Surface shape measuring device

• US 9,134,211 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Cho, Young-Ho, Kim, Jae-Min, Seo, Dae-Geon
• Primary Examiner(s): FULTON, CHRISTOPHER W
• Application Number:
  US13/852,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20130255396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 737/80
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/18 using change in resistance
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/22 using change in capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/00 Measuring force or stress, in general measuring force due to impact G01L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/142 using capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/2287 constructional details of the strain gauges adjustable resistors H01C10/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/08 by applying steady tensile or compressive forces G01N3/28 takes precedence

Abstract

A surface shape measuring device includes a substrate, an electrode portion including at least one electrode pattern, the electrode pattern extending on the substrate, a coating layer on the substrate to cover the electrode pattern, and a detector electrically connected to the electrode pattern and detecting a change in a physical quantity of the electrode pattern generated by the deformation of the substrate or the coating layer by an external load applied thereto.

Claims

1. A surface shape measuring device, comprising:

a substrate having a flexible polymer material deformable by contact with an external object;

an electrode portion including at least one electrode pattern, the electrode pattern extending on the substrate and having a conductive polymer material;

a coating layer on the substrate to cover the electrode pattern and having a flexible polymer material deformable by contact with the external object; and

a detector electrically connected to the electrode pattern and configured to detect a change in a physical quantity of the electrode pattern generated by at least one of a deformation of the substrate and the coating layer by the external object applied thereto,

wherein the substrate or the coating layer has a surface roughness greater than a surface of the external object so that the surface shape measuring device makes a conformal contact with the surface of the external object, and

the detector is configured to detect the change in the physical quantity of the electrode pattern depending on a shape deformation of the surface of the external object in a state where the substrate or the coating layer is conformally attached to the external object.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrode portion comprises a first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern spaced apart from each other.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the detector is configured to detect capacitance between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the first and second electrode patterns extend in a spiral.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein a spacing distance between the first and second electrode patterns remains constant as each of the first and second electrode patterns revolves around the central point.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein a spacing distance between the first and second electrode patterns is changed as each of the first and second electrode patterns revolves around the central point.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrode pattern extends in a serpentine shape.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the detector detects a resistance of the electrode pattern.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the substrate or the coating layer further comprises a protrusion on a surface thereof to contact with the surface of the external object.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrode portion comprises a plurality of electrode patterns arranged in a matrix shape.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a calculator connected to the detector, the calculator configured to calculate a variation in a surface shape of at least one of the deformation of the substrate and the coating layer based on the detected change in the physical quantity.