Pressure sensor, acoustic microphone, blood pressure sensor, and touch panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9921114-B2
Application number	US-201615388629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Jun 12, 2013
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a pressure sensor includes a film part, and a sensing unit. A circumscribing rectangle circumscribing a configuration of a film surface of the film part has a first side, a second side, a third side connected to one end of the first side and one end of the second side, a fourth side connected to one other end of the first side and one other end of the second side, and a centroid of the circumscribing rectangle. The circumscribing rectangle includes a first region enclosed by the first side, line segments connecting the centroid to the one end of the first side, and to the one other end of the first side. The sensing unit includes sensing elements provided on a portion of the film surface overlapping the first region. Each sensing element includes a first, second magnetic layers, and a spacer layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pressure sensor, comprising:
a film part supported by a support unit, the film part being flexible, the film part having a film surface; and
a sensing unit fixed to the film surface,
the film surface having:
a first side extending in a first direction, the first direction being along the film surface;
a second side extending in the first direction to be separated from the first side;
a third side extending in a second direction to be connected to one end of the first side and one end of the second side, the second direction crossing the first direction and being along the film surface; and
a fourth side extending in the second direction to be separated from the third side and connected to one other end of the first side and one other end of the second side;

the sensing unit including a first sensing group, a second sensing group, a third sensing group, and a fourth sensing group,
the first sensing group including a plurality of first sensing elements, the second sensing group including a plurality of second sensing elements, the third sensing group including a plurality of third sensing elements, the fourth sensing group including a plurality of fourth sensing elements,
the first sensing elements being arranged along the first direction,
the second sensing elements being arranged along the first direction,
the third sensing elements being arranged along the second direction,
the fourth sensing elements being arranged along the second direction,
a distance in the second direction between each of the first sensing elements and the first side being shorter than a distance in the second direction between each of the first sensing elements and the second side,
a distance in the second direction between each of the second sensing elements and the second side being shorter than a distance in the second direction between each of the second sensing elements and the first side,
a distance in the first direction between each of the third sensing elements and the third side being shorter than a distance in the first direction between each of the third sensing elements and the fourth side,
the first sensing elements being connected in series with each other, the second sensing elements being connected in series with each other, the third sensing elements being connected in series with each other, the fourth sensing elements being connected in series with each other, each of the first sensing elements, the second sensing elements, the third sensing elements, and the fourth sensing elements including a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the film part, and a spacer layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer,
a first end of the first sensing group being connected with a first node of a bridge circuit,
a second end of the first sensing group being connected with a second node of the bridge circuit,
a third end of the second sensing group being connected with a third node of the bridge circuit,
a fourth end of the second sensing group being connected with a fourth node of the bridge circuit,
a fifth end of the third sensing group being connected with the second node,
a sixth end of the third sensing group being connected with the third node,
a seventh end of the fourth sensing group being connected with the first node,
an eighth end of the fourth sensing group being connected with the fourth node.

2. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein a first length of the first side is longer than a second length of the third side.

3. The sensor according to claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the second length to the first length is not less than 0.25 and less than 1.0.

4. The sensor according to claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the second length to the first length is not less than 0.64 and less than 1.0.

5. The sensor according to claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the second length to the first length is not more than 0.25.

6. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic layer is a magnetization free layer, and
a magnetization direction of the magnetization free layer in a state in which an external pressure is not applied is different from the first direction and different from the second direction.

7. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic layer is a magnetization free layer, and the second magnetic layer is a magnetization fixed layer.

8. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the one of the first sensing elements in the first direction is not less than 0.1 micrometers and not more than 50 micrometers.

9. The sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising the bridge circuit.

10. An acoustic microphone including the pressure sensor according to claim 1 .

11. A blood pressure sensor including the pressure sensor according to claim 1 .

12. A touch panel including the pressure sensor according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Fuji Yoshihiko
• Masunishi Kei
• Fukuzawa Hideaki
• Higashi Yoshihiro
• Hara Michiko
• Hori Akio
• Nagata Tomohiko
• Kaji Shiori
• Yuzawa Akiko

Classifications

• A61B5/7475

  User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick · CPC title

• G01L1/2262

  involving simple electrical bridges · CPC title

• G06F3/041

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title

• H04R1/028

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• A61B5/02438

  with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient · CPC title