Sensor

Abstract

Embodiments of the present specification provide a sensor comprising: a flexible substrate; the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure each comprise a multi-layer structure arranged on the surface of the same side of the flexible substrate in the thickness direction, and all layers of each multi-layer structure are stacked in the thickness direction; and the processing circuit reads the parameters, related to the resistance or capacitance, of the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure, and determines the deformation of the flexible substrate in at least two dimensions according to the parameters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic components, and in particular to a sensor. Background Art

[0002] With the gradual maturity of AR / VR technology and the rise of the concept of the metaverse, smart electronic devices have put forward higher requirements for human-computer interaction technology. Flexible angle sensors can be easily integrated into wearable devices such as smart clothing and smart gloves to achieve accurate recognition and restoration of human movements. They are one of the important underlying technologies of the metaverse and have received extensive attention and research. Different joints of the human body have different degrees of freedom of movement, and the requirements for sensors are also different. For example, the elbow and knee joints have only one degree of freedom of movement, and only a single-axis bending sensor is needed to achieve relatively accurate motion capture. However, for multi-degree-of-freedom joints such as the shoulder joint, hip joint, wrist joint, and the base of the thumb, higher requirements are placed on sensors.

[0003] Therefore, how to improve the accuracy and convenience of sensors in detecting bending motions with multiple degrees of freedom is a technical problem that needs to be urgently solved in this field. Summary of the invention

[0004] One of the embodiments of the present specification provides a sensor, which includes: a flexible substrate; a first sensing structure and a second sensing structure, wherein the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure both include a multilayer structure arranged on the same side surface in the thickness direction of the flexible substrate, and each layer of each multilayer structure is stacked along the thickness direction; and a processing circuit, which reads parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure respectively, and determines the deformation of the flexible substrate in at least two dimensions based on the parameters.

[0005] One of the embodiments of this specification provides a smart glove, comprising: a glove body; the sensor; and a processor, configured to receive and process data collected by the sensor; wherein the sensor is located in any one or more areas of the glove body corresponding to the user's finger joints, metacarpophalangeal joints, metacarpal-wrist joints, and wrist joints.

[0006] One of the embodiments of this specification also provides a smart clothing, including: a clothing body; the sensor; and a processor, configured to receive and process data collected by the sensor; wherein the sensor is located in any one or more areas of the clothing body corresponding to the user's shoulder joint, spinal joint, hip joint, and ankle joint.

[0007] Additional features will be described in part in the following description and will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reviewing the following and accompanying drawings, or may be learned by the production or operation of the examples. The features of this specification may be realized and obtained by practicing or using various aspects of the methods, tools, and combinations described in the following detailed examples. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] This specification will be further described in the form of exemplary embodiments, which will be described in detail by the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are not restrictive, and in these embodiments, the same number represents the same structure, wherein:

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a sensor framework according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of two sensing structures on a flexible substrate according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0011] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of two sensing structures on a flexible substrate according to some other embodiments of this specification;

[0012] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the distribution of four sensing structures on a flexible substrate according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0013] Figure 4B is based on Figure 4A A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure along the Y-axis direction is shown;

[0014] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a sensor according to some embodiments of this specification does not undergo deformation;

[0015] Figure 5B is based on Figure 5A The schematic diagram of the deformation of the sensor after being stretched or compressed along the long axis direction is shown;

[0016] Figure 6 is based on Figure 5A The sensor shown is a side view schematic diagram after bending and deformation around an axis parallel to the short axis direction;

[0017] Figure 7 is based on Figure 5A The schematic top view of the sensor shown is a diagram of a sensor bent and deformed around an axis parallel to the thickness direction;

[0018] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the wrinkles on the flexible sensor;

[0019] Fig. 9is based on Figure 4A The schematic diagram of the curve obtained by the actual measurement of the sensor shown;

[0020] Fig.10 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0021] Fig.11 is based on Fig.10 Equivalent circuit diagram of the sensor shown;

[0022] Fig.12 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some other embodiments of the present specification;

[0023] Fig.13 is based on Fig.12 A schematic cross-sectional view of a sensor provided with a connecting member is shown;

[0024] Fig.14 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some other embodiments of this specification;

[0025] Fig.15 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some other embodiments of the present specification;

[0026] Fig.16 is one of the cross-sectional schematic diagrams of a sensor according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0027] Fig.17 is a second cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0028] Fig.18 is a third cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0029] Fig.19 is a fourth cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0030] Fig. 20 is a fifth cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0031] Fig.21A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the smart gloves shown in some embodiments of this specification;

[0032] Fig.21B is a schematic diagram of joints of a user's hand according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0033] Fig.22A is a front schematic diagram of a smart garment according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0034] Fig. 22BIt is a schematic diagram of the back side of the smart clothing shown in some embodiments of this specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this specification, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some examples or embodiments of this specification. For ordinary technicians in this field, this specification can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without creative work. It should be understood that these exemplary embodiments are given only to enable technicians in related fields to better understand and implement this specification, and do not limit the scope of this specification in any way. Unless it is obvious from the language environment or otherwise explained, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structure or operation.

[0036] As shown in this specification and claims, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the words "a", "an", "an" and / or "the" do not refer to the singular and may also include the plural, unless the context clearly indicates an exception. Generally speaking, the terms "include" and "comprise" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements that have been clearly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or device may also include other steps or elements. The term "based on" means "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one other embodiment".

[0037] In the description of this specification, it should be understood that the terms "upper" and "lower" etc. indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this specification and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on this specification.

[0038] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this specification, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0039] In this specification, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this specification can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0040] The embodiments of this specification provide a sensor that is easily deformed when subjected to external forces and converts the deformation into an electrical signal. When the sensor is set on an intelligent wearable device (such as a motion capture suit, an electromyographic suit, a motion capture glove, etc.), the electrical signal generated by it can reflect the deformation direction, deformation size, etc. at the corresponding position. In some scenarios, the position of the sensor will produce more complex deformations. For example, when the sensor is worn near the user's shoulder joint, hip joint, or finger root joint, these joints have at least two different degrees of freedom, which leads to multi-dimensional deformation of the sensor (such as bending, stretching, compression, etc. in different directions). At this time, by setting a plurality of sensing structures on the sensor in a specific manner, and combining the electrical signals generated by these sensing structures, it is possible to sense the multi-dimensional deformation of the position of the sensor, thereby realizing accurate recognition and restoration of human body movements.

[0041] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a framework of a sensor according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the sensor 1 may include a flexible substrate 11, a first sensing structure 12 and a second sensing structure 13, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 both include a multilayer structure arranged on the same side surface of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction, and the layers of each multilayer structure are stacked along the thickness direction. In some embodiments, the sensor 1 includes a processing circuit 16, and the processing circuit 16 reads parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13, respectively, and determines the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions according to the parameters. Among them, the multilayer structure is a structure formed by stacking layered structures. In some embodiments, the multilayer structure includes a second conductive layer, an intermediate layer and a first conductive layer. In some embodiments, the multilayer structure includes a second conductive layer, a second intermediate layer, a third conductive layer, a first intermediate layer and a first conductive layer. The specific layered structure included in the multilayer structure can be found below.

[0043] The flexible substrate 11 has a flexible property and is easily deformed (such as bending) when subjected to an external force. In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the installation in the smart wearable device and to facilitate the fit with the human body joints, the flexible substrate can have a flat structure. In this case, the flexible substrate 11 has a thickness direction, which can be as follows Figure 2 In order to sense the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 , a sensing structure capable of converting physical deformation into an electrical signal may be provided on the flexible substrate 11 . For example, the flexible substrate 11 may serve as a supporting substrate to provide support for the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 .

[0044] The sensing structure (for example, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13) is a sensing structure that can be used to measure the bending deformation of the flexible substrate 11 (or the sensor 1). The first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 both include a plurality of layered structures. The stacking of the layers of each multilayer structure along the thickness direction can be understood as: the layers of the plurality of layered structures of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are arranged along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11 and stacked together. In some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12 or the second sensing structure 13 can be any one of a capacitive sensing structure, a resistive sensing structure, and a capacitive-resistive composite sensing structure. The capacitive-resistive composite sensing structure is a sensing structure including a capacitor and a resistor, and the parameters (such as voltage, resistance) output by the capacitive-resistive composite sensing structure are subjected to the composite action of the capacitor and the resistor. It should be noted that the capacitive sensing structure or the capacitive-resistive composite sensing structure includes an element or structure having a capacitive characteristic, and the element or structure having a capacitive characteristic can be used to store electrical energy. An exemplary element or structure having a capacitive property includes two conductors (electrodes) and a dielectric layer between the two conductors (electrodes). In some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are respectively distributed on both sides of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction. In some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 can be distributed on the same side in the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11. For details, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 and related instructions.

[0045] In some embodiments, the parameters of the sensor 1 can be read by the processing circuit 16. The parameter type specifically read by the processing circuit 16 is related to the structure of the processing circuit 16, the connection relationship between the processing circuit 16 and the sensor 1, the structure of the sensor 1, etc., please refer to the relevant description below for details. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 may include a signal output device, and the signal output device may output an electrical signal (such as a voltage signal) to the sensor 1 so that the processing circuit 16 can read the corresponding parameters fed back by the sensor 1. In some embodiments, the sensing structure may be a resistance sensing structure, in which case the signal output device may output a direct current signal to the sensor 1 so that the processing circuit 16 can read the change in resistance of the resistance sensing structure with deformation. In other embodiments, the sensing structure may be a capacitance sensing structure or a capacitance-resistance composite sensing structure, and the signal output device may output an alternating current signal to the sensor 1 so that the processing circuit 16 can read the change in capacitance of the capacitance sensing structure or the capacitance-resistance composite sensing structure with deformation. As an example only, the signal output device may include a voltage output device. The voltage output device can output voltage (DC voltage or AC voltage) to the sensor 1, and the processing circuit 16 can read the voltage fed back by the sensor 1 based on the voltage output to the sensor 1. In some embodiments, the voltage output device can output square wave, triangle wave, sine wave, pulse wave and other signals to the sensor 1. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 can read the detection parameters of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 respectively; wherein the detection parameters include: parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the first sensing structure 12, parameters related to resistance and capacitance of the first sensing structure 12, parameters related to capacitance or resistance of the second sensing structure 13, or parameters related to resistance and capacitance of the second sensing structure 13. Relevant descriptions of the specific parameters included in the detection parameters can be found below.

