Gravitational sensor for firing anti-tank weapon - has metal cylinder moved by gravitational pull to change capacitance in oscillator circuit

摘要

The gravitational sensor includes a small cylinder (5) of polycrystalline graphite in an evacuated enclosure of non-metallic material. The enclosure is not transparent since radiation may disturb the balance of the cylinder. Two cylindrical metal surfaces (8,9) lie parallel to the axis of the cylinder and form with the cylinder two capacitors of variable capacitance. These two capacitors are included in two oscillating circuits (10'11). Under the effect of the radial gravitational attraction of a passing tank, the cylinder moves a small distance. This causes two opposite small changes in the two capacitances, in turn varying the oscillator frequencies. The oscillators are tuned to identical high frequencies, so that the change is noticeable, and maybe used by electronic processing circuitry to trigger a weapon.