Pressure sensing apparatuses and methods

摘要

Sensors, sensing arrangements and devices, and related methods are provided. In accordance with an example embodiment, an impedance-based sensor includes a flexible dielectric material and generates an output based on pressure applied to the dielectric material and a resulting compression thereof. In certain embodiments, the dielectric material includes a plurality of regions separated by gaps and configured to elastically deform and recover in response to applied pressure.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
a dielectric structure including a plurality of elastomeric regions separated from one another by space regions and each of the elastomeric regions characterized by common feature dimensions including width and thickness dimensions, each of the elastomeric regions being separated from one another and configured and arranged with such common feature dimensions to respond to pressure applied to the dielectric structure by compressing and thereby exhibit a changed effective dielectric constant of elastomeric material in the elastomeric region, the changed effective dielectric constant corresponding to a state of compression of the elastomeric regions; and a sense circuit including a plurality of impedance-based sensors, each impedance-based sensor including a portion of the dielectric structure and being configured and arranged to respond to the changed effective dielectric constant by providing an indication of the pressure applied to the dielectric structure adjacent each sensor, the pressure being indicated by a change in impedance,
wherein one or more of the elastomeric regions have a cross-sectional width dimension of less than 5 microns, and are configured and arranged with the space regions and the sense circuit to provide respective outputs from each elastomeric region that characterize pressure differences between the elastomeric regions of less than 1 kPa.