[0046] When different sensing structures are arranged at different positions of the sensor 1, these sensing structures will produce differentiated responses to the deformation of different dimensions of the flexible substrate 11. When the flexible substrate 11 is deformed in a certain dimension, the detection parameters generated by these sensing structures have characteristics corresponding to the deformation of this dimension; and when the flexible substrate 11 is deformed in another dimension, the detection parameters generated by these sensing structures will have characteristics corresponding thereto. It can be understood that the characteristics of the detection parameters generated by these sensing structures will correspond to the deformation dimensions of the flexible substrate 11 one by one, and on this basis, the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 can be identified according to the detection parameters of each sensing structure. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 can determine the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions through a specific algorithm based on the parameters related to resistance or capacitance of each sensing structure (for example, the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13). For example, the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions is determined by a machine learning model, a mapping relationship or a functional relationship. The description of the deformation in at least two dimensions can be found in the following.

[0047] When the sensor 1 (flexible substrate 11) is bent and deformed, the physical shape of at least part of the sensing structure (e.g., the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13) located on the flexible substrate 11 will change accordingly, thereby causing the corresponding resistance or capacitance to change. For example, bending of the sensor 1 will cause the area of ​​the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 to change, thereby changing the resistance of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13. By collecting the resistance of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 or parameters related to the resistance, and analyzing the changes in the resistance of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 or parameters related to the resistance, the bending condition of the sensor 1 (such as the bending angle and bending direction) can be sensed more accurately.

[0048] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the distribution of two sensing structures on a flexible substrate according to some embodiments of this specification.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are distributed on both sides of the flexible substrate 11 along the thickness direction, and the projection of the first sensing structure 12 on the flexible substrate 11 at least partially overlaps with the projection of the second sensing structure 13 on the flexible substrate 11.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are symmetrically arranged along the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction, and the projection of the first sensing structure 12 on the flexible substrate 11 completely overlaps with the projection of the second sensing structure 13 on the flexible substrate 11. When the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are symmetrically arranged about the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction, the two sensing structures have the same response to some external interference (for example, the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed as a whole along a certain direction). At this time, the processing circuit 16 can eliminate the influence of the external interference on the sensor 1 through a differential processing algorithm based on the parameters related to the resistance or capacitance of the sensing structure (for example, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13), thereby improving the sensitivity of determining the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions.

[0051] In some embodiments, the flexible substrate 11 includes a short axis direction and a long axis direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. Figure 2 The multiple dimensional deformations generated by the sensor 1 (flexible substrate 11) shown in the figure include at least bending deformation around an axis parallel to the short axis direction and stretching or compressing deformation along the long axis direction. Figure 2 The X-axis direction; the long axis direction can be Figure 2 The Y-axis direction.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, when the sensor 1 is bent and deformed around an axis parallel to the short axis direction (i.e., the X-axis direction), the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will undergo tensile deformation and compressive deformation respectively. For example, the first sensing structure 12 will be bent and elongated, and the second sensing structure 13 will be bent and compressed. At this time, the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will undergo opposite changes. In this case, the difference in resistance (or capacitance) between the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 can reflect the bending direction and degree of the sensor 1 around the axis parallel to the X-axis direction, and since the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are stretched and compressed to substantially the same degree, the sum of their resistance (or capacitance) can remain substantially unchanged.

[0053] When the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed along the long axis, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are stretched or compressed synchronously, and the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 change synchronously. In this case, the difference between the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 remains basically unchanged (or close to 0), and the sum of the two can reflect the degree of stretching or compression of the sensor 1 along the long axis.

[0054] In some embodiments, by comparing the characteristics of the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 in the above two dimensions, for example, the relationship between the sum (difference) of the resistance (capacitance) and the deformation of the flexible substrate 11, the mutual interference between the deformations in the two dimensions can be avoided, and the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in the two dimensions can be effectively distinguished. For example, when the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed as a whole, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will be stretched or compressed synchronously, and the synchronous stretching or compression of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 is regarded as common mode interference. At this time, differential processing of the signal (such as resistance or capacitance) can eliminate this common mode interference, so that the sensor 1 is insensitive to its own stretching or compression deformation, and is only sensitive to the bending deformation around the axis parallel to the short axis direction (i.e., the X-axis direction), so that the sensor 1 can accurately detect the bending deformation in this dimension. In other words, the difference in resistance (or capacitance) between the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 mainly reflects the bending deformation of the flexible substrate 11 around the axis parallel to the short axis direction (i.e., the X-axis direction). Similarly, the sum of the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 mainly reflects the tensile or compressive deformation of the flexible substrate 11 along the long axis. The detection principle of the tensile or compressive deformation along the long axis is similar to the detection principle of the sensor 1 with four sensing structures. For details, please refer to FIG. 5A to FIG. 7 and its related description.

[0055] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the distribution of two sensing structures on a flexible substrate according to some other embodiments of this specification.

[0056] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the flexible substrate 11 includes a long axis direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are distributed on the same side of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are arranged side by side, and both extend along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate 11.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are symmetrically arranged along a mid-section parallel to a plane formed by the thickness direction and the long axis direction, and the mid-section is located on the flexible substrate 11. When the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are symmetrically arranged about the flexible substrate 11 on the mid-section, the two sensing structures have the same response to partial external interference (for example, the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed as a whole along a certain direction). At this time, the processing circuit 16 can eliminate the influence of external interference on the sensor 1 through a differential processing algorithm based on the parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the sensing structure (for example, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13), thereby improving the sensitivity of determining the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions. For more information about the mid-section, please refer to Figure 4A and Figure 4B and its related description.

[0058] In some embodiments, Figure 3 The dimensional deformation produced by the sensor 1 (flexible substrate 11) shown includes at least bending deformation around an axis parallel to the thickness direction and stretching or compressing deformation along the long axis direction.

[0059] like Figure 3 As shown, when the sensor 1 is bent and deformed along an axis parallel to the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction), the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will undergo tensile deformation and compressive deformation respectively. For example, the first sensing structure 12 will be bent and elongated, and the second sensing structure 13 will be bent and compressed. At this time, the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will undergo opposite changes. In this case, the difference in resistance (or capacitance) between the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 can reflect the bending direction and degree of the sensor 1 around the axis parallel to the Z-axis direction, and since the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are stretched and compressed to substantially the same degree, the sum of their resistance (or capacitance) can remain substantially unchanged.

[0060] when Figure 3 When the sensor 1 shown is stretched or compressed along the long axis direction, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will be stretched or compressed synchronously, and the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will change synchronously. In this case, the difference between the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 remains basically unchanged (or close to 0), and the sum of the two can reflect the degree of stretching or compression of the sensor 1 along the long axis direction.

[0061] In some embodiments, by comparing the characteristics of the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 in the above two dimensions, for example, the relationship between the sum (difference) of the resistance (capacitance) and the deformation of the flexible substrate 11, the mutual interference between the deformations in the two dimensions can be avoided, and the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in the two dimensions can be effectively distinguished. For example, when the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed as a whole, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 will be stretched or compressed synchronously, and the synchronous stretching or compression of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 is regarded as common mode interference. At this time, differential processing of the signal (such as resistance or capacitance) can eliminate this common mode interference, so that the sensor 1 is insensitive to its own stretching or compression deformation, and is only sensitive to the bending deformation along the axis parallel to the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction), so that the sensor 1 can accurately detect the bending deformation in this dimension. In other words, the difference in resistance (or capacitance) between the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 mainly reflects the bending deformation of the flexible substrate 11 around the axis parallel to the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction). Similarly, the sum of the resistance (or capacitance) of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 mainly reflects the tensile or compressive deformation of the flexible substrate 11 along the long axis. The detection principle of the tensile or compressive deformation along the long axis is similar to the detection principle of the sensor 1 with four sensing structures. For details, please refer to FIG. 5A to FIG. 7 and its related description.

[0062] In some embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 3 The sensor 1 shown includes a shielding layer, which is disposed around the circumference of the flexible substrate 11 to shield it from the outside. For example, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are connected by a conductive connector, and the connector is connected to the conductive electrodes on the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 to form a shielding layer surrounding the circumference of the flexible substrate 11. The description of the shielding layer and the connector can be found in the following.

[0063] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the distribution of four sensing structures on a flexible substrate according to some embodiments of this specification; Figure 4B is based on Figure 4A A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure along the Y-axis is shown.

[0064] like Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, in some embodiments, compared to Figure 3The sensor 1 also includes a third sensing structure 14 and a fourth sensing structure 15. The third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 both include a multilayer structure arranged on the same side surface of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction, and the layers of each multilayer structure are stacked along the thickness direction; wherein the flexible substrate 11 includes a long axis direction and a short axis direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are distributed side by side on one side surface of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction, and both extend along the long axis direction; the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are distributed side by side on the other side surface of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction, and both extend along the long axis direction.

[0065] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 reads parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the first sensing structure 12 , the second sensing structure 13 , the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 , respectively, and determines the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions based on these parameters.

[0066] In some embodiments, Figure 4A The dimensional deformation produced by the sensor 1 (flexible substrate 11) shown in the figure includes at least bending deformation around an axis parallel to the thickness direction, bending deformation around an axis parallel to the short axis direction, and stretching or compressing deformation along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate 11. For the purpose of illustration, the following is combined with Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The parameters related to resistance or capacitance of each sensing structure under deformation in different dimensions are described respectively.

