Analog integrated circuit pressure sensor
US4539554A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 18, 1982 |
| Grant date | Sep 3, 1985 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 18, 2002 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K17/9643
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An integrated array of pressure transducers capable of producing an analog output voltage representative of the applied pressure is proposed. The individual transducing elements (16) are defined by a three-layer structure including a thin layer of piezoelectric material (10) disposed between a reference potential plate (12) and a plurality of electrodes (15) contained in a silicon substrate (14). A force applied to a localized portion of the reference plate will cause a deflection of the piezoelectric material towards the electrodes on the substrate, inducing a capacitive charge on the electrode in the localized area. This capacitance is stores at a node A associated with the transducing element, and may be interrogated by a sensing circuit (18) located in the silicon substrate. Since the induced charge is directly proportional to the applied force, a measurement of the output voltage from node A will yield a direct indication of the localized force applied to the sensor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.