Linearized capacitive pressure transducer
First Claim
1. A capacitive pressure transducer adapted to be coupled to a capacitance transducing circuit and including;
- a generally planar, electrically conductive base member supported upon a first insulative substrate;
a generally planar, electrically conductive sensor member supported upon a second insulative substrate in generally parallel, spaced relationship to said base member and coacting therewith to define a sensor capacitor;
an electrically conductive reference member disposed generally coplanar with and in electrical isolation from said sensor member and coacting with said base member to define a reference capacitor;
said sensor and reference members being configured in view of the characteristic operating equation of said transducing circuit and each having a plurality of segments interposed one with the other;
said sensor and reference capacitors having pressure-dependent capacitance values such that for discrete pressures selected within an operative range of pressures, the output signals from said transducing circuit will be substantially linear.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A capacitive pressure transducer of the deflecting diaphragm type is adapted to be coupled to a capacitance transducing circuit and includes a generally planar, electrically conductive base member support upon a first insulative substrate. A sensor member is supported upon a second insulative substrate in a generally parallel, spaced relationship from the base member and coacts with the base member to form a sensor capacitor. A reference member is generally coplanar with and in electrical isolation from the sensor member and coacts with the base member to form a reference capacitor. The sensor and reference members each have a plurality of segments interposed one with another. The sensor and reference capacitors have pressure-dependent capacitance values Cs and Cr respectively such that, for discrete pressures selected within an operative range of pressures, the output signals from the transducing circuit will be substantially linear.
A method for making such a deflecting diaphragm type capacitive pressure transducer is also disclosed.
113 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A capacitive pressure transducer adapted to be coupled to a capacitance transducing circuit and including;
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a generally planar, electrically conductive base member supported upon a first insulative substrate; a generally planar, electrically conductive sensor member supported upon a second insulative substrate in generally parallel, spaced relationship to said base member and coacting therewith to define a sensor capacitor; an electrically conductive reference member disposed generally coplanar with and in electrical isolation from said sensor member and coacting with said base member to define a reference capacitor; said sensor and reference members being configured in view of the characteristic operating equation of said transducing circuit and each having a plurality of segments interposed one with the other; said sensor and reference capacitors having pressure-dependent capacitance values such that for discrete pressures selected within an operative range of pressures, the output signals from said transducing circuit will be substantially linear. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for making a deflecting diaphragm type capacitive pressure transducer adapted to be coupled to a capacitance transducing circuit, said method including the steps of:
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providing a generally planar, electrically conductive base member supported upon a first insulative substrate; providing a second insulative substrate having a generally planar surface adapted to be disposed in a generally parallel, spaced relationship to said base member; superimposing a plurality of concentric circles upon said planar surface to define a plurality of annular rings; apportioning each of said rings into a plurality of sensor incremental areas and a plurality of reference incremental areas; providing an electrically conductive sensor member disposed in a continuum upon said sensor incremental areas and coacting with said base member to define a sensor capacitor; providing an electrically conductive reference member disposed in a continuum upon said reference incremental areas and in electrical isolation from said sensor member, said reference member coacting with said base member to define a reference capacitor; said apportioning step being performed in view of the characteristic operating equation of said transducing circuit and in a manner so that said sensor and reference capacitors have pressure dependent capacitance values such that for discrete pressures selected within an operative range of pressures, the output signals from said transducing circuit will be substantially linear. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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Specification