[0067] In some embodiments, parameters related to capacitance include: C1, C2, C3, C4, Ctotal, dCx, dCz; and Ctotal = C1 + C2 + C3 + C4, dCx after composite differential operation = (C1 + C2) - (C3 + C4), dCz after composite differential operation = (C1 + C3) - (C2 + C4). Wherein, C1, C2, C3, C4 represent the capacitance of the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15, respectively. In some embodiments, parameters related to resistance include: R1, R2, R3, R4. Wherein, R1, R2, R3, R4 represent the resistance of the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15, respectively.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are symmetrically arranged about the first middle section S1, and the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are symmetrically arranged about the first middle section S1. The first middle section S1 represents: a section parallel to the plane formed by the thickness direction and the long axis direction in the flexible substrate 11; the first sensing structure 12 and the third sensing structure 14 are symmetrically arranged about the second middle section S2 of the flexible substrate 11, and the second sensing structure 13 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are symmetrically arranged about the second middle section S2. The second middle section S2 represents: a mid-plane parallel to the plane formed by the long axis direction and the short axis direction in the flexible substrate 11.

[0069] By setting four symmetrical sensing structures on the sensor 1 and performing a composite differential operation, common mode interference can be effectively eliminated in the process of identifying the bending deformation of the sensor. As an example only, when the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed as a whole, the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 will be stretched or compressed synchronously, and the stretching or compression of the four sensing structures is regarded as common mode interference. The dCx and dCz obtained by setting four sensing structures and performing composite differential processing on the signals remain unchanged, effectively eliminating this common mode interference, making the flexible sensor 1 insensitive to its own stretching or compression deformation, and only sensitive to its own bending deformation, thereby increasing the accuracy of the sensor 1.

[0070] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of a sensor without deformation according to some embodiments of this specification; Figure 5B is based on Figure 5A The diagram shows the deformation of the sensor after being stretched or compressed along the long axis.

[0071] In some embodiments, when the first sensing structure 12 , the second sensing structure 13 , the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are all capacitive sensing structures, the sensor 1 can identify tensile or compressive deformation along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate 11 according to parameters related to capacitance.

[0072] In some embodiments, Figure 5A When the sensor 1 shown is not deformed, the capacitance of the four sensing structures can be obtained by the following formula (1). For the purpose of illustration only, the four sensing structures of the sensor 1 are considered to be completely consistent and symmetrical about the flexible substrate 11 (i.e., the first middle section S1 and the second middle section S2).

[0073] Among them, ε0 represents the dielectric constant of vacuum; ε represents the relative dielectric constant of each of the four sensing structures (i.e., the middle layer, see below); d represents the thickness of the dielectric layer of each of the four sensing structures; A represents the area of ​​each of the four sensing structures on the plane formed by the major axis direction and the minor axis direction; L0 represents the initial length of each of the four sensing structures in the major axis direction of the flexible substrate 11; w represents the width of each of the four sensing structures in the minor axis direction of the flexible substrate 11.

[0074] In some embodiments, Figure 5B As shown, when the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed along the long axis direction (i.e., the Y axis direction), the initial length L0 of each of the four sensing structures is stretched or compressed to Lx. Considering that the thickness of each of the four sensing structures changes very little, for the convenience of explanation, it is approximately assumed that the thickness of each of the four sensing structures remains unchanged. According to formula (1), the capacitance change of the four sensing structures is as follows: formula (2).

[0075] At this time, Ctotal, dCx, and dCz are determined by the following formulas (3), (4), and (5), respectively. dCx=(C1+C2)-(C3+C4)=0 (4) dCz=(C1+C3)-(C2+C4)=0 (5)

[0076] When the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed along the long axis, the four sensing structures will be stretched or compressed synchronously, and the capacitance of the four sensing structures will change synchronously. In this case, the sum of the capacitances of the four sensing structures can reflect the degree of stretching or compression of the sensor 1 along the long axis (flexible substrate 11). According to formulas (2) and (3), Ctotal is only related to the length Lx of the sensing structure after the change, and Lx can be used to represent the stretching or compression deformation of the sensor 1 along the long axis. Therefore, Ctotal can be used to reflect the stretching or compression deformation of the sensor 1 (flexible substrate 11) along the long axis.

[0077] According to formula (4), dCx reflects the difference between the sum of the capacitance C1 of the first sensing structure 12 and the capacitance C2 of the second sensing structure 13 and the sum of the capacitance C3 of the third sensing structure 14 and the capacitance C4 of the fourth sensing structure 15. Figure 5BFrom the structural distribution of the four sensing structures, it can be seen that the sum of the capacitance C1 of the first sensing structure 12 and the capacitance C2 of the second sensing structure 13, that is, C1+C2, can reflect the bending deformation of the upper side of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction; the sum of the capacitance C3 of the third sensing structure 14 and the capacitance C4 of the fourth sensing structure 15, that is, C3+C4, can reflect the bending deformation of the lower side of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction. Therefore, dCx is used to reflect the difference in bending deformation generated by the upper and lower sides (i.e., the upper and lower sides along the thickness direction) of the flexible substrate 11 when it is deformed, which is related to the bending deformation around the axis parallel to the short axis direction (i.e., the X-axis direction), while the deformation of stretching or compression along the long axis direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction) does not cause the deformation difference between the upper and lower sides of the flexible substrate 11, so dCx is a constant of 0.

[0078] Similarly, according to formula (5), dCz is used to reflect the difference in bending deformation produced on the two side surfaces along the short axis direction when the flexible substrate 11 is deformed. dCz is only related to the bending deformation around the axis parallel to the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction), and the deformation caused by stretching or compression along the long axis direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction) will not cause the deformation difference between the two side surfaces of the flexible substrate 11 along the short axis direction, so dCz is also a constant 0.

[0079] In some embodiments, the output parameter Ctotal of the sensor 1 along the Y-axis stretching or compression changes linearly in proportion to the stretching length or the compression length Lx, and has extremely high linearity, while dCz and dCx are both 0, and are not affected by the stretching length Lx of the stretching length or the compression length. Therefore, the sensor 1 can identify the stretching or compressing deformation along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate 11 according to the parameter Ctotal related to the capacitance.

[0080] Figure 6 is based on Figure 5A The sensor shown is a side view schematic diagram after being bent and deformed around an axis parallel to the short axis direction.

[0081] In some embodiments, when the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are all capacitive sensing structures, the sensor 1 can identify the bending deformation along the flexible substrate 11 around an axis parallel to the short axis direction according to the parameter dCx related to capacitance.

[0082] like Figure 5A and Figure 6As shown, when the sensor 1 is bent and deformed along an axis parallel to the short axis direction (i.e., the X-axis direction), for the convenience of explanation, it is approximately considered that the sensor 1 after bending and deformation is a circular arc, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are bent and elongated to L1, and the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are bent and compressed to L3. Considering that the thickness of each of the four sensing structures changes very little, for the convenience of explanation, it is approximately considered that the thickness of each of the four sensing structures remains unchanged. According to formula (1), it can be known that the capacitance C1 of the first sensing structure 12 and the capacitance C2 of the second sensing structure 13 change to the following formula (6), and the capacitance C3 of the third sensing structure 14 and the capacitance C4 of the fourth sensing structure 15 change to the following formula (7).

[0083] At this time, Ctotal, dCx, and dCz are determined by the following formulas (8), (9), and (10), respectively. dCz=(C1+C3)-(C2+C4)=0 (10)

[0084] Wherein, R0 represents the radius of the arc of the bending deformation of the flexible substrate 11; R1 represents the radius of the arc of the bending deformation of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13; R2 represents the radius of the arc of the bending deformation of the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15; t represents Figure 5A L1 represents the length of the arc of the bending deformation of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13; L3 represents the length of the arc of the bending deformation of the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15.

[0085] When the sensor 1 is bent and deformed along an axis parallel to the short axis direction, for example, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 are bent and stretched, and the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are bent and compressed. At this time, the sum of the capacitance C1 of the first sensing structure 12 and the capacitance C2 of the second sensing structure 13, i.e., C1+C2, and the sum of the capacitance C3 of the third sensing structure 14 and the capacitance C4 of the fourth sensing structure 15, i.e., C3+C4, have an opposite change relationship. At this time, Ctotal obtained by adding the capacitances of the four sensing structures can offset the change trends of C1+C2 and C3+C4, that is, Ctotal is the constant shown in formula (8) at this time, and Ctotal cannot be used to reflect the bending deformation of the sensor 1 along the axis parallel to the short axis direction.

[0086] In some embodiments, the output parameter dCx of the sensor 1 after bending deformation around an axis parallel to the short axis direction (i.e., the X-axis direction) varies linearly in direct proportion to the bending angle β, and has extremely high linearity, while dCz and Ctotal are both constants and are not affected by the bending angle β. Therefore, the sensor 1 can identify bending deformation along an axis parallel to the short axis direction based on the parameter dCx related to capacitance.

[0087] It should be noted that, in addition to the four sensing structures described above, the sensor 1 may have three or more sensing structures distributed on both side surfaces of the flexible substrate 11 along the thickness direction, and all extend along the long axis direction. As long as the deformations of different dimensions can be characterized by the parameters related to resistance (or capacitance) of these sensing structures, deformations of multiple dimensions can be identified. Just as an example, there are three sensing structures on the sensor 1, two of which are distributed on the upper side of the flexible substrate, and the other is distributed on the lower side of the flexible substrate. At this time, the parameters related to resistance (or capacitance) of the three sensing structures are also related to the bending deformation around the X-axis (or Z-axis). At this time, the bending deformation of the sensor 1 around the X-axis (or Z-axis) can also be calculated by combining the parameters related to resistance (or capacitance) generated by the three sensor structures.

[0088] Figure 7 is based on Figure 5A The sensor shown is a top view schematic diagram after being bent and deformed around an axis parallel to the thickness direction.

[0089] In some embodiments, when the first sensing structure 12 , the second sensing structure 13 , the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are all capacitive sensing structures, the sensor 1 can identify bending deformation along the flexible substrate 11 around an axis parallel to the thickness direction according to a parameter dCz related to capacitance.

