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

• US 9,791,341 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fuji, Yoshihiko, Fukuzawa, Hideaki, Hara, Michiko, Nagata, Tomohiko, Hori, Akio, Kaji, Shiori, Higashi, Yoshihiro, Yuzawa, Akiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Villaluna, Erika J
• Application Number:
  US14/469,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• 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: A61B 5/02141 Details of apparatus construction, e.g. pump units or housings therefor, cuff pressurising systems, arrangements of fluid conduits or circuits A61B5/02233, A61B5/0235 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0001 Transmitting or indicating the displacement of elastically deformable gauges by electric, electro-mechanical, magnetic or electro-magnetic means G01L9/0026, G01L9/0033, G01L9/0082, G01L9/0089, G01L9/0091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/16 by making use of variations in the magnetic properties of material resulting from the application of stress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/005 using semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a pressure sensor includes a support, a film unit supported by the support, having an upper surface, and capable of being deformed, and a first sensing element provided on the upper surface. The first sensing element includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer provided apart from the first magnetic layer and a first intermediate unit including a first intermediate layer including a portion provided between the first and second magnetic layers. The first magnetic layer extends in a first direction parallel to the upper surface, and a first major axis length of the first magnetic layer is longer than a first minor axis length. The second magnetic layer extends in a second direction parallel to the upper surface and crossing the first direction, and a second major axis length of the second magnetic layer is longer than a second minor axis length.

Claims

1. A pressure sensor comprising:

a support;

a film unit supported by the support, the film unit having an upper surface, and being deformable; and

a first sensing element provided on the upper surface,

the first sensing element including;

a first magnetic layer, a magnetization of the first magnetic layer being configured to change in accordance with a deformation of the film unit;

a second magnetic layer provided apart from the first magnetic layer in a direction crossing the upper surface; and

a first intermediate unit including a first intermediate layer including a portion provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer,

the first magnetic layer extending in a first direction parallel to the upper surface, a first major axis length of the first magnetic layer in the first direction being longer than a first minor axis length of the first magnetic layer in a second direction parallel to the upper surface and crossing the first direction, and

the second magnetic layer extending in the second direction, a second major axis length of the second magnetic layer in the second direction being longer than a second minor axis length of the second magnetic layer in the first direction.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first intermediate unit has a first intermediate unit region,

the first magnetic layer has an overlapping region where the first magnetic layer overlaps the second magnetic layer, and

an outer edge of the first intermediate unit region in a plane parallel to the upper surface is located inside an outer edge of the overlapping region in the plane.

3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first intermediate unit has a first intermediate unit region,

the first magnetic layer has an overlapping region where the first magnetic layer overlaps the second magnetic layer, and

a shape of the first intermediate unit in a plane parallel to the upper surface is same as a shape of the overlapping region in the plane.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

a shape of the first intermediate unit in a plane parallel to the upper surface is same as a shape of the first magnetic layer in the plane.

5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first intermediate unit further includes a first intermediate magnetic layer provided between the first intermediate layer and the first magnetic layer.

6. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first intermediate unit further includes a second intermediate magnetic layer provided between the first intermediate layer and the second magnetic layer.

7. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

an angle between the first direction and the second direction is not less than 60 degrees and not more than 120 degrees.

8. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

an angle between the first direction and the second direction is larger than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees.

9. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

an angle between the first direction and the second direction is larger than 90 degrees and smaller than 180 degrees.

10. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

an angle between the magnetization of the first magnetic layer and a magnetization of the second magnetic layer is not less than 80 degrees and not more than 100 degrees.

11. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

an angle between the magnetization of the first magnetic layer and a magnetization of the second magnetic layer is larger than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees.

12. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

an angle between the magnetization of the first magnetic layer and a magnetization of the second magnetic layer is larger than 90 degrees and smaller than 180 degrees.

13. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

a difference between an absolute value of a first angle and an absolute value of a second angle is 5 degrees and less,

the first angle is between a first straight line and the first direction, the first straight line passes through a centroid of the upper surface and a centroid of a region where the first magnetic layer overlaps the second magnetic layer, and

the second angle is between the first straight line and the second direction.

14. The sensor according to claim 13, wherein

the absolute value of the first angle is not less than 30 degrees and not more than 60 degrees.

15. The sensor according to claim 13, wherein

the absolute value of the first angle is not less than 45 degrees and not more than 90 degrees.

16. The sensor according to claim 13, wherein

the absolute value of the first angle is not less than 0 degrees and not more than 45 degrees.

17. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

a difference between an absolute value of a third angle and an absolute value of a fourth angle is 5 degrees or less,

the third angle is between a second straight line and the first direction, the second straight line connects by a shortest distance an outer edge of the upper surface and a centroid of a region where the first magnetic layer overlaps the second magnetic layer, and

the fourth angle is between the second straight line and the second direction.

18. The sensor according to claim 17, wherein

the absolute value of the third angle is not less than 30 degrees and not more than 60 degrees.

19. The sensor according to claim 17, wherein

the absolute value of the third angle is not less than 45 degrees and not more than 90 degrees.

20. The sensor according to claim 17, wherein

the absolute value of the third angle is not less than 0 degrees and not more than 45 degrees.

21. The sensor according to claim 1,

further comprising a second sensing element provided on the upper surface,

a centroid of the film unit being disposed between the first sensing element and the second sensing element,

the second sensing element including:

a third magnetic layer, a magnetization of third magnetic layer being configured to change in accordance with the deformation of the film unit;

a fourth magnetic layer provided apart from the third magnetic layer in the direction crossing the upper surface; and

a second intermediate unit including a second intermediate layer including a portion provided between the third magnetic layer and the fourth magnetic layer,

the third magnetic layer extending in a third direction parallel to the upper surface, a third major axis length of the third magnetic layer in the third direction being longer than a third minor axis length of the third magnetic layer in a fourth direction parallel to the upper surface and crossing the third direction, and

the fourth magnetic layer extending in the fourth direction, a fourth major axis length of the fourth magnetic layer in the fourth direction being longer than a fourth minor axis length of the fourth magnetic layer in the third direction.

22. The sensor according to claim 21, wherein

the first magnetic layer has a first overlapping region where the first magnetic layer overlaps the second magnetic layer,

the third magnetic layer has a second overlapping region where the third magnetic layer overlaps the fourth magnetic layer,

a difference between an absolute value of a first angle and an absolute value of a fifth angle is 5 degrees or less,

the first angle is between a first straight line and the first direction, the first straight line passes through a centroid of the upper surface and a centroid of the first overlapping region, and

the fifth angle is between a third straight line and the third direction, the third straight line passes through the centroid of the upper surface and a centroid of the second overlapping region.

23. The sensor according to claim 21, wherein

the first magnetic layer has a first overlapping region where the first magnetic layer overlaps second magnetic layer,

the third magnetic layer has a second overlapping region where the third magnetic layer overlaps the fourth magnetic layer,

a difference between an absolute value of a third angle and an absolute value of a sixth angle is 5 degrees or less,

the third angle is between a second straight line and the first direction, the second straight line connects an outer edge of the upper surface and a centroid of the first overlapping region by a shortest distance, and

the sixth angle is between a fourth straight line and the third direction, the fourth straight line connects an outer edge of the upper surface and a centroid of the second overlapping region by a shortest distance.

24. The sensor according to claim 21, further comprising a third sensing element provided on the upper surface and a fourth sensing element provided on the upper surface,

the centroid of the film unit being disposed between the third sensing element and the fourth sensing element,

a direction from the third sensing element toward the fourth sensing element crossing a direction from the first sensing element toward the second sensing element,

the third sensing element including:

a fifth magnetic layer, a magnetization of the fifth magnetic layer being configured to change in accordance with the deformation of the film unit;

a sixth magnetic layer provided apart from the fifth magnetic layer in the direction crossing the upper surface; and

a third intermediate unit including a third intermediate layer including a portion provided between the fifth magnetic layer and the sixth magnetic layer,

the fifth magnetic layer extending in a fifth direction parallel to the upper surface, a fifth major axis length of the fifth magnetic layer in the fifth direction being longer than a fifth minor axis length of the fifth magnetic layer in a sixth direction parallel to the upper surface and crossing the fifth direction,

the sixth magnetic layer extending in the sixth direction, a sixth major axis length of the sixth magnetic layer in the sixth direction being longer than a sixth minor axis length of the sixth magnetic layer in the fifth direction,

the fourth sensing element including;

a seventh magnetic layer, a magnetization of the seventh magnetic layer being configured to change in accordance with the deformation of the film unit;

an eighth magnetic layer provided apart from the seventh magnetic layer in the direction crossing the upper surface; and

a fourth intermediate unit including a fourth intermediate layer including a portion provided between the seventh magnetic layer and the eighth magnetic layer,

the seventh magnetic layer extending in a seventh direction parallel to the upper surface, a seventh major axis length of the seventh magnetic layer in the seventh direction being longer than a seventh minor axis length of the seventh magnetic layer in an eighth direction parallel to the upper surface and crossing the seventh direction, and

the eighth magnetic layer extending in the eighth direction, an eighth major axis length of the eighth magnetic layer in the eighth direction being longer than an eighth minor axis length of the eighth magnetic layer in the seventh direction.

25. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first sensing element is provided in a plurality, and the first sensing elements are provided on the upper surface.

26. The sensor according to claim 25, wherein at least two of the first sensing elements are electrically connected in series.

27. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first major axis length is not less than 0.1 micrometers and not more than 60 micrometers and

the second major axis length is not less than 0.1 micrometers and not more than 60 micrometers.

28. A microphone comprising the pressure sensor according to claim 1.

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

30. A touch panel comprising the pressure sensor according to claim 1.