Miniature quartz resonator force transducer

• US 4,215,570 A
• Filed: 04/20/1979
• Issued: 08/05/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Weigh-Tronix, Inc. (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United States Department of Energy
• Inventors: Eer Nisse, Errol P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruehl, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US06/031,810
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 73/704, 73/517 AV, 73/581, 73/DIG. 1, 73/DIG. 4, 73/141 R, 310/328, 310/329, 310/338
• US Class Current: 73/862.59
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/162 using piezoelectric resonators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 73/04 Piezoelectric

Abstract

The invention relates to a piezoelectric quartz force transducer having the shape of a double-ended tuning fork.

Claims

1. A force transducer comprising a thin, rectangular piezoelectric quartz crystal having two non-vibratory end portions for transmitting forces equally to intermediate interconnecting bar portions, two intermediate continuous vibratory bar portions intermediate and integral with said end portions spaced from each other by a narrow slot through said crystal with slot ends disposed equidistant from each end portion of said crystal and extending along the midportion of the crystal;

said quartz crystal having thickness T, length L about 100T, width W about 10T, said slot having length L_s about 0.6L and width W_s no greater than T, said end portions having length L_e about 2W and each of said bar portions having length L_b about L_s and width W_b greater than 2.5T;

means carried by each of said bar portions and extending therealong throughout the lengths of each of the bar portions for setting the bar portions into resonant vibrations at frequencies proportional to forces applied to said end portions;

said end portions coupling together the vibrations of each bar portion to provide a mechanical Q about 100,000.

2. the force transducer of claim 1 wherein thickness T is about 4 mils.

3. The force transducer of claim 1 wherein said means for setting said bar portions into resonant vibration comprises electrodes disposed on at least one of upper or lower surfaces of the quartz crystal.

4. The force transducer of claim 1 wherein said crystal is of quartz cut at any orientation of +13/4°

from the XY crystal plane and rotated about the X-axis and has a thickness T of about 4 mils.