Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Kazuyoshi Kawaguchi

Kouji Tsukada

Yutaka Nonomura

Yoshiteru Omura

Takeshi Morikawa

Masaharu Takeuchi

Susumu Sugiyama

Masayuki Matsui

Sadayuki Hayashi

Sanae Tokumitsu

the present invention provides a force transducer having high compression fracture strength and high detection sensitivity, thus satisfying both detection precision and reliability, and also a method of fabricating such a force transducer. The force transducer is so constructed that a compression force is transferred via a pressure transfer block to narrow strain gages, which protrude from the surface of a silicon substrate and provide a small pressure-bearing area. Therefore, large compression strains act on the strain gages and thus the detection sensitivity is increased. When the compression force exceeds a predetermined value, the pressure transfer block comes into contact with the surface of the silicon crystal, thus improving the fracture strength of the strain gages. These narrow, protruding strain gages can be fabricated easily by a single mesa etching process.

Force transducer and method of fabrication thereof

A force transducer for detecting compression. The force transducer comprises an Si single crystal so formed as to have a crystal face of {110} as the surface to which compression is applied; a first pair of opposing electrodes provided on the Si single crystal in the direction having an angle of 45 degrees with the direction of &lt;001&gt; of the Si single crystal and a second pair of opposing electrodes provided on the Si single crystal in the direction having an angle of 45 degrees with the direction of &lt;110&gt; of the Si single crystal; a seat which is bonded to the crystal face of {110} of the Si single crystal and which transmits the compression substantially uniformly to the crystal face; and a base which is bonded to the surface of the Si single crystal opposite to the surface bonded with the seat and which supports the Si single crystal. The force transducer has a simple structure as a whole and is capable of detecting compression with accuracy.

Force transducer

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Kazuyoshi Kawaguchi