Digital pressure/range transducer

Claim 1

A pressure transducer comprising: a first element made of rigid material; a plurality of parallel bare conductors attached to one surface of said first element; and a second element having at least one electrically conductive surface; and means to assemble said first and second element in such a manner that said plurality of parallel bare conductors is facing said at least one conductive surface of said second element but spaced apart therefrom, and such that the space between said at least one conductive surface and said plurality of parallel bare conductor progressively increases in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axis of each of said plurality of parallel conductors such that said first and second elements form a wedge shape, said means to assemble said first and second elements being compressible whereby said plurality of parallel bare conductors will, under the influence of a force applied to said transducer, progressively contact said at least one conductive surface in an ordered sequence, the number of said plurality of parallel bare conductors contacting said at least one conductive surface under the influence of a given force being directly related to the magnitude of said force; the last said means including a first irregular shaped compressible element having a pocket in which said second element is secured, a ledge to support one edge of said first element and a channel, a second irregular shaped compressible element located in said channel and having a protrusion to support the other edge of said first element such that said other edge of said first element is separated from said at least one conductive surface of said first element by a distance greater than the distance that said one edge of said first element is separated from said at least one conductive surface of said second element, and a protective sheath covering the entire assembled pressure transducer.