[0090] like Figure 5A and Figure 7 As shown, when the sensor 1 is bent and deformed along an axis parallel to the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction), for the convenience of explanation, it is approximately considered that the sensor 1 after bending and deformation can be an arc, and the first sensing structure 12 and the third sensing structure 14 ( Figure 7 ) is bent and stretched to L4, the second sensing structure 13 and the fourth sensing structure 15 ( Figure 7 The structure (not shown) is bent and compressed to L2. Considering that the thickness of each of the four sensing structures changes very little, for the convenience of explanation, it is approximately assumed that the thickness of each of the four sensing structures remains unchanged. According to formula (1), the capacitance C1 of the first sensing structure 12 and the capacitance C3 of the third sensing structure 14 are expressed by the following formula (11), and the capacitance C2 of the second sensing structure 13 and the capacitance C4 of the fourth sensing structure 15 are expressed by the following formula (12).

[0091] At this time, Ctotal, dCx, and dCz are determined by the following formulas (13), (14), and (15), respectively. dCx=(C1+C2)-(C3+C4)=0 (14)

[0092] Among them, r0 represents the radius of the arc of the bending deformation of the flexible substrate 11; r1 represents the radius of the arc of the bending deformation of the first sensing structure 12 and the third sensing structure 14; r2 represents the radius of the arc of the bending deformation of the second sensing structure 13 and the fourth sensing structure 15; L2 represents the length of the arc of the bending deformation of the first sensing structure 12 and the third sensing structure 14; L4 represents the length of the arc of the bending deformation of the second sensing structure 13 and the fourth sensing structure 15.

[0093] In some embodiments, the output parameter dCz of the sensor 1 after bending deformation around an axis parallel to the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction) varies linearly in proportion to the bending angle α, and has extremely high linearity, while dCx and Ctotal are both constants and are not affected by the bending angle α. Therefore, the sensor 1 can identify bending deformation along an axis parallel to the thickness direction based on the parameter dCz related to capacitance.

[0094] In some embodiments, when the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are all resistance sensing structures, the processing circuit 16 can determine the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions according to the resistance parameters related to the four sensing structures. For example, the resistances of the four sensing structures are: Substituting the area of ​​each sensing structure after the deformation of the sensor 1 into the differential operation, a result similar to the capacitance-related parameter can be obtained, so that the processing circuit 16 can determine the bending deformation of the sensor 1 around the axis parallel to the thickness direction, the bending deformation around the axis parallel to the short axis direction, and the tensile or compressive deformation along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate. Wherein, ρ represents the resistivity of each of the four sensing structures (i.e., the middle layer, see below).

[0095] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 can identify a composite deformation in which deformations of any dimension coexist among the bending deformation of the sensor 1 about an axis parallel to the thickness direction, the bending deformation about an axis parallel to the short axis direction, and the tensile or compressive deformation along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate 11. For example, the processing circuit 16 can simultaneously calculate the changes in the parameters Ctotal, dCx, and dCz related to the capacitance, thereby simultaneously restoring the components of the deformations of different dimensions to restore the actual bending deformation of the sensor 1.

[0096] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the wrinkles on the flexible sensor. Figure 8 As shown, when the sensor 1 has multiple dimensions of composite deformation at the same time, the sensor 1 will be wrinkled ( Figure 8 The figure shows wrinkles in the length direction l), which is equivalent to multiple bends (bending angles can include α1, α2, and α3). After geometric integration, it can be seen that α1, α2, and α3 do not need to be considered, and only the angle between the head and tail of the sensor 1 needs to be considered. In other words, no matter how many times the sensor 1 is bent in the middle, the length change of the upper and lower surfaces along the thickness direction is and All of them are still valid, and the length L0 of the neutral line remains unchanged, where α is the angle between the head and tail of the sensor 1, and x represents the width (thickness) of the sensor 1 in the bending direction, indicating that the four sensing structures of the sensor 1 can effectively prevent the influence of wrinkles.

[0097] Fig. 9 is based on Figure 4A The graph shown is a schematic diagram of the curve obtained by actual measurement of the sensor.

[0098] like Fig. 9 As shown, when the sensor 1 is bent around an axis parallel to the short axis direction (i.e., the X-axis direction), dCx will change significantly with the bending angle, while Ctotal and dCz remain basically stable; when the sensor 1 is bent around an axis parallel to the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction), dCz will change significantly with the bending angle, while Ctotal and dCx remain basically stable; when the sensor 1 is stretched or compressed along the long axis direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction) of the flexible substrate 11, Ctotal will change significantly with the stretched length or compressed length, while dCx and dCz remain basically stable. Therefore, when the sensor 1 is bent, the output parameters Ctotal, dCx, and dCz related to the capacitance in the sensor 1 maintain a high degree of independence and stability, so that the processing circuit 16 can identify deformations of different dimensions according to Ctotal, dCx, and dCz respectively.

[0099] In some embodiments, when the sensor 1 is in free bending motion (i.e., the sensor 1 has a complex deformation), dCx, dCz and Ctotal will all change. At this time, the free bending motion of the sensor 1 can be decoupled into a bending deformation around an axis parallel to the thickness direction, a bending deformation around an axis parallel to the short axis direction, and a tensile or compressive deformation along the long axis direction, thereby restoring the actual bending motion of the sensor 1.

[0100] Fig.10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sensor according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0101] In some embodiments, each sensing structure includes a second conductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a first conductive layer stacked in sequence away from the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction. Fig.10 As shown, the first sensing structure 12 includes a second conductive layer 122, an intermediate layer 12-13 and a first conductive layer 121 stacked sequentially away from the flexible substrate 11; the second sensing structure 13 includes a second conductive layer 132, an intermediate layer 12-13 and a first conductive layer 131 stacked sequentially away from the flexible substrate 11; the third sensing structure 14 includes a second conductive layer 142, an intermediate layer 14-15 and a first conductive layer 141 stacked sequentially away from the flexible substrate 11; the fourth sensing structure 15 includes a second conductive layer 152, an intermediate layer 14-15 and a first conductive layer 151 stacked sequentially away from the flexible substrate 11. In some embodiments, the intermediate layer 12-13 is between the first conductive layer 121 and the second conductive layer 122 of the first sensing structure 12 (or the first conductive layer 131 and the second conductive layer 132 of the second sensing structure 13); the intermediate layer 14-15 is between the first conductive layer 141 and the second conductive layer 142 of the third sensing structure 14 (or the first conductive layer 151 and the second conductive layer 152 of the fourth sensing structure 15).

[0102] In some embodiments, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer of each sensing structure include an elastic conductive material, which can make the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer conductive and can return to their original shape when the external force disappears. In some embodiments, the elastic conductive material includes but is not limited to conductive film, conductive ink, conductive polymer material, conductive gel, liquid metal, etc. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer include a conductive film, which is made by mixing conductive particles with a polymer material. In some embodiments, the polymer material includes but is not limited to silicone, rubber or resin, etc. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer include conductive ink, which is made by mixing conductive particles with ink materials, and the conductive ink can be prepared by printing to obtain a conductive pattern. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer include conductive polymer materials, conductive gel, liquid metal, etc. In some embodiments, the conductive polymer material includes but is not limited to polypyrrole, poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) - polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS, Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate), etc.

[0103] In some embodiments, the elastic conductive material includes an elastic material filled with conductive particles, and the conductivity of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer can be adjusted by filling the conductive particles in the elastic material. In some embodiments, the elastic material includes silicone, rubber, resin, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyurethane, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), etc. In some embodiments, the conductive particles include metal powder and carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowires, carbon black, graphite powder, graphene, etc.

[0104] In some embodiments, the intermediate layers 12-13 and the intermediate layers 14-15 include elastic insulating materials, and each sensing structure is a capacitive sensing structure. For example, the elastic insulating material includes silicone, rubber, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), etc. In some embodiments, the intermediate layers 12-13 and the intermediate layers 14-15 include high-resistance elastic materials, and the resistivity of the intermediate layers 12-13 and the intermediate layers 14-15 is more than 1000 times greater than the resistivity of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. In this case, each sensing structure is a capacitive-resistive composite sensing structure.

[0105] In some embodiments, the thickness of the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer of each sensing structure is in the range of 1-100 um.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 121 of the first sensing structure 12 and the first conductive layer 131 of the second sensing structure 13 have the same size and shape, and their widths are both in the range of 0.5 to 10 mm. In some embodiments, the second conductive layer 122 of the first sensing structure 12 and the second conductive layer 132 of the second sensing structure 13 have the same size and shape, and their widths are both in the range of 0.5 to 10 mm. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 141 of the third sensing structure 14 and the first conductive layer 151 of the fourth sensing structure 15 have the same size and shape, and their widths are both in the range of 0.5 to 10 mm. In some embodiments, the second conductive layer 142 of the third sensing structure 14 and the second conductive layer 152 of the fourth sensing structure 15 have the same size and shape, and their widths are both in the range of 0.5 to 10 mm.

[0107] In some embodiments, the spacing between the first conductive layer 121 of the first sensing structure 12 and the second conductive layer 13 of the second sensing structure 13 is in the range of 0.02 to 2 mm. In some embodiments, the spacing between the second conductive layer 122 of the first sensing structure 12 and the second conductive layer 132 of the second sensing structure 13 is in the range of 0.02 to 2 mm. In some embodiments, the spacing between the first conductive layer 141 of the third sensing structure 14 and the first conductive layer 151 of the fourth sensing structure 15 is in the range of 0.02 to 2 mm. In some embodiments, the spacing between the second conductive layer 142 of the third sensing structure 14 and the second conductive layer 152 of the fourth sensing structure 15 is in the range of 0.02 to 2 mm.

[0108] In some embodiments, the conductivity of the first conductive layer is greater than the conductivity of the intermediate layer.

