Patent ID: 7516675

Claim:
A joystick sensor apparatus, comprising: a load cell comprising: an outer circular peripheral frame with an inner central concentric hub area, said load cell having beam members positioned between said central concentric hub area and said outer circular peripheral frame, wherein said inner central area is joined by at least two symmetrical beams, each beam being thinner than said frame and directed along a common diameter wherein a first beam is directed from an inner edge of said peripheral frame to an outer edge of said central area, a second beam is directed along said diameter from an oppositely opposed inner edge of said peripheral frame to an oppositely opposed outer edge of said inner area, a third beam is directed from an inner edge of said peripheral frame to an outer edge of said central area, and a fourth beam is directed along said diameter from an oppositely opposed inner edge of said peripheral frame to an oppositely opposed outer edge of said inner area, said beams being below the top surfaces of said peripheral and central areas and above the bottom surfaces thereof, at least a first strain gauge positioned on a surface of one beam and at least a second strain gauge positioned on a corresponding surface of said second beam, at least a third strain gauge positioned on said third beam and at least a fourth strain gauge positioned on said fourth beam, and a top surface and a bottom surface cover members hermetically enclosing said beams and strain gauges, wherein said top cover member is a convoluted, with the tops of said convolutions facing said beams when said top cover member covers said beams and said bottom cover member secured to a bottom surface of said peripheral area to cover said beams and said strain gauges, and a joystick coupled to said central hub area and operative when moved to cause said gauges when to be biased and to provide outputs proportional to the X-Y movement of said joystick.