Probe transducer

Claim 1

A UNITARY ELONGATED TRANSDUCER INSERTABLE IN THE WALL OF A CHAMBER FOR MEASURING THE PRESSURE OF FLUID IN THE CHAMBER COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED PROBE HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION WITH A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA SMALLER THAN THAT OF EACH END SECTION, A NON-METALLIC ERODABLE TIP CONNECTED TO ONE SAID PROBE END SECTION, SAID TIP ADAPTED TO BE EXPOSED TO FLUID IN A CHAMBER, MEANS ADJACENT TO SAID TIP ADAPTED TO SEAL SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION FROM SAID FLUID PRESSURE, AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ATTACHED TO THE OTHER SAID PROBE END SECTION, SAID ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, TIP, AND PROBE HAVING A COMMON LONGITUDINAL AXIS, A PLURALITY OF SEMICOPNDUCTOR STRAIN GAGES DISPOSED ON SAID PROBE INTERMEDIATE SECTION, SAID STRAIN GAGES HAVING ELECTRICAL LEADS PASSING THROUGH SAID ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, A WHEATSTONE BRIDGE HAVING VOLTAGE READ OUT MEANS, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID STRAIN GAGES BEING DISPOSED IN ITS ARMS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING CONSTANT CURRENT THROUGH SAID ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR TO SAID STRAIN GAGES, AND MEANS ON SAID PROBE BETWEEN SAID CONNECTOR AND SAID PROBE INTERMEDIATE SECTION FOR MOUNTING THE TRANSDUCER IN A PORT FORMED IN THE WALL OF THE CHAMBER, WHEREBY FLUID PRESSURE EXERTED AGAINST SAID TIP CAUSES COMPRESSIVE STRAIN IN SAID STRAIN GAGES AND A VOLTAGE READ OUT ON SAID WHEATSTONE BRIDGE TO DETERMINE THE FLUID PRESSURE.