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Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring force or other parameters and temperature. The apparatus includes an oscillator and a vibratory element, such as a quartz crystal, which is caused to resonate by the oscillator at two frequencies f.sub.1 and f.sub.2 selected from the fundamental frequency and its overtone frequencies of the vibratory element. The vibratory element is selected so that the two frequencies f.sub.1 and f.sub.2 both vary with variation in force (or other parameter) applied to the element and with variation in temperature of the element, and so that the magnitude or scale factor of variation for frequency f.sub.1 is different from that for frequency f.sub.2. The apparatus also includes a detection device for detecting the frequencies f.sub.1 and f.sub.2 and for producing signals representing the frequency variation of the two frequencies relative to a reference frequency, and a processor for processing the signals produced by the detector device for determining the force (or other parameter) and temperature to which the vibratory element is subjected.

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