Digital accelerometer

Claim 1

A digital accelerometer comprising: a linear analog accelerometer comprising a first self-contained modular unit enclosed within a housing and a conductor extending from within the housing to a point outside the housing, the analog accelerometer being adapted to produce on the conductor a first analog signal representing the linear acceleration of the analog accelerometer along one axis thereof; a casing positioned against the housing so as to form a substantially enclosed space between a portion of the housing adjacent the conductor and the casing; an interface circuit located within the enclosed space for receiving the first analog signal and producing a second analog signal having a magnitude corresponding to the magnitude of the first analog signal, the interface circuit comprising one or more electrical components mounted such that the components are accessible when the casing is separated from the housing; a digitizer comprising a second self-contained modular unit located within the enclosed space for receiving the second analog signal and producing a corresponding digital signal; and connector means for conveying signals between the analog accelerometer, interface circuit, digitizer and a location outside the enclosed space and the housing, the connector means comprising a single, continuous flexible strip of insulating material having embedded therein a plurality of conductive strips, the flexible strip passing through an opening in the casing, the flexible strip further including first, second and third sets of terminals positioned at spaced apart locations along the length of the flexible strip, the first set of terminals being located outside the casing and being adapted for connecting the digital accelerometer to an external device, the second and third sets of terminals being located inside the casing and being connected to the analog accelerometer and digitizer, respectively; whereby the first and second modular units are maintained in close thermal contact with one another during operation of the digital accelerometer, and whereby the dynamic range of the digital accelerometer can nevertheless be readily modified by separating the casing from the housing and modifying said one or more components.