Clinometer/accelerometer and method

摘要

A clinometer includes a cyclindrical cavity having a conductive cylindrical wall and a vertical annular wall having a high resistance resistor uniformly distributed thereon. A freely moving, heavy conductive ball seeks the lowest point in the cavity. The conductive ball contacts both the conductive cylindrical wall and a point along the resistor, thereby defining the resistance between a terminal connected to one end of the resistor and another terminal connected to the conductive cylindrical wall. This resistance is a function of the inclination of the clinometer. A reference voltage is applied to the end terminal of the resistor. The terminal connected to the conductive cylindrical wall is coupled to a circuit that converts a voltage across the resistance into a digital voltage that represents the inclination of the clinometer.