Distributed pressure sensor and method for manufacturing the same

• US 5,799,533 A
• Filed: 03/27/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Director-General of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan (Government of Japan)
• Original Assignee: Director-General of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan (Government of Japan)
• Inventors: Seki, Yoshikazu, Sato, Sigeru, Shimojo, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Diego F. F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WORTH, WILLIE M
• Application Number:
  US08/622,151
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 73/172, 73/862.68, 128/779, 338/99, 338/204, 338/208, 338/47, 338/114, 600/592, 600/595, 433/68, 324/699, 324/716
• US Class Current: 73/172
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 10/10 adjustable by mechanical pressure or force

Abstract

A distributed pressure sensor is constructed such that a wire-like electrode member is arranged in the vertical (row) direction so that electrode surfaces alternately appear on the surface and the rear surface of a sheet-shaped pressure sensitive electrically conductive material, and moreover, a wire-like electrode is arranged also in the lateral (line) direction at right angles to the vertical (row) direction, and intersections defined by the electrode members arranged in the vertical direction and the lateral direction are located such that the pressure sensitive electrically conductive material is sandwiched from both the surfaces. The distributed pressure sensor has high flexibility and exhibits improved durability to repeated bending.

Claims

1. A distributed pressure sensor comprising:

a sheet-shaped substrate comprising an electrically conductive material whose electric resistance varies in response to pressure exerted thereon;

a first electrode member provided on said substrate, said first electrode member being linear and appearing reciprocating and alternately on opposite surfaces of said substrate at a predetermined interval;

a second electrode member provided on said substrate, said second electrode member being linear and appearing reciprocating and alternately on said opposite surfaces of said substrate at a predetermined interval at right angles to said first electrode member;

said first and second electrode members intersecting each other in an imaginary projected plan view;

wherein a portion of said first electrode member and a portion of said second electrode member sandwiching said substrate at each intersection in said imaginary projected plan view between said first and second electrode members to define intersection portions.

2. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second linear electrode members are sewn to said substrate.

3. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second linear electrode members each comprises a plurality of electrodes arranged equidistantly in the form of a matrix.

4. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate is provided with a plurality of cuts in said opposite surfaces.

5. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of said first and second electrode members are arranged in said cut.

6. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one of the first and second electrode members is embedded in said cut.

7. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressure sensitive conductive material comprises carbon particles.

8. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second electrode members comprises braided fine wires.

9. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second linear electrode members comprises a copper wire plated with a metal selected from the group consisting of gold and silver.

10. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first and second linear electrode members each comprises a plurality of electrodes arranged equidistantly in the form of a matrix.

11. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said substrate is provided with a plurality of cuts in said opposite surfaces.

12. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of said first and second electrode members are arranged in said cut.

13. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 12, wherein said at least one of the first and second electrode members is embedded in said cut.

14. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pressure sensitive conductive material comprises carbon particles.

15. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of said first and second electrode members comprises braided fine wires.

16. The distributed pressure sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of said first and second linear electrode members comprises a copper wire plated with a metal selected from the group consisting of gold and silver.

17. A method for manufacturing a distributed pressure sensor, comprising the steps of:

providing a sheet-shaped substrate comprising an electrically conductive material whose electric resistance varies in response to pressure exerted thereon;

sewing said substrate with a first linear conductor so that said conductor partly appearing reciprocating and alternately on opposite surfaces of said substrate at a predetermined interval; and

sewing said substrate with a second linear conductor so that said conductor partly appearing reciprocating and alternately on said opposite surfaces of said substrate at a predetermined interval at right angles to said first electrode member.