Pressure sensor, microphone, blood pressure sensor, and touch panel

• US 9,250,142 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukuzawa, Hideaki, Higashi, Yoshihiro, Fuji, Yoshihiko, Hara, Michiko, Hori, Akio, Kaji, Shiori, Nagata, Tomohiko, Yuzawa, Akiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Noori, Max
• Application Number:
  US14/047,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20140137668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 737/60, 737/79, 738/626.9, 73862331-862335
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0257 Microphones or microspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0086 Electrical characteristics, e.g. reducing driving voltage, improving resistance to peak voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/125 by using magnetostrictive means magnetostrictive sensors H10N35/101
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/102 involving magnetostrictive means magnetostrictive sensors H10N35/101
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a pressure sensor includes a base unit, a film unit, and a plurality of sensing elements. The plurality of sensing elements is provided on the film unit radially with respect to a centroid of the film unit. The plurality of sensing elements has a first side and a second side intersecting the first side. Each of the plurality of sensing elements includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and an intermediate layer. Each of the plurality of sensing elements has a shape anisotropy characterized by a length of the first side being longer than a length of the second side intersecting the first side. The plurality of sensing elements is provided at lines having radial configurations extending from the centroid to have a prescribed angle between the first side and the line.

Claims

1. A pressure sensor, comprising:

a base unit;

a film unit provided in the base unit, the film unit being flexible; and

a plurality of sensing elements provided on the film unit radially with respect to a centroid of the film unit, the plurality of sensing elements having a first side and a second side intersecting the first side,

each of the plurality of sensing elements including a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer provided on the film unit, and an intermediate layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer being free magnetic layers,

each of the plurality of sensing elements having a shape anisotropy characterized by a length of the first side being longer than a length of the second side,

the plurality of sensing elements being provided at lines having radial configurations extending from the centroid to have a prescribed angle between the first side and the line.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the sensing elements is provided to cause the first side to be orthogonal to a line extending radially from the centroid of the film surface.

3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the sensing elements is provided to cause the first side to be parallel to a line extending radially from the centroid of the film surface.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the sensing elements is provided at a line extending radially from the centroid of the film surface to have an angle of substantially 45 degrees between the first side and the line.

5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the sensing elements is provided to cause at least one selected from a magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer and a magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer to be orthogonal to a line extending radially from the centroid of the film surface.

6. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer is different from a magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer.

7. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of sensing elements are electrically connected in series.

8. The sensor according to claim 7, wherein a voltage not less than 1 V and not more than 10 V is applied between terminals of the sensing elements electrically connected in series.

9. The sensor according to claim 7, wherein the number of the sensing elements electrically connected in series is not less than 6 and not more than 200.

10. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the dimension of the first side is not less than 0.2 μ

m and not more than 60 μ

m.

11. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a planar configuration of each of the sensing elements is a quadrilateral.

18. A microphone comprising the sensor according to claim 1.

19. A blood pressure sensor comprising the sensor according to claim 1.

20. A touch panel comprising the sensor according to claim 1.

12. A pressure sensor, comprising:

a base unit;

a hollow portion provided in the base unit;

a film unit provided in the base unit, the film unit being flexible; and

a plurality of sensing elements provided on the film unit, the plurality of sensing elements having a first side and a second side intersecting the first side,

each of the plurality of sensing elements including a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer provided on the film unit, and an intermediate layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer being free magnetic layers,

each of the plurality of sensing elements having a shape anisotropy characterized by a length of the first side being longer than a length of the second side,

each of the plurality of sensing elements being provided along a circumferential edge of an opening of the hollow portion.

13. The sensor according to claim 12, wherein each of the sensing elements is provided to cause at least one selected from a magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer and a magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer to be orthogonal to a line extending radially from the centroid of the film surface.

14. The sensor according to claim 12, wherein a magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer is different from a magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer.

15. The sensor according to claim 12, wherein at least two of the plurality of sensing elements are electrically connected in series.

16. The sensor according to claim 15, wherein a voltage not less than 1 V and not more than 10 V is applied between terminals of the sensing elements electrically connected in series.

17. The sensor according to claim 12, wherein the dimension of the first side is not less than 0.2 μ

m and not more than 60 μ

m.