Instrument for electrically measuring pressure changes

Claim 2

An instrument for electrically measuring pressure changes comprising: a. a fluid pressure cell; b. a circular bimorph sensor element mounted in said cell to provide a reference pressure chamber on one side thereof and a variable pressure chamber on the other side thereof, said circular bimorph sensor element adapted to produce an electrical output in response to pressure being applied thereto; and c. flexure member means for supporing said circular bimorph sensor element at the circumference thereof and for sealing said reference pressure chamber from said variable pressure chamber.

Claim 3

An instrument in accordance with claim 1 wherein said flexure member means includes a thin flexure member extending substantially cylindrically from said circular bimorph sensor element.

Claim 4

An instrument in accordance with claim 1 wherein said flexure member means includes a thin flexure member extending radially from said bimorph sensor element.

Claim 5

An instrument in accordance with claim 2 wherein said thin flexure member extending cylindrically from said bimorph sensing element extends from a first annular member affixed to one side of said bimorph sensing element to a second annular member adapted to support said bimorph sensing element within said cell.

Claim 6

An instrument for electrically measuring rate of change of pressure comprising: a. a fluid pressure cell; b. bimorph sensing means mounted in said cell to provide a reference pressure chamber on one side thereof and a variable fluid pressure chamber on the other side thereof, said variable fluid pressure chamber being in communication with a static pressure conduit, said bimorph sensing means adapted to produce an electrical output in response to pressure changes in said variable pressure chamber; c. flexure member means for supporting said bimorph sensing means within said pressure cell and for sealing said reference pressure chamber from said variable fluid pressure chamber; and d. means responsive to an electrical output produced by said bimorph sensing means for generating a signal having informational value based on the rate of change of pressure.

Claim 7

An instrument for electrically measuring rate of change of pressure comprising: a. a fluid pressure cell; b. bimorph sensing means mounted in said cell to provide a reference pressure chamber on one side thereof and a variable fluid pressure chamber on the other side thereof, said variable fluid pressure chamber being in communication with a static pressure conduit, said bimorph sensing means adapted to produce an electrical output in response to pressure changes in said variable pressure chamber; c. flexure member means for supporting said bimorph sensing means within said pressure cell and for sealing said reference pressure chamber from said variable fluid pressure chamber; and d. means responsive to an electrical output produced by said bimorph sensing means for generating a signal having informational value based on the rate of change of pressure.

Claim 8

An instrument in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fluid pressure cell is made of an iron-nickel alloy and said flexure member means includes a thin flexure member made of an iron-nickel alloy.

Claim 9

An instrument in accordance with claim 1 including a pair of circular bimorph sensor elements and wherein said flexure member means includes a thin plate sandwiched between said sensor elements and radially extending beyond the circumferences thereof for attachment to said pressure cell.