Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Ministry of International Trade & Industry

Kiichi Ikeda

Morito Akiyama

Naohiro Ueno

Hiroshi Tateyama

Kazuhiro Nonaka

Tetsu Iwatsuki

Shuji Kajita

A thin pressure sensor includes: a pair of external electrodes, which are respectively made of conductive thin films that are respectively provided with piezoelectric layers on inner sides; and a single internal electrode, made of a conductive thin film, which is sealed between the pair of external electrodes, one of the pair of external electrodes having a conducting window that conducts to said internal electrode. The thin pressure sensor has a simple and thin structure with sufficient durability and mechanical strength.

Thin pressure sensor and biological information measuring device using same, and biological information measuring method

Disclosed is a high-sensitivity flexible ceramic sensor for detecting mechanical shocks and vibrations, which comprises a metal foil of a specified thickness as a substrate, a single-crystalline thin film of a piezoelectric ceramic material such as aluminum nitride and zinc oxide having a specified thickness formed on the substrate, a metallic electrode formed on the thin ceramic film and an external circuit connecting the metal foil and the electrode with insertion of an electric meter for measuring the piezoelectric voltage changes induced in the ceramic thin film.

High-sensitivity flexible ceramic sensor

A leg apparatus shoe sole has an upper sole member and a lower sole member interconnected by expanders so as to be movable towards and away from each other wherein the expanders are connected with a remote actuator by a drive wire. The actuator is operated to reduce the thickness of the shoe sole when the associated leg is the free leg and to increase its thickness when the associated leg is the supporting leg.

Shoe sole for leg apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Tosu, Japan

Kiichi Ikeda