Nitta Corporation

Other

Wacoh Corporation

Wacoh Corporaton

Hideo Morimoto

Kazuhiro Okada

Nobumitsu Taniguchi

Tomohiro Agaya

A plate memberhaving flexible portions; plate memberstohaving openings corresponding to the flexible portions of the plate member; a plate memberhaving flexible portions; and plate memberstohaving openings corresponding to the flexible portions of the plate memberare formed by etching. The plate memberstoandtoare bonded by diffusion bonding process to make first and second flangesand. Interconnecting shafts are formed by cutting. The first and second flangesandand the interconnecting shafts are bonded by diffusion bonding process to make a strain generation unit. Strain gauges are attached to the lower face of the strain generation unit. A stain gauge type sensoris thus made.

Sensor and manufacturing method thereof

A capacitance type sensor good in operability and less in erroneous operation is provided. Switches SW-SWare formed between a displacement electrodeand switch electrodes E-Ekept at a predetermined potential and grounded switch electrodes E-E. Switches SW-SWand SW-SWare connected to respective capacitance electrodes E-Ethat cooperate with the displacement electrodeto form capacitance elements. A decision circuit judges states of the switches SW-SW. When at least one of the switches SW-SWis off, an X-axial output is calculated based on the capacitance values of the capacitance elements Cand C, and a Y-axial output is calculated based on the capacitance values of the capacitance elements Cand C. When any of the switches SW-SWis on, a Z-axial output is calculated based on the sum of the capacitance values of the capacitance elements Cto C

Capacitance type sensor

A capacitance type sensor good in operability and less in erroneous operation is provided. Switches SWto SWare formed between a displacement electrodeand switch electrodes Eto Ekept at a predetermined potential and grounded switch electrodes Eto E. Switches SWto SWare connected to respective capacitance electrodes Eto Ethat cooperate with the displacement electrodeto form capacitance elements. A decision circuit judges states of the switches SWto SW. When at least one of the switches SWto SWis off, periodic signals are input only to the capacitance electrodes Eto Ecorresponding to X- and Y-axial directions. When any of the switches SWto SWis on, a periodic signal is input only to the capacitance electrode Ecorresponding to a Z-axial direction.

A force measuring apparatus includes first fixed electrodes disposed in one direction in one plane so as to be distant from each other; second fixed electrodes disposed in the one direction in a plane opposed to the one plane, so as to be distant from each other and opposed to the respective first fixed electrodes; and movable electrodes movable in the one direction. The apparatus further includes a force receiving portion to receive an external force and thereby move the movable electrodes in the one direction so as to change the overlapped area between each first fixed electrode and the corresponding movable electrode and the overlapped area between each second fixed electrode and the corresponding movable electrode. The apparatus measures the magnitude of the force applied to the force receiving portion based on the changes in the capacitance values of the capacitance elements.

Force measuring apparatus

In a sensor sheet, first electrodes () each covered with a pressure-sensitive resistive member and second electrodes () each covered with a pressure-sensitive resistive member are disposed to extend perpendicularly to each other in a plan view. A core member () made of a hard material is disposed over four detection regions where the first electrodes () and the second electrodes () overlap each other in a plan view. X-, Y-, and Z-axial components (Fx, Fy, Fz) of a force (F) externally applied to the sensor sheet () are detected on the basis of changes in the contact resistance values (R, R, R, R) corresponding the four detection regions over which one core member () is disposed.

Sensor sheet

Cost is reduced by simplifying the wiring while reducing power consumption. A multi-axis sensor unit () for measuring any one or more of multi-axis force, moment, acceleration and angular acceleration applied externally, comprising eight strain gauges (R-R) arranged on one plane, and one bridge circuit () formed by interlinking the strain gauges (R-R). As compared with a conventional multi-axis sensor unit, power consumption is reduced by decreasing the number of bridge circuits () and the strain gauges (R-R), and production cost is lowered by simplifying the wiring.

