Sensing method of sensing device and stretchable sensor device

• US 10,444,912 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Wang, Sheng-Po, Chang, Chih-Chia, Wang, Chao-Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dicke, Chad M
• Application Number:
  US15/394,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20180188843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A stretchable sensing device includes at least one first unit structure, at least one second unit structure and a stretchable material layer. The first unit structure includes a first substrate and a first sensing element layer, wherein the first substrate includes multiple first slits and multiple first distribution regions defined by the first slits. The first sensing element layer includes multiple first sensing electrodes being electrically isolated to each other and located on the first substrate. The second unit structure is located on the first unit structure and includes a second substrate and a second sensing element layer located on the second substrate. The stretchable material layer is located between the first unit structure and the second unit structure, and provides a changeable spacing between at least two of the first sensing electrodes located on adjacent first distribution regions. A sensing method of the stretchable sensing device is also provided.

Claims

1. A sensing method of a sensing device, wherein the sensing device comprises a stretchable sensing device, wherein the stretchable sensing device comprises a first substrate, a first sensing element layer and a stretchable material layer, the first substrate has a plurality of first slits, each of the first slits penetrates through the first substrate from top to bottom to divide the first substrate into a plurality of first distribution regions, the first sensing element layer comprises a plurality of first sensing electrodes, the first sensing electrodes are located within the first distribution regions, a first horizontal spacing between at least two of the first sensing electrodes respectively located within two adjacent first distribution regions is greater than a second horizontal spacing of the two adjacent first distribution regions, the first horizontal spacing is in the same plane as the first sensing electrodes, the second horizontal spacing is in the same plane as the first distribution regions, the first horizontal spacing is on top of and overlapping the second horizontal spacing, the stretchable material layer fills the first slits between each adjacent two of the first distribution regions to cause the first horizontal spacing and the second horizontal spacing changeable, and the first sensing electrodes are meanderingly distributed along outer edges of each of the first slits, wherein the sensing method comprises:

reading an electrical signal from one of the first sensing electrodes to obtain a first signal value corresponding to the one of the first sensing electrodes; and

determining a deformation state of the stretchable sensing device from a variation of the first signal value.

2. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 1, wherein performing the electrical signal sensing to the first sensing electrodes comprises respectively performing a resistance sensing to the first sensing electrodes.

3. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 1, wherein performing the electrical signal sensing to the first sensing electrodes comprises respectively performing a capacitance sensing to the first sensing electrodes.

4. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 3, further comprising the following steps:

performing multiple times of an inductive capacitance sensing to at least one pair of the first sensing electrodes among the first sensing electrodes so as to obtain the first signal values; and

calculating variances of the first signal values so as to determine the deformation state corresponded to the stretchable sensing device.

5. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 3, wherein the sensing device further comprises a second substrate and a second sensing element layer disposed on the second substrate, and the stretchable material layer is located between the first sensing electrodes and the second sensing element layer, wherein the sensing method further comprises:

performing an electrical signal sensing to the second sensing element layer so as to obtain a second signal value corresponded to the second sensing element layer.

6. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 5, wherein the second sensing element layer comprises a plurality of second sensing electrodes, and the sensing method further comprises:

performing an inductive capacitance sensing to at least one pair of the second sensing electrodes among the second sensing electrodes so as to obtain the second signal value; and

calculating a variance between the first signal value and the second signal value to determine an amount of deformation corresponded to the stretchable sensing device.

7. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 5, wherein the second sensing element layer comprises a plurality of second sensing electrodes, and the sensing method further comprises:

enabling at least one of the first sensing electrodes to perform an inductive capacitance sensing with one of the second sensing electrodes so as to obtain a third signal value; and

calculating a variance of the first signal value, a variance of the second signal value, and a variance of the third signal value so as to determine an amount of deformation corresponded to the stretchable sensing device.

8. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 5, wherein the sensing device further comprises a first insulating layer, the second sensing element layer comprises a plurality of second sensing electrodes, and the first insulating layer is located between one of the first sensing electrodes and one of the second sensing electrodes, wherein the sensing method further comprises:

using a signal value obtained by performing an inductive capacitance sensing to the one of the second sensing electrodes and the one of the first sensing electrodes at two sides of the first insulating layer as a correction signal value.

9. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 3, wherein the sensing device further comprises a second substrate and a second sensing element layer disposed on the second substrate, and the stretchable material layer is located between the first sensing electrodes and the second sensing element layer, wherein the sensing method further comprises:

enabling at least one of the first sensing electrodes to perform an inductive capacitance sensing with the second sensing element layer so as to obtain a third signal value; and

calculating variances between the first signal values and the third signal value so as to determine an amount of deformation corresponded to the stretchable sensing device.

10. The sensing method of the sensing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensing device further comprises a controller, wherein the controller determines the deformation state of the stretchable sensing device with the variation of each of the first signal values.

11. A stretchable sensing device, comprising:

at least one first unit structure, comprising;

a first substrate, wherein the first substrate has a plurality of first slits and each of the first slits penetrating through the first substrate from top to bottom divides the first substrate into a plurality of first distribution regions; and

a first sensing element layer, comprising a plurality of first sensing electrodes being electrically isolated to each other, and the first sensing electrodes being located within the first distribution regions, wherein a first horizontal spacing between at least two of the first sensing electrodes respectively located within two adjacent first distribution regions is greater than a second horizontal spacing of the two adjacent first distribution regions, the first horizontal spacing is on the same plane as the first sensing electrodes, the second horizontal spacing is on the same plane as the first distribution regions, the first horizontal spacing is on top of and overlapping the second horizontal spacing;

at least one second unit structure, comprising;

a second substrate; and

a second sensing element layer, located on the second substrate; and

a stretchable material layer, located between the first unit structure and the second unit structure, and filling the first slits between each adjacent two of the first distribution regions to a cause the first horizontal spacing and the second horizontal spacing changeable;

a controller, wherein the controller determines an amount of deformation corresponded to the stretchable sensing device with a first signal value corresponded to each of the first sensing electrodes.

12. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the stretchable material layer is formed in the first slits of the first substrate, the first slits are distributed along ring-like paths that are arranged sequentially from an inside towards an outside around a first unit center, and each of the first sensing electrodes meanders in conformity with at least one of the first slits.

13. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the second substrate has a plurality of second slits that defines a plurality of second distribution regions.

14. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 13, wherein at least one of the first distribution regions has an orthographic projection on the second substrate overlapping the second distribution regions on the second substrate.

15. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 13, wherein the second sensing element layer comprises a plurality of second sensing electrodes being electrically isolated to each other, and the second sensing electrodes are located on the second distribution regions.

16. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 13, wherein the stretchable material layer is formed in the second slits of the second substrate.

17. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the first sensing element layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the second substrate is located between the first sensing element layer and the second sensing element layer;

or

the second sensing element layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the first substrate is located between the first sensing element layer and the second sensing element layer.

18. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 11, further comprising a first insulating layer located between at least one of the first distribution regions and the second sensing element layer, wherein a Young'"'"'s modulus of the first insulating layer is greater than that of the stretchable material layer.

19. The stretchable sensing device as recited in claim 18, further comprising a second insulating layer located between at least one of the first distribution regions and the second sensing element layer, and the second insulating layer being disposed at a periphery of the first insulating layer, wherein a Young'"'"'s modulus of the second insulating layer is greater than the Young'"'"'s modulus of the first insulating layer.