[0109] Conductivity is a parameter used to describe the ease of charge flow in a substance. Since the conductivity of the first conductive layer is greater than that of the second conductive layer, the first conductive layer has better conductivity. Therefore, the resistance of the first conductive layer is less than that of the second conductive layer. It should be noted that in this specification, the resistance of a certain component refers to the resistance between two surfaces of the component spaced apart along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11. The resistance of the first conductive layer refers to the resistance between two surfaces of the first conductive layer spaced apart along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11, and the resistance of the second conductive layer may refer to the resistance between two surfaces of the second conductive layer spaced apart along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11. In some embodiments, the conductivity of the first conductive layer may be more than 100 times that of the second conductive layer. In some embodiments, by setting the density of the conductive particles filled in the elastic material of the first conductive layer to be greater than the density of the conductive particles filled in the elastic material of the second conductive layer, the conductivity of the first conductive layer can be greater than that of the second conductive layer.

[0110] When the sensing structure (e.g., the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14, and the fourth sensing structure 15) is a capacitance-resistance composite sensing structure or a capacitance sensing structure, the resistance between the two surfaces of the intermediate layer spaced along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11 should not be too small, so as to facilitate the subsequent measurement of the resistance and the analysis of the change in resistance. In some embodiments, the resistance between the two surfaces of the intermediate layer spaced along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11 is greater than 0.8 MΩ. For example, when the sensing structure (e.g., the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14, and the fourth sensing structure 15) is a capacitance-resistance composite sensing structure, the resistance between the two surfaces of the intermediate layer spaced along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11 may also be 0.8 MΩ to 15 GΩ. For another example, when the sensing structures (e.g., the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14, and the fourth sensing structure 15) are capacitive sensing structures, the resistance between the two surfaces of the intermediate layer spaced along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11 may be greater, for example, the resistance may be greater than 15 GΩ.

[0111] By setting the resistance between the two surfaces of the middle layer along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11 to be greater than 0.8 MΩ, the middle layer can be made conductive while having a sufficiently large resistance, thereby ensuring the measurement of the resistance of the middle layer and the analysis of the change in resistance, which can accurately reflect the bending condition of the sensor 1.

[0112] In some embodiments, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer is greater than 2. The relative dielectric constant is a physical parameter that characterizes the dielectric properties or polarization properties of a dielectric material, and its value is equal to the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor of the same size made with the corresponding material as the medium to the capacitance of a capacitor of the same size made with a vacuum as the medium. The value of the relative dielectric constant is also a characterization of the material's ability to store electricity, also known as relative permittivity. A substance with a relative dielectric constant greater than 2 is a polar substance, that is, an intermediate layer with a relative dielectric constant greater than 2 has a certain ability to store electricity. Therefore, the intermediate layer can be equivalent to a parallel combination of a resistor element and a capacitor element.

[0113] In some embodiments, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer may also be greater than or equal to 4. Preferably, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer is greater than 5. In some embodiments, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer is greater than 10.

[0114] By setting the relative dielectric constant of the middle layer to be greater than 2, the middle layer can be both a resistor and a capacitor. During the bending of the flexible sensor 1, the capacitance and resistance of the middle layer will change with the deformation of the flexible substrate 11. Therefore, the parameters of the middle layer related to capacitance and resistance can reflect the bending of the sensor 1. In this embodiment, the capacitance and resistance exist at the same time to reflect the bending of the sensor 1, which can significantly improve the sensitivity and accuracy of the sensor 1.

[0115] In addition, by setting the resistance between the two surfaces of the intermediate layer along the thickness direction of the flexible substrate 11 to be greater than 0.8 MΩ, it can also be ensured that the intermediate layer can exhibit both better resistance performance and better capacitance performance, thereby ensuring the sensitivity and accuracy of the sensor 1.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first conductive layer of each sensing structure is a ground electrode.

[0117] By grounding the first conductive layer of each sensor structure, it can play the role of an electrical shielding layer, shielding the influence of interference sources such as the human body on the sensor 1, and improving the stability of the sensor 1.

[0118] Fig.11 is based on Fig.10 The equivalent circuit diagram of the sensor is shown.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 121 of the first sensing structure 12, the first conductive layer 131 of the second sensing structure 13, the first conductive layer 141 of the third sensing structure 14, and the first conductive layer 151 of the fourth sensing structure 15 are all grounded; the second conductive layer 122 of the first sensing structure 12, the second conductive layer 132 of the second sensing structure 13, the second conductive layer 142 of the third sensing structure 14, and the second conductive layer 152 of the fourth sensing structure 15 are respectively connected to the voltage output device of the processing circuit through a fixed resistor with a resistance value of R0, so as to provide a pulse AC voltage Vi with a peak voltage Vcc to the intermediate layer 12-13 and the intermediate layer 14-15. The first conductive layer 121 of the first sensing structure 12, the first conductive layer 131 of the second sensing structure 13, the first conductive layer 141 of the third sensing structure 14, and the first conductive layer 151 of the fourth sensing structure 15 are respectively connected to the processing circuit with lead wires to read the parameters related to the capacitance of the intermediate layer 12-13 and the intermediate layer 14-15 of each sensing structure. As an example only, the second conductive layer 122 of the first sensing structure 12, the second conductive layer 132 of the second sensing structure 13, the second conductive layer 142 of the third sensing structure 14, and the second conductive layer 152 of the fourth sensing structure 15 can be connected to a voltage detection device to detect the voltages Vout1, Vout2, Vout3, and Vout4 outputted by the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13, the third sensing structure 14, and the fourth sensing structure 15, respectively. Then the equivalent circuit is as follows: Fig.11 As shown, at this time, when the input Vi signal is a square wave pulse with a peak value of Vcc.

[0120] Wherein, Vout(x) represents the output voltage of the x-th sensing structure; Vcc represents the peak value of the square wave pulse electrical signal Vi is Vcc; R0 represents the resistance value of the fixed resistor; C(x) represents the capacitance value of the x-th sensing structure (middle layer), x is 1, 2, 3 and 4; t represents the measurement time. The magnitude of the output voltage of the x-th sensing structure is related to the capacitance of the x-th sensing structure (middle layer). In some embodiments, the capacitance value C(x) of each sensing structure can be calculated according to formula (16), and the capacitance-related parameters Ctotal, dCz and dCx of the sensor 1 can be determined by the capacitance value of each sensing structure. When the sensor 1 is bent and deformed, the processing circuit 16 can identify deformations of different dimensions according to Ctotal, dCx and dCz.

[0121] In some embodiments, when the middle layer of the sensing structure is a high-resistance material, it is equivalent to introducing a parallel resistor R(x) at both ends of each sensing structure capacitor C(x), and the above calculation formula (16) is changed to:

[0122] Wherein, R(x) represents the resistance value of the middle layer of the x-th sensing structure. At this time, the x-th sensing structure is a capacitor-resistor composite sensing structure, and the output voltage Vout(x) of the x-th sensing structure is the output result of the capacitor-resistor composite action. The processing circuit 16 can still determine the capacitance value C(x) of each sensing structure according to formula (17) to determine the parameters Ctotal, dCz and dCx related to the sensor 1 and then identify deformations of different dimensions according to Ctotal, dCx and dCz.

[0123] Fig.12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sensor according to some other embodiments of the present specification.

[0124] In some embodiments, two sensing structures on the same side surface of the flexible substrate 11 share a first conductive layer, and the second conductive layers of the two sensing structures are spaced apart along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate 11. Fig.12 As shown, the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 share the first conductive layer 121-131. The third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 share the first conductive layer 141-151. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 121-13 and the first conductive layer 141-151 have the same size and shape, and their widths are both in the range of 0.52 to 12 mm.

[0125] In some embodiments, by connecting the first conductive layer 121-131 shared by the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 12 and the first conductive layer 141-151 shared by the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 to ground electrodes, such a configuration can form a complete shielding layer on the upper and lower surfaces of the sensor 1, thereby achieving a better effect of shielding external noise (for example, shielding the influence of interference sources such as the human body on the sensor 1). In addition, it also effectively simplifies the production process of the sensor 1.

[0126] Fig.13 is based on Fig.12 A schematic cross-sectional view of a sensor provided with a connecting piece is shown.

[0127] like Fig.13 As shown, in some embodiments, the sensor 1 further includes a conductive connector 17 , which is disposed around the circumference of the flexible substrate 11 and connected to the first conductive layer of each sensing structure to form a shielding layer of the sensor 1 .

[0128] In some embodiments, the first conductive layers 121-131 and the first conductive layers 141-151 are connected together and grounded by the connector 17, and the peripheral side surface of the flexible substrate 11 is further sealed, so that the connector 17, the first conductive layers 121-131 and the first conductive layers 141-151 form a grounded shielding layer that completely wraps the flexible substrate 11, thereby achieving the best effect of shielding external noise.

[0129] In some embodiments, the projections of the first conductive layers of the two sensing structures on the flexible substrate 11 cover the projections of the second conductive layers of the two sensing structures on the flexible substrate. Fig.12 and Fig.13 As shown, the projection of the first conductive layer 121-131 shared by the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 on the flexible substrate 11 covers the projection of the second conductive layer 122 of the first sensing structure 12 and the second conductive layer 132 of the second sensing structure 13 on the flexible substrate 11. The projection of the first conductive layer 141-151 shared by the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 on the flexible substrate 11 covers the projection of the second conductive layer 142 of the third sensing structure 14 and the second conductive layer 152 of the fourth sensing structure 15 on the flexible substrate 11.

[0130] In some embodiments, the projection of the first conductive layer shared by the two sensing structures on the flexible substrate 11 completely covers the projection of the second conductive layer on the flexible substrate 11, which can effectively reduce the number of pins arranged on the sensor 1 and reduce the difficulty of connecting the leads of the processing circuit.

[0131] like Fig.12 As shown, in some embodiments, the first conductive layer is covered with a first protective structure on one side away from the flexible substrate 11. In some embodiments, the first protective structure includes an upper protective layer 181 and a lower protective layer 182.

[0132] like Fig.13 As shown, in some embodiments, the exposed surface of the flexible substrate 11 is covered with a second protective structure 19 .

