Systems and methods for sensing position and movement
First Claim
1. A sensor system for detecting the position and movement of an object, the system comprising:
- means for producing an electric field which emanates from the object;
a field-effect transistor positioned in the vicinity of the object so as to be located directly within said electric field, the field-effect transistor having a source region, a drain region, and a channel region, the source and drain regions being separated by the channel region; and
means for detecting variations caused by said electric field in the conductivity of the channel region of the field-effect transistor, whereby information about the position and movement of the object relative to the channel region of the field-effect transistor can be obtained.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Sensor systems and methods for detecting the position and/or movement of an object in multiple degrees of freedom. The sensor system of the present invention comprises at least one field-effect transistor (FET), the geometrical configuration of the FET being selected so as to provide the desired sensitivity. The FET is preferably provided with a conductive gate adjacent to but insulated from the channel region of the FET. An object whose position and/or movement is to be detected is prepared such that an electric field emanates from the object.
The FET is brought into the vicinity of the object, and the electric field emanating from the object interacts with the gate and/or channel region of the FET so as to modify the magnitude of the electrical current flowing through the channel region. The current through the channel region is detected and is used to obtain information about the position and movement of the object relative to the channel region of the FET. By positioning a plurality of substantially coplanar FETs in the vicinity of the object, the position and/or movement of the object in any desired number of degrees of freedom can be detected and monitored.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A sensor system for detecting the position and movement of an object, the system comprising:
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means for producing an electric field which emanates from the object; a field-effect transistor positioned in the vicinity of the object so as to be located directly within said electric field, the field-effect transistor having a source region, a drain region, and a channel region, the source and drain regions being separated by the channel region; and means for detecting variations caused by said electric field in the conductivity of the channel region of the field-effect transistor, whereby information about the position and movement of the object relative to the channel region of the field-effect transistor can be obtained. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A sensor system for detecting the position and movement of an object, the system comprising:
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means for forming at least one bounded region having a non-zero net electrical charge, said bounded region being configured and positioned so as to produce a non-uniform electric field which emanates from the object; at least one field-effect transistor positioned in the vicinity of the object, each field-effect transistor having a source region, a drain region, and a channel region, the source and drain regions being separated by the channel region, each field-effect transistor also comprising a conductive gate positioned adjacent to but electrically insulated from the channel region of the field-effect transistor; and means for detecting variations caused by said electric field in the conductivity of the channel region of each field-effect transistor, whereby information about the position and movement of the object relative to the channel region of each field-effect transistor can be obtained. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A sensor system, comprising:
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an object which comprises at least one electret having a substantially constant, non-zero net electrical charge, the electret being configured and positioned so as to produce a non-uniform electric field around the object; a plurality of field-effect transistors positioned in the vicinity of the object so as to be located directly within said electric field, the field-effect transistors being substantially coplanar and each field-effect transistor having a source region, a drain region, and a channel region, the source and drain regions being separated by the channel region, each field-effect transistor also comprising a conductive gate positioned adjacent to but electrically insulated from the channel region of the field-effect transistor, the conductive gate being substantially completely surrounded by an insulating material; and means for detecting variations caused by said electric field in the conductivity of the channel region of each field-effect transistor, whereby the position and movement of the object can be determined. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for sensing the position and movement of an object, the method comprising the steps of:
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preparing the object such that an electric field emanates from the object; positioning at least one field-effect transistor in the vicinity of the object, the field-effect transistor having a source region, a drain region, and a channel region, the source and drain regions being separated by the channel region; establishing an electrical voltage difference between the source region and drain region of the field-effect transistor; and detecting variations caused by said electric field in the conductivity of the channel region of the field-effect transistor, whereby information about the position and movement of the object relative to the channel region of the field-effect transistor can be obtained. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification