Patent ID: 7823464

Claim:
A joystick sensor apparatus, comprising: a load cell having an outer peripheral frame with a central concentric hub area, said load cell having beam members positioned between said central hub area and said outer peripheral frame, a plurality of strain gauges positioned on said beam members and having at least a first pair of strain gauges on one of said beams and at least a second pair of strain gauges on another beam member, and a joystick coupled to said central area and operative when moved to cause said gauges when biased to provide outputs proportional to the X-Y movement of said joystick, wherein said load cell, comprises: a thick outer frame section concentric with a thick inner central section, each section having a top and bottom surface, with said outer section connected to said central section by a first and a second diametrically located symmetrical beam sections and with third and fourth diametrically located beam sections transverse to said first and second beams, said beams located between the top and bottom surfaces of said outer and central sections, at least a first strain gauge positioned on said first beam and a at least a second strain gauge positioned on said second beam at least a third strain gauge positioned said third beam and at least a fourth strain gauge positioned on said fourth beam, a top diaphragm member secured to said top surface of said outer section to cover and enclose said beams and gauges, and a bottom cover member secured to said bottom surface of said outer section to cover and enclose said beams and gauges, with said top diaphragm member and said bottom cover member forming a hermetic enclosure for said beams and gauges, and wherein said top diaphragm member is a convoluted isolation diaphragm, with the tops of said convolutions facing said beams when said diaphragm covers the same.