[0133] In some embodiments, the upper protective layer 181, the lower protective layer 182 and the second protective structure 19 are insulating and elastic flexible materials or high-resistance and elastic flexible materials. In some embodiments, the upper protective layer 181, the lower protective layer 182 and the second protective structure 19 include but are not limited to silicone, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), etc. In some embodiments, the resistivity of the upper protective layer 181, the lower protective layer 182 and the second protective structure 19 is greater than or equal to the flexible substrate 11. In some embodiments, the thickness of the upper protective layer 181 and the lower protective layer 182 ranges from 1 to 100 um.

[0134] Figure 12-13 The difference between the first protective structure and the second protective structure 19 is shown respectively. Fig.12 In the embodiment shown, the first protection structure covers all edges of all conductive layers of the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13, and all edges of all conductive layers of the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 through an upper protection layer 181 and a lower protection layer 182, respectively. Fig.13 In the illustrated embodiment, the second protection structure 19 covers and protects all edges of all conductive layers of the four sensing structures at the same time.

[0135] like Fig.12 As shown, in some embodiments, the upper protective layer 181 includes all edges of the first conductive layer 121-131 shared by the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13, the second conductive layer 122 of the first sensing structure 12, and the second conductive layer 132 of the second sensing structure 13. In some embodiments, the lower protective layer 182 includes all edges of the first conductive layer 141-151 shared by the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15, the second conductive layer 142 of the third sensing structure 14, and the second conductive layer 152 of the fourth sensing structure 15. By providing the first protective structure, the internal sensing structure of the sensor 1 can be effectively prevented from being damaged during use, and the sensor 1 can be prevented from introducing additional noise due to contact with an external conductor (such as a human body, liquid, etc.).

[0136] Fig.14 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor shown in some other embodiments of this specification.

[0137] In some embodiments, each sensing structure includes a second conductive layer, a second intermediate layer, a third conductive layer, a first intermediate layer, and a first conductive layer stacked in sequence away from the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction. Fig.14As shown, the first sensing structure 12 includes a second conductive layer 122, a second intermediate layer 12-2, a third conductive layer 123, a first intermediate layer 12-1, and a first conductive layer 121, which are stacked in sequence away from the flexible substrate 11 along the thickness direction. The second sensing structure 13 includes a second conductive layer 132, a second intermediate layer 13-2, a third conductive layer 133, a first intermediate layer 13-1, and a first conductive layer 131, which are stacked in sequence away from the flexible substrate 11 along the thickness direction. The third sensing structure 14 includes a second conductive layer 142, a second intermediate layer 14-2, a third conductive layer 143, a first intermediate layer 14-1, and a first conductive layer 141, which are stacked in sequence away from the flexible substrate 11 along the thickness direction. The fourth sensing structure 15 includes a second conductive layer 152, a second intermediate layer 15-2, a third conductive layer 153, a first intermediate layer 15-1, and a first conductive layer 151, which are stacked in sequence away from the flexible substrate 11 along the thickness direction.

[0138] In some embodiments, the parameters of the third conductive layer, the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer of each sensing structure are consistent; the parameters of the second intermediate layer, the first intermediate layer, and the intermediate layer described above are consistent. The specific material and size parameters of each structure can be found in Fig.10 and its related description.

[0139] In some embodiments, more conductive layers (such as Fig.14 The third conductive layer can effectively improve the sensitivity of the sensor 1 in detecting bending deformation in various dimensions.

[0140] Fig.15 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor shown in some other embodiments of the present specification.

[0141] like Fig.15 As shown, in some embodiments, two sensing structures on the same side of the flexible substrate 11 share a first conductive layer or a second conductive layer, and the third conductive layers of the two sensing structures are spaced apart along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate 11. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are both ground electrodes.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 121-131 and the second conductive layer 122-132 shared by the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13, and the first conductive layer 141-151 and the second conductive layer 142-152 shared by the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are all grounded; the first conductive layer 122-132 and the second conductive layer 142-152 are respectively connected to the voltage output device of the processing circuit through fixed resistors to provide pulsed AC voltage to the first intermediate layer 12-1, the second intermediate layer 12-2, the first intermediate layer 14-1 and the second intermediate layer 14-2. The first conductive layer 121-131 and the second conductive layer 122-132 shared by the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13, the first conductive layer 141-151 and the second conductive layer 142-152 shared by the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are respectively connected to the flexible substrate 11 through leads to connect to the processing circuit to read the parameters Ctotal, dCz and dCx related to the capacitance of each sensing structure (i.e., each first intermediate layer and second intermediate layer), so that the processing circuit 16 can be used to identify the deformation of the sensor 1 in different dimensions. Fig.14 and Fig.15 In the embodiment shown, the sensor 1 also has Fig.12 and Fig.13 The first protection structure or the second protection structure 19 shown covers and protects all edges of all conductive layers of each sensing structure.

[0143] like Fig.15 As shown, in some embodiments, the sensor 1 further includes a connector 17, which is disposed around the periphery of the sensor, and two ends of the connector 17 are respectively connected to the first conductive layers on the two side surfaces of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first conductive layers 121-131 and the first conductive layers 141-151 on both sides of the flexible substrate 11 in the thickness direction are connected and grounded by the connector 17, and the peripheral side surface of the flexible substrate 11 is closed, so that the connector 17, the first conductive layers 121-131 and the first conductive layers 141-151 form a grounded shielding layer that completely wraps the flexible substrate 11, thereby achieving a better effect of shielding external noise.

[0145] Fig.16 is one of the cross-sectional schematic diagrams of a sensor according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0146] In some embodiments, each sensing structure includes an intermediate layer and a first conductive layer which are sequentially stacked away from the flexible substrate 11 along the thickness direction, and the flexible substrate 11 is made of an elastic conductive material.

[0147] like Fig.16As shown, the flexible substrate 11 made of elastic conductive material can conduct electricity, thereby effectively reducing the use of conductive layers in each sensing structure, so that the sensor 1 does not need to be provided with too many conductive layers, thereby effectively simplifying the preparation of the sensing structure.

[0148] like Fig.16 As shown, in some embodiments, the conductivity of the flexible substrate 11 is greater than the conductivity of the intermediate layer. Since the conductivity of the flexible substrate 11 is greater than the conductivity of the intermediate layer (including the intermediate layers 12-13 and the intermediate layers 14-15), the conductive performance of the flexible substrate 11 is better. Therefore, the resistance of the flexible substrate 11 of each sensing structure is less than the resistance of the intermediate layer. The resistance of the flexible substrate 11 refers to the resistance between the two surfaces of the flexible substrate 11 spaced apart along the thickness direction, and the resistance of the intermediate layer refers to the resistance between the two surfaces of the intermediate layer spaced apart along the thickness direction. In some embodiments, the conductivity of the flexible substrate 11 can be more than 100 times the conductivity of the intermediate layer. In some embodiments, by setting the density of the conductive particles filled in the elastic material of the flexible substrate 11 to be greater than the density of the conductive particles filled in the elastic material of the intermediate layer, the conductivity of the flexible substrate 11 can be greater than that of the intermediate layer.

[0149] In some embodiments, the resistance between two surfaces of the intermediate layer spaced apart along the thickness direction is greater than 0.8 MΩ.

[0150] In some embodiments, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer is greater than 2. The intermediate layer may be equivalent to a parallel combination of a resistor and a capacitor. In some embodiments, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer may also be greater than or equal to 4. Preferably, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer is greater than 5. In some embodiments, the relative dielectric constant of the intermediate layer is greater than 10.

[0151] like Fig.16 As shown, in some embodiments, the first conductive layer of each sensing structure is a ground electrode. In some embodiments, the first conductive layers of two sensing structures on the same side surface of the flexible substrate 11 are spaced apart along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate.

[0152] In some embodiments, by grounding the first conductive layer of each sensing structure, it can act as an electrical shielding layer, shielding the influence of interference sources such as the human body on the sensor 1, and improving the stability of the sensor 1. In some embodiments, by grounding the first conductive layer of each sensing structure, such an arrangement can form a complete shielding layer on the upper and lower surfaces of the sensor 1, which has a better effect of shielding external noise, and in addition effectively simplifies the production process of the sensor 1.

[0153] In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 121 of the first sensing structure 12, the first conductive layer 131 of the second sensing structure 13, the first conductive layer 141 of the third sensing structure 14, and the first conductive layer 151 of the fourth sensing structure 15 are all grounded; the flexible substrate 11 is connected to the voltage output device of the processing circuit through a fixed resistor to provide a pulsed AC voltage to the intermediate layers 12-13 and 14-15. The first conductive layer 121 of the first sensing structure 12, the first conductive layer 131 of the second sensing structure 13, the first conductive layer 141 of the third sensing structure 14, and the first conductive layer 151 of the fourth sensing structure 15 are respectively connected to the flexible substrate 11 through leads to connect to the processing circuit to read the parameters Ctotal, dCz, and dCx related to the capacitance in each sensing structure (i.e., the intermediate layer), so that the processing circuit 16 can identify the deformation of the sensor 1 in different dimensions. Fig.16 In the embodiment shown, the sensor 1 also has Fig.12 and Fig.13 The first protection structure or the second protection structure 19 shown covers and protects all edges of all conductive layers of each sensing structure.

[0154] Fig.17 This is a second cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sensor according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0155] like Fig.17 As shown, in some embodiments, each sensing structure includes a second intermediate layer, a third conductive layer, a first intermediate layer, and a first conductive layer stacked in the thickness direction away from the flexible substrate 11. In some embodiments, two sensing structures on the same side of the flexible substrate 11 share a first conductive layer, and the third conductive layers of the two sensing structures are spaced apart along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate 11.

[0156] like Fig.17 As shown, in some embodiments, the parameters of the third conductive layer of each sensing structure are consistent with the parameters of the shared first conductive layer; the parameters of the second intermediate layer, the first intermediate layer of each sensing structure are consistent with the parameters of the intermediate layer described above. The specific material and size parameters of each structure can be found in Fig.10 and its related description.

[0157] In some embodiments, the projection of the first conductive layer shared by the two sensing structures on the flexible substrate 11 completely covers the projection of the third conductive layer on the flexible substrate 11, which can effectively reduce the number of pins arranged on the sensor 1 and reduce the difficulty of connecting the leads of the processing circuit.

[0158] like Fig.17As shown, in some embodiments, the first conductive layer 121-131 shared by the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13 and the first conductive layer 141-151 shared by the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15 are all grounded; the third conductive layer of each sensing structure is connected to the voltage output device of the processing circuit through a fixed resistor to provide a pulsed AC voltage to the first intermediate layer 12-1, the second intermediate layer 12-2, the first intermediate layer 14-1 and the second intermediate layer 14-2.

[0159] The first conductive layer 121-131 shared by the first sensing structure 12 and the second sensing structure 13, the first conductive layer 141-151 shared by the third sensing structure 14 and the fourth sensing structure 15, and the flexible substrate 11 are respectively connected to the processing circuit with lead wires to read the capacitance-related parameters Ctotal, dCz and dCx of each sensing structure (i.e., each first intermediate layer and the second intermediate layer), so that the processing circuit 16 can identify the deformation of the sensor 1 in different dimensions.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first conductive layer and the flexible substrate 11 are both ground electrodes.

[0161] In some embodiments, by grounding the first conductive layer flexible substrate 11 of each sensor structure, it can act as an electrical shielding layer, shielding the influence of interference sources such as the human body on the sensor 1, and improving the stability of the sensor 1. Fig.17 In the embodiment shown, the sensor 1 also has Fig.12 and Fig.13 The first protection structure or the second protection structure 19 shown covers and protects all edges of all conductive layers of each sensing structure, shielding noise interference from the external environment.

[0162] Fig.18 This is the third cross-sectional schematic diagram of the sensor shown in some embodiments of this specification.

[0163] like Fig.18 As shown, in some embodiments, the sensor 1 also includes a connector 17, which surrounds two sensing structures arranged on the same side of the flexible substrate 11, one end of the connector 17 is connected to the first conductive layer of the two sensing structures on the same side, and the other end of the connector is connected to the side of the flexible substrate 11 where the two sensing structures are located.

[0164] In some embodiments, the flexible substrate 11 and the first conductive layer shared by the two sensing structures on the same side are connected and grounded through the connector 17, and the peripheral side of the middle layer of each sensing structure is sealed, so that the connector 17, the flexible substrate 11 and the shared first conductive layer form a ground shielding layer that completely wraps the sensing structure, thereby achieving the best effect of shielding external noise.

[0165] Fig.19 This is the fourth cross-sectional schematic diagram of the sensor shown in some embodiments of the present specification.

[0166] In some embodiments, the sensor 1 further comprises a plurality of sensing structures arranged along the width direction of the flexible substrate 11. Fig.19 As shown, the sensor 1 includes a fifth sensing structure 11' and a sixth sensing structure 12', and the fifth sensing structure 11' and the sixth sensing structure 12' both include multilayer structures arranged on both side surfaces in the thickness direction, and each layer of each multilayer structure is stacked along the thickness direction. For example, the fifth sensing structure 11' includes a first conductive layer 111' and a second conductive layer 112', and the sixth sensing structure 12' includes a first conductive layer 121' and a second conductive layer 122'. Fig.19 As shown, in some embodiments, the multi-layer structure includes a second conductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a first conductive layer which are sequentially stacked away from the flexible substrate 11 .

[0167] Fig. 20 This is the fifth cross-sectional schematic diagram of the sensor shown in some embodiments of the present specification.

[0168] In some embodiments, the three sensing structures on the same side surface of the flexible substrate 11 share a first conductive layer, and the second conductive layers of the three sensing structures are arranged at intervals along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate 11. Fig. 20 As shown, in some embodiments, the first sensing structure 12, the second sensing structure 13 and the fifth sensing structure 11' share the first conductive layer 121'-131'. In some embodiments, the third sensing structure 14, the fourth sensing structure 15 and the sixth sensing structure 12' share the first conductive layer 141'-151'. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 121'-131' and the first conductive layer 141'-151' have the same size and shape, and their widths are both in the range of 0.52 to 12 mm. Fig. 20 The material and shape and size parameters of the remaining structures of the sensor 1 of the illustrated embodiment remain unchanged, and the specific description can be found in the above description.

[0169] In some embodiments, the flexible substrate 11 includes a short axis direction (ie, X axis direction) and a long axis direction (ie, Y axis direction) perpendicular to the thickness direction (ie, Z axis direction), and the ratio of the size of the sensor 1 in the short axis direction to the size in the thickness direction ranges from 1:1 to 10:1.

[0170] If the ratio of the size of the sensor 1 in the short axis direction to the size in the thickness direction is too small, the manufacturing process of the sensor 1 is more difficult; if the ratio of the size of the sensor 1 in the short axis direction to the size in the thickness direction is too large, it will cause wrinkles when the sensor 1 is bent around an axis parallel to the short axis direction, destroying the symmetry of each sensing structure, causing the output of the sensing structure (such as output voltage) to be unstable, making it impossible for the sensing structure on the sensor 1 to perform composite differential interference cancellation. In some embodiments, the ratio of the size of the sensor 1 in the short axis direction to the size in the thickness direction is within 55:1. Preferably, the ratio of the size of the sensor 1 in the short axis direction to the size in the thickness direction is 2:1 or 3:1.

[0171] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 reads parameters related to resistance or capacitance of each sensing structure respectively, and determines the deformation of at least two dimensions of the flexible substrate 11 according to the parameters. In some embodiments, the parameters are current values ​​or voltage values, and the processing circuit 16 determines the deformation of at least two dimensions of the flexible substrate 11 based on the current values ​​or voltage values. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 determines the capacitance or resistance value of each sensing structure based on the current value or voltage value, and determines the deformation of at least two dimensions of the flexible substrate 11 according to the capacitance or resistance value.

[0172] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 directly determines the deformation of the flexible substrate 11 in at least two dimensions based on the current value or voltage value of each sensing structure. For example, according to the mapping relationship between the current value or voltage value and the deformation amount in different dimensions of the flexible substrate 11, the processing circuit 16 measures the current value or voltage value of each sensing structure, and obtains the deformation in different dimensions of the flexible substrate 11 according to the mapping relationship. For another example, the machine learning model is trained by the historical current value or voltage value and the historical dimensional deformation of the flexible substrate 11, and the parameters of each sensing structure measured (such as the actual current value or the historical actual value) are input into the machine learning model to obtain the deformation in different dimensions of the flexible substrate 11.

[0173] In some embodiments, according to the mapping relationship between the capacitance or resistance and the deformation amount in different dimensions of the flexible substrate 11, the processing circuit 16 determines the capacitance or resistance of the sensing structure based on the current value or voltage value, and then determines the deformation in different dimensions of the flexible substrate 11 based on the mapping relationship. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 16 determines the capacitance or resistance of the sensing structure through the historical current value or the historical voltage value, trains the machine learning model based on the capacitance or resistance and the deformation in the historical dimension of the flexible substrate 11, calculates the capacitance or resistance based on the measured parameters of each sensing structure (such as the actual current value or the historical actual value), and inputs it into the machine learning model to obtain the deformation in different dimensions of the flexible substrate 11.

[0174] Fig.21Ais a schematic diagram of the structure of the smart gloves shown in some embodiments of this specification; Fig.21B It is a schematic diagram of the joints of a user's hand according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0175] like Fig.21A As shown, in some embodiments, the smart glove 2 includes a glove body 21, a sensor 1 and a processor 3, and the processor 3 is configured to receive and process data collected by the sensor 1; wherein the sensor 1 is located in any one or more areas corresponding to the glove body 21 and the user's finger joints 22, palm-wrist joints 23, and wrist joints 24.

[0176] Smart gloves 2 refer to devices used to capture the user's hand or finger movements. For example, smart gloves include motion capture gloves, sign language gloves, VR gloves, force feedback gloves, tactile feedback gloves, etc. Fig.21A and Fig.21B As shown, in some embodiments, sensor 1-1 is placed at the back of the finger joint (i.e., metacarpophalangeal joint) 22-1 of the thumb in the glove body 21; sensor 1-2 is placed at the back of the finger joint 22-2 of the index finger in the glove body 21; sensor 1-3 is placed at the back of the finger joint 22-3 of the middle finger in the glove body 21; sensor 1-4 is placed at the back of the finger joint 22-4 of the ring finger in the glove body 21; sensor 1-5 is placed at the back of the finger joint 22-5 of the little finger in the glove body 21. Since the root joint of the hand can be bent and can also swing left and right, it has two-dimensional bending motion information, and the back of the finger also has axial stretching motion due to bending, which is in line with the sensitive characteristics of sensor 1, so that sensor 1 can achieve complete and accurate motion capture of the hand or finger and smooth and natural motion restoration.

[0177] like Fig.21A and Fig.21B As shown, in some embodiments, sensor 1-6 is placed on the back of the wrist-metacarpal joint 23 where the thumb metacarpal bone and the wrist are connected in the glove body 21. In some embodiments, sensor 1-0 can be placed on the back of the wrist joint 24, or on the side or front of the wrist joint 24. Similarly, the wrist-metacarpal joint 23 and wrist joint 24 of the hand can bend and swing left and right, and have two-dimensional bending motion information, so that 1-0 and sensor 1-6 can capture the movement of the wrist joint and the movement and motion restoration of the wrist-metacarpal joint of the hand respectively. Since the other finger joints only have one-dimensional bending motion, the sensor 1 in the embodiment of this description can be used, and other flexible sensors can also be used. In some embodiments, other flexible sensors include but are not limited to inductive, resistive, capacitive, optical fiber, etc. The user's complete hand motion capture and restoration is achieved through the cooperation of multiple sensors.

[0178] In some embodiments, the data of the sensor 1 is transmitted to the control chip of the processor 3 through a wire, so as to analyze and process the motion data of the smart glove 2 and interact with a host computer such as a computer, a mobile phone, a VR device, etc. For example, the interaction includes controlling the switch of the external device, adjusting the volume, the program process of the external device (such as controlling the movement of the game character), fitness feedback, etc.

[0179] Fig.22A is a front schematic diagram of a smart garment according to some embodiments of this specification; Fig. 22B It is a schematic diagram of the back side of the smart clothing shown in some embodiments of this specification.

[0180] In some embodiments, the smart clothing 4 includes a clothing body 41, a sensor 1 and a processor, and the processor is configured to receive and process data collected by the sensor 1; wherein the sensor 1 is located in any one or more areas of the clothing body corresponding to the user's shoulder joint, spinal joint, hip joint, and ankle joint.

[0181] Smart clothing4 refers to equipment used to capture the user's body movements. Fig.22A and Fig. 22B As shown, in some embodiments, sensors 1-7 and sensors 1-8 are respectively placed on the front or back side of the shoulder joints on both sides above the user's shoulders to realize the motion capture of the user's shoulders. In some embodiments, the length range of sensors 1-7 and sensors 1-8 along the Y-axis direction covers the width of the shoulder joints and crosses the arm root circumference, so that the arm root circumferences on both sides of the shoulders are within 1 / 3 of the length of sensors 1-7 and sensors 1-8 along the Y-axis direction. In some embodiments, the length of sensors 1-7 and sensors 1-8 along the Y-axis direction is greater than 10 cm. Fig. 22B As shown, in some embodiments, sensor 1-10 is placed at the spinal joint in the middle of the user's back, and the length range of sensor 1-10 along the Y-axis direction covers the entire spine of the user (i.e., from the coccyx to the neck). In some embodiments, the length of sensor 1-10 along the Y-axis direction is greater than 20 cm. In some embodiments, sensor 1-7 and sensor 1-9 are respectively placed at the hip joints on both sides of the user's body, for example, on both sides of the hip or on the front and back sides of the hip. In some embodiments, the length range of sensor 1-7 and sensor 1-9 along the Y-axis direction covers the entire hip joint. In some embodiments, the length of sensor 1-7 and sensor 1-9 along the Y-axis direction is greater than 10 cm.

[0182] Since other joints of the body (such as elbow joints, knee joints, ankle joints, etc.) only have one-dimensional bending motion, the sensor 1 in the present embodiment can be used, and other flexible sensors can also be used. For example, in addition to the sensor 1 in the present embodiment, other flexible sensors (including but not limited to inductive, capacitive, resistive, etc.) are also provided for elbow joints, knee joints, ankle joints, etc. that only have one-dimensional bending motion, so that the user's body movements can be captured and restored through the cooperation of multiple sensors.

[0183] In some embodiments, the data of the sensor 1 is transmitted to the control chip of the processor through a wire, so as to analyze and process the motion data of the smart clothing 4 and interact with a host computer such as a computer, a mobile phone, a VR device, etc. For example, the interaction includes controlling the switch of the external device, adjusting the volume, the program process of the external device (such as controlling the movement of the game character), fitness feedback, etc.

[0184] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above detailed disclosure is only for example and does not constitute a limitation of this specification. Although not explicitly stated here, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements and corrections to this specification. Such modifications, improvements and corrections are suggested in this specification, so such modifications, improvements and corrections still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this specification.

Claims

1. A sensor, characterized in that: include: Flexible substrate; A first sensing structure and a second sensing structure, wherein the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure each include a multilayer structure arranged on the same side surface in a thickness direction of the flexible substrate, and each layer of the multilayer structure is stacked along the thickness direction; as well as A processing circuit is provided, wherein the processing circuit reads parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure respectively, and determines deformation of the flexible substrate in at least two dimensions according to the parameters.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein: The first sensing structure and the second sensing structure are distributed on both sides of the flexible substrate along the thickness direction, and a projection of the first sensing structure on the flexible substrate at least partially overlaps with a projection of the second sensing structure on the flexible substrate.

3. The sensor according to claim 2, wherein: The flexible substrate includes a short axis direction and a long axis direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, and the deformation in at least two dimensions includes bending deformation around an axis parallel to the short axis direction and stretching or compressing deformation along the long axis direction.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible substrate includes a long axis direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. The first sensing structure and the second sensing structure are distributed on the same side of the flexible substrate in the thickness direction. The first sensing structure and the second sensing structure are arranged side by side and both extend along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate.

5. The sensor according to claim 4, wherein: The deformation in at least two dimensions includes bending deformation around an axis parallel to the thickness direction and tensile or compressive deformation along the long axis direction.

6. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein: Also included is a third sensing structure and a fourth sensing structure, wherein the third sensing structure and the fourth sensing structure each include a multilayer structure arranged on the same side surface in the thickness direction, and each layer of each multilayer structure is stacked along the thickness direction; Among them, the flexible substrate includes a long axis direction and a short axis direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure are distributed side by side on one side surface of the flexible substrate along the thickness direction, and both extend along the long axis direction; the third sensing structure and the fourth sensing structure are distributed side by side on the other side surface of the flexible substrate along the thickness direction, and both extend along the long axis direction.

7. The sensor according to claim 6, wherein: The processing circuit reads the parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the third sensing structure and the fourth sensing structure respectively, and determines the deformation of the flexible substrate in at least two dimensions based on the parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the first sensing structure and the second sensing structure, and the parameters related to resistance or capacitance of the third sensing structure and the fourth sensing structure.

8. The sensor according to claim 7, wherein: The deformation in at least two dimensions includes bending deformation around an axis parallel to the thickness direction, bending deformation around an axis parallel to the short axis direction, and stretching or compressing deformation along the long axis direction of the flexible substrate.

9. The sensor according to claim 6, wherein: The first sensing structure and the second sensing structure are symmetrically arranged about a first middle section, and the third sensing structure and the fourth sensing structure are symmetrically arranged about the first middle section, wherein the first middle section represents: a middle section of the flexible substrate parallel to a plane formed by the thickness direction and the long axis direction; The first sensing structure and the third sensing structure are symmetrically arranged about the second middle section of the flexible substrate, and the second sensing structure and the fourth sensing structure are symmetrically arranged about the second middle section, and the second middle section represents: a middle section parallel to a plane formed by the major axis direction and the minor axis direction in the flexible substrate.

10. The sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 9, wherein: Each of the sensing structures includes a second conductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a first conductive layer which are sequentially stacked away from the flexible substrate along the thickness direction.

11. The sensor according to claim 10, wherein: The first conductive layer of each of the sensing structures is a grounding electrode.

12. The sensor according to claim 11, wherein: The two sensing structures on the same side surface of the flexible substrate share a first conductive layer, and the second conductive layers of the two sensing structures are arranged at intervals along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate.

13. The sensor according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The connecting member is disposed around the periphery of the sensor, and two ends of the connecting member are respectively connected to the first conductive layers on two side surfaces of the flexible substrate in the thickness direction.

14. The sensor according to claim 12, wherein: The projections of the first conductive layers of the two sensing structures on the flexible substrate cover the projections of the second conductive layers of the two sensing structures on the flexible substrate.

15. The sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 9, wherein: Each of the sensing structures includes a second conductive layer, a second intermediate layer, a third conductive layer, a first intermediate layer, and a first conductive layer which are sequentially stacked away from the flexible substrate along the thickness direction.

16. The sensor according to claim 15, wherein: The two sensing structures on the same side of the flexible substrate share a first conductive layer or a second conductive layer, and the third conductive layers of the two sensing structures are arranged at intervals along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate.

17. The sensor according to claim 16, wherein: The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are both ground electrodes.

18. The sensor according to claim 17, wherein: It also includes a connecting member, which is arranged around the periphery of the sensor, and two ends of the connecting member are respectively connected to the first conductive layers on the two side surfaces of the flexible substrate in the thickness direction.

19. The sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 9, wherein: Each of the sensing structures comprises an intermediate layer and a first conductive layer which are sequentially stacked away from the flexible substrate along the thickness direction, and the flexible substrate is made of an elastic conductive material.

20. The sensor according to claim 19, wherein The first conductive layer of each of the sensing structures is a grounding electrode.

21. The sensor according to claim 20, wherein: The first conductive layers of the two sensing structures on the same side surface of the flexible substrate are arranged at intervals along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate.

22. The sensor according to claim 19, wherein Each of the sensing structures includes a second intermediate layer, a third conductive layer, a first intermediate layer, and a first conductive layer which are sequentially stacked away from the flexible substrate along the thickness direction.

23. The sensor according to claim 22, wherein: The two sensing structures on the same side of the flexible substrate share a first conductive layer, and the third conductive layers of the two sensing structures are arranged at intervals along the short axis direction of the flexible substrate.

24. The sensor according to claim 23, wherein The first conductive layer and the flexible substrate are both ground electrodes.

25. The sensor according to claim 23, wherein: It also includes a connector, which surrounds two sensing structures arranged on the same side of the flexible substrate, one end of the connector is connected to the first conductive layer of the two sensing structures on the same side, and the other end of the connector is connected to the side of the flexible substrate where the two sensing structures are located.

26. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein The flexible substrate includes a short axis direction and a long axis direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, and the ratio of the dimension of the sensor in the short axis direction to the dimension in the thickness direction is in the range of 1:1 to 10:

1.

27. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein The parameter is a current value or a voltage value, and the processing circuit determines the deformation of the flexible substrate in at least two dimensions based on the current value or the voltage value; or The processing circuit determines a capacitance or resistance value of each of the sensing structures based on the current value or the voltage value, and determines a deformation of the flexible substrate in at least two dimensions according to the capacitance or resistance value.

28. A smart glove, characterized in that: include: Glove body; A sensor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27; as well as A processor configured to receive and process data collected by the sensor; Wherein, the sensor is located in any one or more areas of the glove body corresponding to the user's finger joints, metacarpophalangeal joints, palmar-wrist joints, and wrist joints.

29. A smart garment, characterized in that: include: Clothing body; A sensor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27; as well as A processor configured to receive and process data collected by the sensor; Wherein, the sensor is located in any one or more areas of the clothing body corresponding to the user's shoulder joint, spinal joint, hip joint, and ankle joint.

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