Piezoresistive mechanoelectric transducers

Claim 1

IN A MECHANO-ELECTRIC STRAIN TRANSDUCER, AN EXTENDED RESILIENT MEMBER OF SUBSTANTIAL STRENGTH HAVING TWO REMOTE PORTIONS AND AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION SUBJECT TO STRAINS TRANSMITTED THERETO, TWO THIN FRAGILE CRYSTALLINE ELEMENTS OF A VOLUME AND STRENGTH MUCH SMALLER THAN SAID RESILIENT MEMBER, EACH HAVING TWO OPPOSITE TERMINAL PORTIONS AND AN EFFECTIVE INTERMEDIATE CRYSTAL PORTION THE RESISTANCE OF WHICH VARIES IN A PREDETERMINED MANNER IN RESPONSE TO STRAINS TRANSMITTED BY SAID TWO TERMINAL PORTIONS, SAID TWO CRYSTALLINE ELEMENTS BEING DISPOSED WITH FACING INNER SIDE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MEMBER AND EACH HAVING THE INNER SIDES OF ITS TERMINAL PORTIONS AFFIXED TO FACING SURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID MEMBER FOR TRANSMITTING TO SAID TWO EFFECTIVE ELEMENT PORTIONS OPPOSING STRAINS IN RESPONSE TO FORCE STRAINS APPLIED BETWEEN SAID REMOTE MEMBER PORTIONS, SAID TWO CRYSTALLINE ELEMENTS HAVING OPPOSITE GAUGE FACTORS CAUSING SAID TWO ELEMENTS TO BE SUBJECTED TO SIMILARLY DIRECTED RESISTANCE VARIATIONS IN RESPONSE TO OPPOSITELY DIRECTED INTERNAL STRAINS WITHIN SAID TWO ELEMENTS, AND FORCE MEANS EXERTING HOLDING FORCES ON THE OUTER SIDE OF ONE OF SAID TWO TERMINAL PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID TWO CRYSTALLINE ELEMENTS AND HOLDING THE INNER SIDE OF SAID ONE TERMINAL PORTION FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED WITH AND AFFIXED TO THE FACING SURFACE OF SAID MEMBER AND SUPPRESSING MOTION OF SAID ONE TERMINAL PORTION ALONG ITS FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED MEMBER SURFACE OVER A PREDETERMINED STRAIN RANGE APPLIED TO SAID ELEMENT, SAID HOLDING FORCES CAUSING EACH SAID FRICTIONALLY AFFIXED TERMINAL PORTION TO MOVE ALONG SAID FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED MEMBER SURFACE IN RESPONSE TO PREDETERMINED EXCESSIVE STRAINS EXCEEDING SAID NORMAL STRAIN RANGE AND SUPPRESSING APPLICATION OF EXCESSIVE STRAINS TO SAID ELEMENT.