Sensor, electronic apparatus, robot, and mobile object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9176013-B2
Application number	US-201314044992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2013
Priority date	Oct 12, 2012
Publication date	Nov 3, 2015
Grant date	Nov 3, 2015

Abstract

A sensor includes a flexible wafer substrate and an oscillator provided on a principal surface of the wafer substrate, and the oscillator deforms when an external force is applied to the wafer substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor comprising:
a flexible substrate; and
a resonator provided above a principal surface of the substrate, wherein the resonator includes:
a first electrode disposed above the principal surface of the substrate, and
a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode and having an area that overlaps with the first electrode in a plan view, wherein

the resonator is deformable when an external force is applied to the substrate,
the sensor includes a plurality of resonators, and
the plurality of resonators are disposed so that extension directions in which each area where the first electrode and the second electrode overlap are oriented in different directions along the principal surface of the substrate in the plan view.

2. The sensor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first electrode or the second electrode, or the first and second electrodes deform when the substrate deforms, and a resonance frequency of the resonator changes.

3. The sensor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the resonator is surrounded by a wall provided above the principal surface of the substrate.

4. A sensor comprising:
a flexible substrate;
a resonator provided above a principal surface of the substrate;
a frequency detection circuit that detects a resonance frequency of the resonator; and
a storage section that stores at least one of the resonance frequency detected by the frequency detection circuit, a change amount in the resonance frequency, a maximum and a minimum of the resonance frequency, and a maximum and a minimum of the change amount in the resonance frequency, wherein
the resonator is deformable when an external force is applied to the substrate.

5. The sensor according to claim 4 ,
wherein the storage section stores information on a magnitude of the external force corresponding to the resonance frequency.

6. An electronic apparatus comprising the sensor according to claim 1 .

7. An electronic apparatus comprising the sensor according to claim 4 .

8. A robot comprising the sensor according to claim 1 .

9. A robot comprising the sensor according to claim 4 .

10. A mobile object comprising the sensor according to claim 1 .

11. A mobile object comprising the sensor according to claim 4 .

12. The sensor according to claim 4 ,
further having a timer function,
wherein temporal information is added to information stored in the storage section.

13. A sensor comprising:
a flexible substrate; and
a resonator provided above a principal surface of the substrate, wherein the resonator includes:
a first electrode disposed above the principal surface of the substrate; and
a second electrode disposed above the first electrode, the second electrode being spaced apart from the first electrode with an air gap, wherein

the resonator is deformable when an external force is applied to the substrate, and
the first electrode and the second electrode are partially overlapped with each other in a plan view.

14. The sensor according to claim 13 , wherein
the sensor includes a plurality of resonators, and
the plurality of resonators are disposed so that directions in which an area where the first electrode and the second electrode overlap with each other extends are oriented in different directions along the principal surface of the substrate in the plan view.

15. An electronic apparatus comprising the sensor according to claim 13 .

16. A robot comprising the sensor according to claim 13 .

17. A mobile object comprising the sensor according to claim 13 .

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Inaba Shogo
• Horie Kyo

Classifications

• G01P15/097

  by vibratory elements · CPC title

• G01L1/10 Primary

  by measuring variations of frequency of stressed vibrating elements, e.g. of stressed strings (using resistance strain gauges G01L1/22) · CPC title

• G01P15/18

  in two or more dimensions · CPC title

• G01L1/14

  by measuring variations in capacitance or inductance of electrical elements, e.g. by measuring variations of frequency of electrical oscillators · CPC title

• H03H9/2457

  Clamped-free beam resonators · CPC title