Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Takeshi Ohsato

Nobuhiro Sakurai

Yusuke Hirabayashi

Hiroshi Yokobayashi

Shigenori Yasuie

Nariaki Kuriyama

Jun Sasahara

Tadahiro Kubota

Yasuhiko Jinbu

Daisuke Okamura

A force sensor chip of the present invention is for detecting an external force, and comprises a base member including an action portion where the external force is applied, a support portion that supports the action portion therearound, and a connecting portion that connects the action portion and the support portion together, a plurality of strain detecting resistive elements that are formed at respective deformation producing portions of the base member which deform when the external force is applied, and a thin-film resistor that is formed at upper layers of the strain detecting resistive elements with a resistive-element wiring and an interlayer insulation film intervening between the thin-film resistor and the strain detecting resistive elements.

Force sensor chip and acceleration sensor chip

There are provided a temperature compensation method for a force sensor and the force sensor which can perform temperature compensation in not only the steady range where the output by the force sensor is stable but also the transient range where the output is unstable. The force sensor temperature compensation method of the present invention eliminates the effect of an environmental temperature from a sensor output value indicating the output value by the force sensor in the transient range where the output by the force sensor is unstable or in the steady range where the output is stable, and includes a preparation step of obtaining the varying pattern of a monitoring output value indicating the environmental temperature in the transient range before the force sensor is measuring an external force, and a correction step of estimating a varying pattern based on a change rate of the monitoring output value while the force sensor is measuring the external force, and of correcting a sensor output value using a correction value obtained based on the estimated varying pattern.

Temperature compensation method for force sensor and force sensor

A force sensor unit includes: a detection section constituted of a main unit detecting external force and changes in temperature, and a sub unit detecting the changes in temperature, detecting the external force; and an attenuator dampening the external force and imparting the dampened force to the detection section.

Force sensor unit

A force sensorincludes: a force sensor chipincluding an action portion, a connecting portionon which strain resistive elements are disposed, and a support portionfor supporting the action portionand the connecting portion; an attenuatorincluding an input portionto which an external force is input, a fixing portionfor fixing the force sensor chip, and a transmission portionfor attenuating the external force and transmitting the attenuated external force to the action portion; a first glass memberdisposed between the action portionand the transmission portionand a second glass memberdisposed between the support portionand the fixing portion, through which glass membersthe force sensor chipand the attenuatorare joined. A single or more glass beamsjoins the first glass memberand the second glass membertogether as a single member.

Force sensor

There is provided a method for producing a force sensor including: a force sensor chip; and an attenuator, in which the force sensor chip and the attenuator are joined at joint portions with a glass layer sandwiched therebetween. The method includes: a film forming step in which a glass film as the glass layer is formed on regions of the attenuator containing the joint portions or on regions of the force sensor chip containing the joint portions; and an anodic bonding step in which the force sensor chip and the attenuator are stacked as a stacked body in close contact with each other at the joint portions, and the glass film and the force sensor chip, or the glass film and the attenuator, are joined.

Method for producing a force sensor

A force sensor comprises a force sensor chip, and a buffering device for dampening and applying incoming external force to the force sensor chip. The buffering device comprises an input portion to which external force is input, a sensor mount for fixing the force sensor chip to the exterior, a dampening mechanism for dampening external force, and a transmission portion for transmitting the dampened external force to the active sensing portion.

A force sensor with a force sensor chip, and a buffering device for dampening and applying incoming external force to the force sensor chip. The buffering device includes an input portion to which external force is input, a sensor mount for fixing the force sensor chip to the exterior, a dampening mechanism for dampening external force, and a transmission portion for transmitting the dampened external force to the active sensing portion.

Force Sensor

A force sensor chip including a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of strain resistance elements and temperature-compensating resistance elements corresponding to the resistance elements is disclosed. The structure in the periphery of parts where the strain resistance elements, which are provided to deforming parts in the action part formed on the semiconductor substrate, are disposed is the same as the structure in the periphery of parts where the temperature-compensating resistance elements in the action part are disposed.

Force sensor chip

A force sensor chip which comprises: a base member, which includes an action portion to which an external force is applied through an attenuator, a support portion supporting the action portion, and a connection portion which connects the action portion and the support portion and deflects according to the applied external force; and a plurality of strain resistance elements which are arranged in the connection portion and detect the applied external force based on a deflection of the connection portion, wherein longitudinal directions of the plurality of the strain resistance elements are oriented in an identical direction.

Chip for force sensor and force sensor

In a force sensor chip, a semiconductor substrate includes: a plurality of operating parts each including an external-force acting area section and a non-deforming section; a supporting part for supporting the operating parts, and a plurality of connecting parts for connecting the operating parts and the supporting part. Strain resistance elements are provided on deformation-generating sections of the connecting parts. The plurality of operating parts are provided, in corresponding relation to the plurality of connecting parts, between the connecting parts and the supporting part.

A force sensor chip having a multiaxial force sensing function is disclosed. The force sensor chip comprises a base member having an operating part provided with an external force application area, a supporting part for supporting the operating part, connecting parts for connecting the operating part and the supporting part, and strain resistance elements disposed in the connecting parts or within boundaries between the connecting parts and the operating part. The base member has a thin area formed with a small thickness, and the boundaries of the thin area are disposed in the supporting part and operating part.

In a force sensor chip, a base member, to which an external force is applied, includes: an operating part provided in a central portion of the base member and having an external-force acting area section; a supporting part provided, in an outer peripheral portion of the base member, for supporting the operating part; an intermediate part provided between the operating part and the supporting part; a first connecting arm section connecting the operating part and the intermediate section; a second connecting arm section connecting the intermediate part and the supporting part; and at least one strain resistance element provided on each of respective deformation-generating portions of the first and the second connecting arm sections.

A multi-axis sensor chip provided by the invention includes a semiconductor substrate having an action part having an external force action area part and non-deforming area parts, a support part supporting the action part, and connecting parts connecting the action part to the support part. The sensor chip also has strain resistance devices provided on deforming parts of the connecting parts and has temperature-compensating resistance devices provided on the non-deforming area parts. Temperature compensation is carried out exactly by means of the temperature-compensating resistance devices when an external force or a load acts on the action part, and highly accurate stress detection can be carried out.

Multi-axis force sensor chip and multi-axis force sensor using same

A thin plate-shaped six-axis force sensor chip comprising a semiconductor substrate formed by semiconductor film-forming processes, the sensor chip having through-holes formed therein and arranged so that the sensor chip is functionally divided by the through-holes into an action part to which an external force is applied, a support part to be fixed to an external structure, and a plurality of connecting parts each connecting together the action part and the support part and having a bridge portion of generally T-shaped configuration joined to the action part and an elastic portion joined to the support part. Each of the connecting parts has a plurality of strain resistance devices each comprising an active layer formed on at least one of front and rear faces thereof in an area thereof where deformation strain effectively occurs, the strain resistance devices being electrically connected to corresponding electrodes disposed in the support part.

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Takeshi Ohsato