Pressure transducer
First Claim
1. A pressure transducer device comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber with a bottom surface and side walls;
a first conductor positioned adjacent the bottom surface of the chamber;
a flap having an upper and lower surface generally parallel with the bottom surface and a hinge region for movably attaching the flap at a spaced location above the bottom surface to extend from a side wall into the chamber, the flap being movable in the chamber about the hinge region;
a second conductor disposed on the lower surface of the flap;
a pressure responsive semiconducting composition layer disposed for covering at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor; and
a diaphragm attached about its periphery to the housing in spaced relationship to the bottom surface for enclosing the chamber, the diaphragm adhesively attached to the upper surface of the flap at a center region laterally spaced from the housing, the second conductor being variably movable with the flap into electrically conducting relationship with the first conductor by the diaphragm in response to variations in pressure force exerted against the diaphragm.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pressure transducer device particularly useful in an electronic musical instrument includes a flexible base folded to define upper and lower flexible base portions, a donut-shaped first spacer between the upper and lower base portions and a resiliently deformable diaphragm attached about its periphery to the upper flexible base portion with a second donut-shaped spacer therebetween. A center region of the diaphragm laterally spaced from the second spacer is adhesively attached to a central region of the upper flexible base portion so that the upper flexible base portion moves inwardly and outwardly in response to the movement of the diaphragm. A pair of conductors are disposed on the folded flexible base member to face one another. A pressure responsive composition disposed over the conductors provides a contact resistance across the pair of conductors which varies inversely with the amount of pressure force exerted against the diaphragm. The upper flexible base portion may be attached between the first and second spacers about its entire periphery or at a small hinge region with the upper base portion being a flap movable about the hinge region in the region surrounded by the first spacer.
144 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A pressure transducer device comprising:
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a housing defining a chamber with a bottom surface and side walls; a first conductor positioned adjacent the bottom surface of the chamber; a flap having an upper and lower surface generally parallel with the bottom surface and a hinge region for movably attaching the flap at a spaced location above the bottom surface to extend from a side wall into the chamber, the flap being movable in the chamber about the hinge region; a second conductor disposed on the lower surface of the flap; a pressure responsive semiconducting composition layer disposed for covering at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor; and a diaphragm attached about its periphery to the housing in spaced relationship to the bottom surface for enclosing the chamber, the diaphragm adhesively attached to the upper surface of the flap at a center region laterally spaced from the housing, the second conductor being variably movable with the flap into electrically conducting relationship with the first conductor by the diaphragm in response to variations in pressure force exerted against the diaphragm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A pressure transducer device comprising:
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a first member; a first conductive contact disposed on the first member; a second member; a second conductive contact disposed on the second member, the second conductive contact being normally spaced from the first conductive contact for being movable into electrically conducting relationship with the first conductive contact; pressure responsive semiconducting composition covering at least one of the first and second conductive contacts on the first and second members for providing a variable contact resistance between the first and second conductive contacts; a diaphragm resiliently and variably movable in response to variations in pressure exerted thereagainst, the diaphragm attached about its periphery to the second member in spaced relationship thereto and attached at a center region to the second member whereby the second conductive contact is movable with the diaphragm into electrically conducting relationship with the first conductive contact.
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9. A pressure transducer device comprising:
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a base structure; a first conductor fixed to the base structure; a first spacer fixed to the base structure for extending around the first conductor; a flap having a hinged portion attached to the first spacer in spaced relationship to the first conductor, the flap having an upper and a lower surface; a second conductor disposed on the bottom surface of the flap facing the first conductor, the second conductor being transversely movable with the flap into contacting relationship with the first conductor; a pressure responsive semiconducting composition layer disposed for covering at least one of the first and the second conductors; a second spacer fixed to the first spacer with said hinge portion held between the first spacer and the second spacer so that the flap is movable relative to the first and second spacers about the hinge portion; a diaphragm fixed about its periphery to the periphery of the second spacer over the central space of the second spacer for defining an enclosed chamber with the flap therein, the upper surface of the flap being adhesively attached to the diaphragm at a center region thereof which is laterally spaced from the second spacer, the second conductor being movable with the flap into electrically conducting relationship with the first conductor by the diaphragm in response to a pressure force exerted against the diaphragm.
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10. A pressure transducer device comprising:
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a rigid base member; a flexible base member foldable to define an upper portion having a top and a bottom surface, and a lower portion, the lower portion being fixed to the rigid base member; a first conductor disposed on the flexible base member at a first location on the lower portion; a second conductor disposed on the flexible base member at a second location on the bottom surface of the upper portion; a semiconducting composition layer disposed to cover at least one of the first and second conductors, the flexible base member folded for positioning the second conductor to face the first conductor; a first spacer fixed to the flexible base member for spacing the upper portion of the flexible base member from the lower portion of the flexible base member, the upper portion being movable into contacting relationship with the lower portion; a second spacer fixed to the top surface of the upper portion of the flexible base about the periphery thereof; and a diaphragm fixed about its periphery to the second spacer at a location transversely spaced from the upper portion of the flexible base, the diaphragm being attached to the top surface of the upper portion of the flexible base at a central location laterally spaced from the second spacer.
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11. A pressure transducer device comprising:
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a house defining a chamber with a bottom surface and side walls; a first conductor positioned adjacent the bottom surface of the chamber; a diaphragm attached about its periphery to the housing in spaced relationship to the bottom surface for enclosing the chamber; a first support member adhesively attached to the diaphragm at a center region thereof laterally spaced from the housing; a second conductor disposed on the first support member, the second conductor being variably movable with the first support member into electrically conducting relationship with the first conductor by the diaphragm in response to variations in pressure force exerted against the diaphragm; and a pressure responsive semiconducting composition layer disposed for covering at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification