High fidelity pressure transducer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION We claim: 1.
A fluid pressure transducer comprising: a quartz body having a body electrode of electrically conductive material; and a deflectable quartz diaphragm peripherially coupled to the body and having a ring shaped sensing electrode of electrically conductive material disposed on and substantially limited to the inflection circle of the diaphragm for capacitive coupling with the body electrode to form a sensing capacitor; said diaphragm being deflected by fluid pressure fluctuations to change the capacitance of the sensing capacitor in substantially linear proportion to such fluctuations.
2.
A fluid pressure transducer as in claim 1 wherein the body electrode is located in a shallow recess of the quartz body.
3.
A fluid pressure transducer as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of pedestals are disposed along the periphery of the diaphragm and the body and the separation therebetween is determined by the height of the pedestals.
4.
A fluid pressure transducer as in claim 1 wherein the body and diaphragm include bands of eutectic alloy disposed along the peripheries thereof for coupling said body to said diaphragm by brazing said bands together.
5.
A fluid pressure transducer as in claim 4 wherein the bands of eutectic alloy include electrical contacts coupled to the body and sensing electrodes, respectively, and located along the periphery of each of said body and said diaphragm, for connecting electrical signal conductors thereto.




Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Blood pressure is the most frequently measured quantity in medical physiological practice.
The methods of measuring systemic blood pressure are either invasive or noninvasive.
The most commonly known noninvasive method (Riva-Rocci Method) uses a cuff and sphygmomanometer to determine the maxima and minima of pressure commonly referred to as the systolic and diastolic pressure.
Interpretation of the cessation and reappearance of Korotkow sounds for estimating systolic and diastolic pressure values is very subjective and improved methods become necessary is more information is to be extracted from the pressure pulsations