Capacitive type humidity sensor

• US 7,387,024 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yokura, Hisanori, Itakura, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Larkin; Daniel S
• Application Number:
  US11/061,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20050188764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 733/350.4, 73/290.1, 73/290.2
• US Class Current: 73/335.04
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/223 for determining moisture content, e.g. humidity rain detectors on vehicle windows B60S1/0825

Abstract

A capacitive type humidity sensor includes: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of humidity devices having a capacitance variable in accordance with a humidity; a standard capacitance device having a standard capacitance, a capacitance change of which in accordance with the humidity is smaller than that of the capacitance of each humidity device; and a CV converter circuit for converting a capacitance difference between the capacitance of each humidity device and the standard capacitance of the standard capacitance device to a signal voltage. The humidity devices, the standard capacitance device and the CV converter circuit are disposed on one side of the substrate.

Claims

1. A capacitive type humidity sensor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a plurality of humidity devices having a capacitance variable in accordance with a humidity;

a plurality of standard capacitance devices having a standard capacitance, a capacitance change of which in accordance with the humidity is smaller than that of the capacitance of each humidity device;

a CV converter circuit for converting a capacitance difference between the capacitance of each humidity device and the standard capacitance of a corresponding one of the plurality of standard capacitance devices to a signal voltage; and

a casing configured to receive the semiconductor substrate, the plurality of humidity devices, the plurality of standard capacitance devices, and the CV control circuit, wherein

the plurality of humidity devices, the plurality of standard capacitance devices and the CV converter circuit are disposed on one side of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the substrate;

the casing includes at least one separation wall, which is placed on the one side of the substrate to partition an interior of the casing into a plurality of chambers;

each humidity device and the corresponding one of the plurality of standard capacitance devices are received in a corresponding one of the plurality of chambers; and

the plurality of humidity devices and the plurality of standard capacitance devices are configured to be operated to simultaneously measure the humidity of gas introduced into each of the plurality of chambers.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the standard capacitance of each of the standard capacitance devices is constant without depending on the humidity.

3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the humidity devices share the CV converter circuit commonly.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the substrate includes a separation region for separating the humidity devices, and

the separation region of the substrate has no electric part except for a wiring thereon.

5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the humidity devices are disposed on the substrate to sandwich the CV converter circuit.

6. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the CV converter circuit is disposed on a center of the substrate, and

the humidity devices are disposed on the substrate symmetrically with respect to a center of the substrate.

7. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of humidity devices includes two humidity devices, and

the substrate has a rectangular shape, wherein the

the two humidity devices are disposed at two ends, respectively, of the substrate, where the two ends are opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction of the substrate.

8. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the humidity devices are comb-teeth electrode capacitance devices each having a pair of comb-teeth electrodes,

the comb-teeth electrodes are disposed on the substrate to face and to engage each other,

the humidity devices each include a moisture sensitive film disposed on the substrate to cover the comb-teeth electrodes, and

the moisture sensitive films have a dielectric constant variable in accordance with the humidity.

9. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein

each of the standard capacitance devices is a comb-teeth electrode capacitance device having a pair of comb-teeth electrodes, and

the comb-teeth electrodes are disposed on the substrate to face and to engage each other.

10. The sensor according to claim 9, wherein

each of the standard capacitance devices has a distance between the comb-teeth electrodes,

each of the humidity devices has a distance between the comb-teeth electrodes, and

the distance of each of the standard capacitance devices is narrower than that of a corresponding one of the plurality of humidity devices.

11. The sensor according to claim 9, wherein

the comb-teeth electrode of each of the standard capacitance devices has a height in a vertical direction perpendicular to the substrate,

the comb-teeth electrode of each of the humidity devices has a height in the vertical direction perpendicular to the substrate, and

the height of the comb-teeth electrode of the standard capacitance device is higher than that of the humidity device.