The University of British Columbia

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Motir Co., Ltd.

Mirza Saquib Sarwar

John D W Madden

Ryusuke Ishizaki

Yuta Dobashi

Katsu Yamane

John Madden

Edmond Cretu

Shahriar Mirabbasi

Meisam Farajollahi

John David Wyndham Madden

Ettore Glitz

Garth Eden Claire Preston

A pair of first electrodesis arranged in a state being separated in a direction parallel to a contact surfaceof a base materialmade of a dielectric and being at least partially in contact with the base material. A pair of second electrodesis arranged in a state of overlapping at least one of the pair of first electrodes and sandwiching the base materialat a position farther from the contact surfaceof the base materialthan the pair of first electrodesandin a direction perpendicular to the contact surfaceof the base material. The proximity state of an object Q with respect to the contact surfaceof the base materialis detected according to the measurement result of the capacitance Cbetween the pair of first electrodesand

Capacitance detection sensor, capacitance detection sensor module and state determination method using capacitance detection sensor

The capacitance sensorincludes a self-capacitance electrode, first electrodes(() to()), and a second electrodewhich are arranged being separated from each other in a thickness direction of an elastically deformable base materialformed by a dielectric. The self-capacitance electrodeis connected to a first connection portionfor measuring capacitance by a self-capacitance method and a grounded second connection portionvia a switchso as to be selectively connected to the first connection portionand the second connection portion

Capacitance sensor and measurement device

A sensor unit to be incorporated in a skin-like layer of machines such as robots employs a set of sensor electrodes supported in a first deformable sheet and a base electrode supported in a second deformable sheet, each of the sensor electrodes partially overlapping the base electrode so that application of a shear force causes the overlap of the electrodes to differentially change modifying the capacitance of the electrodes and permitting the detection of the shear force.

Deformable sensor for simulating skin and other applications

A capacitance sensorA in which first electrodes() to() and a second electrodeare arranged on a base materialmade of a dielectric includes grounded electrostatic shielding members (() to()). The electrostatic shielding membersare arranged, for example, at positions between first wiring portions()in,()in,() in connected to the first electrodes(),(),() and the second electrode, at a position between a second wiring portion()in connected to the second electrodeand the first electrode(), and at a position between the second wiring portion()in and the first wiring portion()in.

Capacitance sensor

In an electrostatic capacity sensor, first electrodestoare provided on a substrate, and an electrode supporthas dielectric properties and elasticity and is fixed to the substrate. A second electrodeis provided in the electrode supportso as to face the first electrodestowith a distance from the first electrodesto. The electrostatic capacity sensor has improved durability.

Electrostatic capacity sensor

A triaxial force sensorincludes nine first electrodesto, and nine second electrodestoattached to an electrode supportin such a manner that the electrode supportis interposed between the nine first electrodestoand the nine second electrodesto. A pair of first electrodesandare arranged such that a straight line connecting the two is orthogonal to a straight line connecting a pair of first electrodesand, and the second electrodes, andare arranged such that the respective halves overlap the first electrodes, andin plan view. The sensor has a number of components and size, thereby allowing a reduction in manufacturing cost, in the case of detecting forces in orthogonal triaxial directions.

Triaxial force sensor

A system and method for fabricating soft sensors that conform to arbitrary smooth geometries that include fabricating a top stretchable layer that includes a set of electrodes of soft sensors that are made of an elastic material. The system and method also include fabricating a bottom flexible layer that is composed of a thin sheet of suitable metal that is patterned using photolithography. The system and method further include bonding the top stretchable layer to the bottom flexible layer to form a sensor substrate.

System and method for fabricating soft sensors that conform to arbitrary smooth geometries

A proximity and three-axis force sensor based sensor may include a first taxel including a first electrode formed within a top layer configured in a serpentine pattern, a second electrode formed within a bottom layer, and a dielectric layer positioned between the top layer and the bottom layer and a second taxel including a first electrode formed within the top layer and having a first surface area, a second electrode formed within the bottom layer and having a second surface area, and a ground electrode formed within the top layer above the first electrode of the second taxel having a surface area greater than the first surface area of the first electrode of the second taxel. The second surface area may be different than the first surface area. A first edge of the first electrode may be vertically aligned with a first edge of the second electrode.

Proximity and three-axis force sensor

A sensor for detecting and distinguishing between increasing and decreasing proximity of a pointing element, touch by a pointing element, pressure applied by a pointing element, stretching (and/or other deformation) of the sensor, and any of the above while stretching and/or otherwise deforming the sensor. The sensor may comprise a cluster sensor unit having a first sensor and a second sensor wherein the first sensor has a higher ratio of distal flux to proximate flux as compared to the second sensor. With this flux characteristic, the first sensor is relatively more sensitive (as compared to the second sensor) to proximity of a pointing element, while the second sensor is relatively more sensitive (as compared to the first sensor) to force and/or pressure applied by the pointing element.

Cluster sensor

A sensor comprises conductive elements arranged and connected for proximity sensing. The conductive elements are formed of an ionically conductive polymer. The sensor may also include conductive elements arranged and connected for touch sensing. The conductive elements may be connected to an alternating-current (AC) source. Another sensor comprises one or more conductive elements arranged and connected for touch sensing by detecting resistivity changes in the one or more conductive elements. A flexible and transparent sensor is also provided, which comprises a layer of a piezoelectric polymer and conductive elements in contact with the layer for transmitting an electric signal generated by compression of the layer. Methods and processes for using such sensors are also provided.

Flexible transparent sensor with ionically-conductive material

A sensor unit for detecting bending of the sensor unit comprises: a capacitive upper sensor having an upper capacitance and comprising first and second deformable upper electrodes spaced apart from one another in a Z direction, the first and second upper electrodes respectively having first and second upper shapes; and a capacitive lower sensor having a lower capacitance, spaced apart from the upper sensor in a Z direction and comprising first and second deformable lower electrodes spaced apart from one another in the Z direction, the first and second lower electrodes respectively having first and second lower shapes. For a bend of the sensor unit in a first direction, the first and second upper shapes change such that the upper capacitance decreases and the lower shapes change such that the lower capacitance increases. For a bend of the sensor unit in a second direction opposed to the first direction, the first and second upper shapes change such that the upper capacitance increases and the lower shapes change such that the lower capacitance decreases.

Capacitive bending sensors

A method of sensing a pressure applied to a surface comprises monitoring an electrical signal generated by redistribution of mobile ions in a piezoionic layer under the surface. An externally applied local pressure at a portion of the layer induces redistribution of mobile ions in the piezoionic layer. It is determined that the surface is pressured based on detection of the electrical signal. A piezoionic sensor includes a sensing surface; a piezoionic layer disposed under the sensing surface such that an externally applied local pressure on a portion of the sensing surface causes detectable redistribution of mobile ions in the piezoionic layer; and electrodes in contact with the layer, configured to monitor electrical signal generated by the redistribution of mobile ions in the piezoionic layer.

Method and sensor for pressure sensing based on electrical signal generated by redistribution of mobile ions in piezoionic layer

Sensor arrays are provided for sensing pressure and/or moisture over a two-dimensional sensing surface. The sensor arrays comprise ionically conductive materials. Individual sensor elements in the sensor arrays may comprise piezoionic ionically conductive materials, piezoresistive ionically conductive materials and/or capacitive sensor elements having electrodes fabricated from ionically conductive materials. Two-dimensional pressure maps and/or moisture maps of the sensing surface may be obtained by implementing methods comprising scanning over individual sensor elements in the sensor arrays.

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Vancouver, Canada

Mirza Saquib Sarwar