Patent ID: 7325460

Claim:
A method of making a force sensor, particularly sensitive to the axial component of an applied force, said force sensor being of the type including a force-receiving membrane deformable by an applied force to be sensed, said method comprising: providing the force sensor with a body of a liquid, and with a second membrane separated from said force-receiving membrane by said body of liquid; applying the force to be sensed to the center of said force-receiving membrane to thereby pressurize said liquid according to the magnitude and axis of the force applied to said force-receiving membrane; and measuring the deformation of said second membrane; wherein said force-receiving membrane is of a non-undulating configuration in its normal condition and is deformable, by a force applied to its center at an oblique angle to its surface, into an undulating configuration, to include an inwardly-bowed section on one side of its center, and an outwardly-bulged section on the opposite side of its center, such that the liquid body is pressurized by the applied force only according to the axial component of said applied force.