Sensor with quartz tuning fork

Abstract

A sensor device has a quartz tuning fork and an analysis circuit arranged on a common board inside a common housing. The quartz tuning fork has its own, second housing within the common housing for acoustically decoupling the tuning fork from the analysis circuit. The second housing also has an opening for equalizing the pressure and temperature between the second housing and the rest of the common housing. The analysis circuit, which is connected via the electrical wires to the quartz tuning fork, performs linearization, signal amplification and elimination of environmental influences on the signals emitted by the quartz tuning fork. The signals processed by the analysis circuit are further transmitted via common housing's electrical contacts to external elements. Because of the physical proximity of the quartz tuning fork and the analysis circuit, interference attributable to electrical connections between the two elements is minimized. Furthermore, because the tuning fork and the analysis circuit are exposed to the same temperature, temperature-related fluctuations in the electrical signals of the tuning fork may be accurately counter-balanced by the analysis circuit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.