SUSPENDED MEMBRANE PRESSURE SENSING ARRAY
First Claim
1. An apparatus for capacitively sensing force or pressure, the apparatus comprising:
- a substrate;
a plurality of elongated substrate electrodes disposed at the substrate;
a membrane configured to deflect in response to force or pressure applied to the membrane;
a plurality of elongated membrane electrodes disposed at the membrane, wherein each of at least two of the plurality of membrane electrodes intersects each of at least two of the plurality of substrate electrodes forming a multi-dimensional array of capacitive elements having a capacitive element at each intersection; and
a plurality of separators fixedly connected with the substrate and separating the substrate and the membrane, thereby forming a plurality of sensor regions of the apparatus with sensor regions positioned between adjacent separators of the plurality of separators each including at least one capacitive element; and
wherein a membrane portion of each sensor region is mechanically decoupled from a membrane portion of each adjacent sensor region.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An accurate and low cost macro pressure sensor is described. The pressure sensor includes an array of capacitive sensing elements formed at the intersections of sets of conductors. A lower set of conductors is supported by a substrate and an upper set of conductors is supported on a flexible polymer membrane. Capacitive sensing elements are formed where a conductor in the upper set overlaps a spacer in the lower set. Separators hold the membrane away from the substrate with a separation that, because of deflection of the membrane, varies in relation to the pressure applied to the membrane. As a result, the separation of conductors, and therefore capacitance, in each cell varies in response to the applied pressure. By attaching the membrane to the separators and optionally using slits in the membrane between capacitive sensing elements, measurements made in each capacitive sensing element can be mechanically decoupled.
52 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus for capacitively sensing force or pressure, the apparatus comprising:
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a substrate; a plurality of elongated substrate electrodes disposed at the substrate; a membrane configured to deflect in response to force or pressure applied to the membrane; a plurality of elongated membrane electrodes disposed at the membrane, wherein each of at least two of the plurality of membrane electrodes intersects each of at least two of the plurality of substrate electrodes forming a multi-dimensional array of capacitive elements having a capacitive element at each intersection; and a plurality of separators fixedly connected with the substrate and separating the substrate and the membrane, thereby forming a plurality of sensor regions of the apparatus with sensor regions positioned between adjacent separators of the plurality of separators each including at least one capacitive element; and wherein a membrane portion of each sensor region is mechanically decoupled from a membrane portion of each adjacent sensor region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification