Measuring pressure exerted by a rigid surface
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for sensing the pressure produced by rigid or semi-rigid surface comprising:
- a substrate;
one or more pressure sensors having a first surface secured to the substrate and a second surface including a sensing element; and
at least one planar elastomeric layer having a third surface covering the second surface of the pressure sensor and a fourth surface for receiving a force resulting from said rigid or semi-rigid surface and transferring the force from the fourth surface of the elastomeric layer to the sensing element of the pressure sensor.
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Abstract
A means to accurately measure the pressure distribution across a rigid or semi-rigid surface, or between two rigid or semi-rigid surfaces with high special resolution is disclosed. The present invention relates to measuring a pressure distribution. The present invention would be ideal for use in various types of manufacturing tooling and various in situ industrial machine controls. The present invention uses an array of commercial micro-machined silicon pressure sensing die attached to a substrate and encapsulated in an elastomer.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for sensing the pressure produced by rigid or semi-rigid surface comprising:
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a substrate;
one or more pressure sensors having a first surface secured to the substrate and a second surface including a sensing element; and
at least one planar elastomeric layer having a third surface covering the second surface of the pressure sensor and a fourth surface for receiving a force resulting from said rigid or semi-rigid surface and transferring the force from the fourth surface of the elastomeric layer to the sensing element of the pressure sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of manufacturing an apparatus for sensing the pressure produced by a rigid or semi-rigid surface comprising:
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securing a first portion of one or more pressure sensors to a substrate, each pressure sensor including an upper surface having a sensing element; and
covering the upper surface of each pressure sensor with an elastomeric layer so that a force applied to the elastomeric layer by said rigid or semi-rigid surface is transferred through the elastomeric layer to the sensing element of each pressure sensor. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A method of measuring the pressure exerted by a rigid or semi-rigid surface comprising:
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transferring a force exerted by said rigid or semi-rigid surface through a planar elastomeric layer to a sensing element on an upper surface of one or more pressure sensors that are covered by the planar elastomeric layer; and
producing an electric signal corresponding to the force transferred to the sensing element. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for sensing the pressure produced by a rigid or semi-rigid surface comprising:
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a pressure sensor having a bottom surface and top surface, the top surface including a sensing element;
means for supporting the pressure sensor secured to the bottom surface; and
means for receiving said rigid or semi-rigid surface and transferring a force to the sensing element of the pleasure sensor while an applied force resulting from the rigid or semi-rigid surface is spread out over an area at least as large as the top surface of the pressure sensor. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification