Cylindrical capacitive force sensing device and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a capacitor having an upper conductive surface and a lower conductive surface parallel to the upper conductive surface;
a cylindrical housing with a cover plate to encompass the capacitor; and
a sensor in the cylindrical housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the upper conductive surface and the lower conductive surface when the cover plate is deflected by a load applied on the cover plate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Cylindrical capacitance force sensing device/method is disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a capacitor having two parallel conductive surfaces, a cylindrical housing with a cover plate to encompass the capacitor, and a sensor in the cylindrical housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the two conductive surfaces when the cover plate is deflected by a load applied on the cover plate. In another embodiment, a method may include applying a load on top of a housing which encompasses a capacitive sensor having two parallel conductive surfaces to produce a deflection of a cover plate of the housing, automatically generating a measurement from the capacitive sensor when a distance between the two parallel conductive surfaces is charged due to the deflection of the cover plate, and decreasing an error in the measurement via stabilizing to a mounting surface.
89 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a capacitor having an upper conductive surface and a lower conductive surface parallel to the upper conductive surface; a cylindrical housing with a cover plate to encompass the capacitor; and a sensor in the cylindrical housing to generate a measurement based on a change in a distance between the upper conductive surface and the lower conductive surface when the cover plate is deflected by a load applied on the cover plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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- 7. The apparatus of claim I further comprising forming a groove on at least one side of the cover plate to substantially confine a deflection of the cover plate in the groove.
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14. A method, comprising:
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applying a load on top of a housing which encompasses a capacitive sensor having two parallel conductive surfaces to produce a deflection of a cover plate of the housing; automatically generating a measurement from the capacitive sensor when a distance between the two parallel conductive surfaces is changed due to the deflection of the cover plate; and decreasing an error in the measurement via stabilizing the housing to a mounting surface. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification