Importance

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Abstract

A vibration sensor (10) that more effectively distinguishes between various causes of vibrations is disclosed. The vibration sensor includes a housing (18), a plurality of spaced contacts (22-34) positioned above the floor (44) of the housing, a central electrode (36) positioned within the housing, and an electrically-conductive ball (38) configured for movement within the housing. The contacts are interconnected by a plurality of electrically-conductive elements (50-62) such as resistors and are configured for connecting to a first terminal (12) of an alarm system (16). The central electrode is spaced from the contacts and is configured for connecting to a second terminal (14) of the alarm system. The ball is configured for simultaneously contacting at least one of the contacts and the central electrode so that it provides an electrical path between the first and second terminals to allow the transfer of an electrical signal therebetween. When the sensor is vibrated, the ball moves within the chamber over the spaced contacts so that it touches different ones of the contacts while remaining in contact with the central electrode. This changes the electrical characteristics of the signal passing through the first and second terminals. The alarm system monitors these changes in the signal to determine characteristics of the sensor. These characteristics are then analyzed to determine the magnitude, duration and/or other characteristic of the vibration to distinguish between various causes of the vibration.

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First Claim