Sensor, electronic device, microphone, blood pressure sensor, and touch panel

• US 10,481,027 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2018
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fuji, Yoshihiko, Hara, Michiko, Masunishi, Kei, Higashi, Yoshihiro, Kaji, Shiori, Yuzawa, Akiko, Hori, Akio, Nagata, Tomohiko, Okamoto, Kazuaki, Otsu, Kenji, Baba, Shotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ha, Nguyen Q.
• Application Number:
  US16/145,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20190041285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0091 Transmitting or indicating the displacement of liquid mediums by electrical, electromechanical, magnetic or electromagnetic means G01L9/0008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 15/00 Magnetostrictive transducers magnetostrictive elements in general H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/003 Mems transducers or their use of the electrostatic type H04R19/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a sensor includes a deformable film portion, a first sensing element and a second sensing element. The first sensing element is fixed to the film portion, and includes a first magnetic layer of a first material, a first opposing magnetic layer, and a first intermediate layer. The first intermediate layer is provided between the first magnetic layer and the first opposing magnetic layer. The second sensing element is fixed to the film portion, and includes a second magnetic layer of a second material, a second opposing magnetic layer, and a second intermediate layer. The second material is different from the first material. The second intermediate layer is provided between the second magnetic layer and the second opposing magnetic layer.

Claims

1. A sensor, comprising:

a film portion, the film portion being deformable;

a first sensing element fixed to the film portion, the first sensing element including a first magnetic layer of a first material, a first opposing magnetic layer, and a first intermediate layer, the first intermediate layer being provided between the first magnetic layer and the first opposing magnetic layer; and

a second sensing element fixed to the film portion, the second sensing element including a second magnetic layer of a second material, a second opposing magnetic layer, and a second intermediate layer, the second material being different from the first material, the second intermediate layer being provided between the second magnetic layer and the second opposing magnetic layer.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a gauge factor of the first sensing element is different from a gauge factor of the second sensing element.

3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a sensitivity of the first sensing element is different from a sensitivity of the second sensing element.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first magnetic layer includes at least one of Fe, Co, or Ni with a first concentration, and

the second magnetic layer includes the at least one of Fe, Co, or Ni with a second concentration different from the first concentration.

5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first magnetic layer includes Fe,

the second magnetic layer includes Fe, and

a concentration of Fe in the second magnetic layer is different from a concentration of Fe in the first magnetic layer.

6. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first magnetic layer includes at least one of Fe, Co, or Ni, and B,

the second magnetic layer includes at least one of Fe, Co, or Ni, and B, and

a concentration of B in the second magnetic layer is lower than a concentration of B in the first magnetic layer.

7. The sensor according to claim 5, wherein

the first magnetic layer includes an amorphous region, and

the second magnetic layer includes a crystal region.

8. The sensor according to claim 7, wherein

a concentration of the amorphous region in the first magnetic layer is higher than a concentration of the crystal region in the first magnetic layer.

9. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein

a concentration of the crystal region in the second magnetic layer is higher than a concentration of the amorphous region in the second magnetic layer.

10. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

a composition ratio of Fe of the first magnetic layer is not less than 60 at. % and not more than 100 at. %, and

a composition ratio of Fe of the second magnetic layer is not less than 0 at. % but less than 60 at. %.

11. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

a composition ratio of B of the first magnetic layer is not less than 10 at. % and not more than 30 at. %, and

a composition ratio of B of the second magnetic layer is not less than 0 at. % but less than 10 at. %.

12. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

a first magnetization of the first magnetic layer changes according to a deformation of the film portion, and

a second magnetization of the second magnetic layer changes according to the deformation of the film portion.

13. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a resistance between the first magnetic layer and the first opposing magnetic layer changes according to a deformation of the film portion.

14. The sensor according to claim 13, wherein a sensitivity of the resistance between the first magnetic layer and the first opposing magnetic layer with respect to the deformation is higher than a sensitivity of the resistance between the second magnetic layer and the second opposing magnetic layer with respect to the deformation.

15. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first sensing element is most proximal to a first portion of an outer edge of the film portion,

the second sensing element is most proximal to a second portion of the outer edge, and

a difference between a first spacing and a second spacing is not more than 0.2 times the first spacing, the first spacing being between the first sensing element and the first portion, the second spacing being between the second sensing element and the second portion.

16. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a processor connected to the first sensing element and the second sensing element,

the processor implementing a first operation and a second operation, the first operation outputting a first output signal corresponding to a first signal obtained from the first sensing element, the second operation outputting a second output signal corresponding to a second signal obtained from the second sensing element.

17. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate; and

a cover,

the film portion, first sensing element, and the second sensing element being provided between the substrate and the cover.

18. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second sensing element overlaps the first sensing element in a direction from the film portion toward the first sensing element.

19. A sensor, comprising:

a film portion, the film portion being deformable;

a first sensing element fixed to the film portion, the first sensing element including a first magnetic layer, a first opposing magnetic layer, and a first intermediate layer, the first intermediate layer being provided between the first magnetic layer and the first opposing magnetic layer;

a second sensing element fixed to the film portion, the second sensing element including a second magnetic layer, a second opposing magnetic layer, and a second intermediate layer, the second intermediate layer being provided between the second magnetic layer and the second opposing magnetic layer; and

a processor connected to the first sensing element and the second sensing element, the processor implementing a first operation and a second operation, the first operation outputting a first output signal corresponding to a first signal obtained from the first sensing element, the second operation outputting a second output signal corresponding to a second signal obtained from the second sensing element.

20. The sensor according to claim 19, wherein the processor implements the first operation when a first amplitude of the first signal is wider than a second amplitude of the second signal and implements the second operation when the second amplitude is wider than the first amplitude.