Piezoresistive transducer

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS OF TWO INTERCONNECTED PARTS OF A MECHANICAL DEVICE INTO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, A STRAIN SENSITIVE ELEMENT COMPRISING A UNITARY MEMBER COMPOSED OF A PIEZORESISTIVE SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL AND HAVING TWO PADS INTERCONNECTED BY AND SEPARATED BY A REDUCED NECK, THE SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL OF WHICH SAID PADS AND SAID NECK ARE FORMED BEING OF THE SAME SEMICONDUCTIVE TYPE, SAID REDUCED NECK AND SAID PADS LYING ON A COMMON AXIS, EACH OF SAID PADS HAVING A FACE EXTENDING GENERALLY IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID AXIS, THE LENGTH OF SAID NECK BEING LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID FACES ALONG SAID AXIS, THE MINIMUM THICKNESS OF SAID NECK BEING LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID PADS IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO SAID AXIS, THE CROSS-SECTION OF SAID NECK ENLARGING CONTINUOUSLY AS THE PADS ARE APPROACHED FROM THE REGION OF MINIMUM THICKNESS OF SAID NECK, SAID TWO FACES OF SAID PADS BEING RESPECTIVELY BONDED TO SAID RELATIVELY MOVABLE PARTS AND SAID NECK BEING UNBONDED WITH RESPECT TO SAID RELATIVELY MOVABLE PARTS, THE PARTS OF SAID PADS REMOTE FROM SAID FACES BEING UNBONDED, A PAIR OF ELECTRODE MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID RESPECTIVE PADS, SAID PAIR OF ELECTRODE MEANS CONSTITUTING THE ONLY ELECTRODE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID STRAIN-SENSITIVE ELEMENT, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID PAIR OF ELECTRODE MEANS TO MEASURE CHANGES IN THE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE OF SAID STRAIN-SENSITIVE ELEMENT DUE TO RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID TWO INTERCONNECTED PARTS.