Strain gauge measuring apparatus

Claim 1

FORCE MEASURING APPARATUS COMPRISING: A FIRST PAIR OF PIEZO-RESISTIVE SEMI-CONDUCTOR CRYSTAL ELEMENTS HAVING A POSITIVE GAUGE FACTOR FOR A FORCE APPLIED TO OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, A SECOND PAIR OF PIEZO-RESISTANCE SEMI-CONDUCTOR CRYSTAL ELEMENTS HAVING A NEGATIVE GAUGE FACTOR FOR A FORCE APPLIED TO OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, EACH OF SAID PIEZO-RESISTANCE CRYSTAL ELEMENTS BEING A THIN WAFER-LIKE ELEMENTS WITH THE MOST PRESSURE SENSITIVE AXIS ORIENTED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SMALLEST DIMENSION OR THICKNESS THEREOF AND HAVING ELECTRODES ON THE OPPOSITE END FACES THEREOF, SAID PIEZO-RESISTIVE ELEMENTS BEING ELECTRICALLY AND PHYSICAL INTERCONNECTED TO FORM A MONOLITHIC STACK OF ELEMENTS WHERE THE SEMI-CONDUCTOR ELEMENTS ARE SPACED IN THE DIRECTION OF THEIR THICKNESS, THE POSITIVE GAUGE FACTOR SEMI-CONDUCTOR ELEMENTS BEING SEPARATED BY A NEGATIVE GAUGE FACTOR SEMI-CONDUCTOR ELEMENT EACH OF THE THREE PAIRS OF CONFRONTING ELECTRODES BEING ELECTRICALLY AND PHYSICALLY INTERCONNECTED AND THE OUTER ELECTRODES OF THE OUTERMOST SEMI-CONDUCTOR ELEMENTS BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER, AND THREE CONNECTING CONDUCTORS MEANS RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING FROM AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED