Sensing system including a sensing membrane

• US 9,857,246 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensable Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Sensable Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Bowden, Anton E., Fullwood, David T., Baradoy, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tran M
• Application Number:
  US14/856,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20160076954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/18 using change in resistance
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/18 using properties of piezo-resistive materials, i.e. materials of which the ohmic resistance varies according to changes in magnitude or direction of force applied to the material

Abstract

In one general aspect, an apparatus can include a sensing membrane including a plurality of conductive fillers included in a matrix. The apparatus can include a plurality of electrical leads coupled to an outer portion of the sensing membrane where the conductive fillers have a volumetric percentage of less than 25% of the volume of the sensing membrane.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensing structure including a plurality of conductive fillers included in a matrix; and

a plurality of electrical leads coupled to a portion of the sensing structure, the conductive fillers having a volumetric percentage of less than 25% of a volume of the sensing structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate;

the sensing structure being coupled to the substrate such that a combination of the substrate and the sensing structure has a mechanical property that is different than a mechanical property of the sensing structure alone without modifying an electrical property of the sensing structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portion can include an outer portion of the sensing structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical leads includes an even number of electrical leads or an odd number of electrical leads.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical leads includes at least three electrical leads.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing structure has a piezoresistive effect.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a computing device configured to identify at least one of a value of an electrical property or a location of a deformation of the sensing structure via the plurality of electrical leads.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the location includes a coordinate location.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing structure includes a sensing membrane.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive fillers include conductive nanoparticles, the matrix includes an insulating material.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensing structure including a plurality of conductive fillers included in a matrix; and

a plurality of electrical leads coupled to a portion of the sensing structure, the sensing structure having a negative piezoresistive effect, the conductive fillers having a volumetric percentage of less than 25% of a volume of the sensing structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a substrate;

the sensing structure being coupled to the substrate such that a combination of the substrate and the sensing structure has a mechanical property that is different than a mechanical property of the sensing structure alone without modifying an electrical property of the sensing structure.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sensing structure includes a sensing membrane.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a computing device configured to identify a location of a deformation of the sensing structure via the plurality of electrical leads.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensing membrane including a plurality of conductive fillers included in a matrix; and

a plurality of electrical leads coupled to a portion of the sensing membrane, the sensing membrane having a thickness less than a width of the sensing membrane, the conductive fillers having a volumetric percentage of less than 25% of a volume of the sensing membrane.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the thickness of the sensing membrane is sufficiently thin to avoid Poisson effects.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the portion can include an outer portion of the sensing membrane.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a computing device configured to identify at least one of a value of an electrical property or a location of a deformation of the sensing membrane via the plurality of electrical leads.