing a corresponding velocity signal and being provided with an integrator circuit output terminal for said velocity signal;
• a signal dividing circuit means for producing from said velocity signal a number of discrete output signals wherein the number of discrete output signals is a function of the amplitude of said velocity signal and each said discrete output signal is generated at a different discrete threshold level of amplitude of the velocity signal, said signal dividing circuit means being disposed within said housing;
• and
• coupling means for selectively coupling each of said discrete output signals to a connector output terminal of said apparatus, said coupling means comprising a plurality of conductors and a plurality of mechanical dip switches, each of said conductors having a different one of said dip switches operatively connected therein whereby the closing of a selected one of said dip switches conditions said apparatus to couple a selected one of said discrete output signals to the connector output terminal when the velocity signal reaches the level of amplitude at which said selected discrete output signal is generated,said plurality of dip switches being mounted in said housing to be accessible for manual operation through said housing opening.