Multiaxial sensor

A strain gauge type sensor and a strain gauge type sensor unit using the sensor are improved in sensitivity. In a strain gauge type sensorfor measuring at least one of multiaxial force, moment, acceleration, and angular acceleration, externally applied, diaphragmsanddifferent in thickness are formed at inner and outer edges of a substantially disk-shaped interconnecting portioninterconnecting a vicinity of an upper end of a force receiving portion 11 and a fixed portiondisposed around the force receiving portion. The thicknesses of the diaphragmsandare determined such that strains at intersections of a straight line extending through an origin O with the diaphragmsandare equal to each other. Strain gauges are disposed at the intersections of the straight line extending through the origin O with the diaphragmsand

Strain gauge type sensor and strain gauge type sensor unit using the same

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a capacitance type sensor comprising an insert molding process for insert-molding, with an insulating material, a part of a lead wire of a leadframe and a range of the leadframe including the capacitance element electrode, the leadframe being formed by integrally forming with a frame the capacitance element electrode and the lead wire thereof in a predetermined pattern. The method comprises a cutting process for cutting the lead wire of the capacitance element electrode off the frame. It further comprises a conductive member arranging process for arranging, to a mold product obtained by the insert molding process, the conductive member at a distance from the capacitance element electrode. Also included is a movable electrode arranging process for arranging, to the mold product, the movable electrode to be in contact with the lead wire of the movable electrode at a distance from the conductive member.

Method for manufacturing a capacitance type sensor with a movable electrode

A capacitance type sensor includes a substrate, a group of electrodes fixed on an upper face of the substrate, a movable electrode plate having an electrode on its lower side and a gap between the group of fixed electrodes on the substrate and the electrode on the movable electrode plate. The gap is formed with a solder layer, a conductive elastomer layer, a conductive paint layer, or a conductive adhesive material layer provided on the substrate. The electrode on the movable electrode plate is made of conductive rubber plate or conductive elastomer plate.

A displacement electrode cooperates with four switch electrodes on a substrate to form respective switches SWto SW. When all of the switches SWto SWare on, no X- and Y-axial outputs are activated and only a Z-axial output is activated. On the other hand, when at least one of the switches SWto SWis off, no Z-axial output is activated and only X- and Y-axial outputs are activated.

A sensor strain causer can be made into a simple shape, and the attachment work for strain gauges is made easy. In a multiaxial sensorfor measuring one or more of multiaxial force, moment, acceleration, and angular acceleration, externally applied, a plurality of strain gauges Rto Rdisposed on one plane are provided. Thereby, because the time for the attachment work for the strain gauges Rto Rcan be shortened, the mass productivity can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

Six-axis sensor

Switches SWto SWand variable resistors are formed so as to overlap each other at positions corresponding to the X-axial positive direction, the X-axial negative direction, the Y-axial positive direction, and the Y-axial negative direction, respectively. When at least one of the switches SWto SWis off, no Z-axial output is activated and only X- and Y-axial outputs are activated. On the other hand, when any of the switches SWto SWis on, no X- and Y-axial outputs are activated and only a Z-axial output is activated.

Resistance type sensor

In a sensor sheet of the present invention, a large number of sensor cells, each having capacitance element electrodes corresponding to an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction and a Z-axis direction and a displacement electrode arranged to form capacitance elements between the capacitance element electrodes and the displacement electrode, are arranged in matrix. This arrangement enables measurement of a distribution of three-dimensional components of the force applied from outside over the overall sensor sheet on the basis of the components of force detected in each of the large number of sensor cells.

Capacitance element electrodes (Eto E) and a grounded reference electrode (E) are formed on a substrate (). A displacement electrode () that is Z-axially displaced in accordance with a Z-axial movement of a detective member () externally operated, is disposed so as to be opposed to the above electrodes (Eto E). The displacement electrode () cooperates with the reference electrode (E) and the capacitance element electrodes (Eto E) to form capacitance elements (Cto C), respectively. Each of the capacitance elements (Cto C) is connected to the capacitance element (C) in series in relation to an externally input signal. Changes in the capacitance values of the capacitance elements (Cto C) when the detective member () is moved, is detected by a signal processing circuit having hysteretic characteristics. Thereby, the displacement of the detective member () is detected.

Capacitance type force sensors

In a resistance type sensor of the present invention, a sensor unit having variable contact resistances and a wakeup switch formed in two layers is produced by folding a FPC forming thereon pressure-sensitive resistive inks, a displacement electrode connected to ground, and a displacement electrode held at a power-supply voltage Vcc. Accordingly, whenever operation is applied to an operating button, the displacement electrode and the displacement electrode are reliably contacted with each other, first, and, then, resistance values of the variable contact resistances are changed while the displacement electrodes are kept in their contacted state. This enables the operation applied to the operating button to be detected reliably.

Growing community of inventors

Yamatokooriyama, Japan

Hideo Morimoto