Flexible Pressure Sensor Protrusion Design for Curved Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible pressure sensors struggle to accurately measure contact pressure on curved or moving surfaces while excluding pressure sensing due to bending or stretching, which is crucial for wearable devices and robot applications.
Innovation Solution
A flexible pressure sensor design featuring a lower structure with a flexible substrate and first electrodes, and an upper structure with protrusion structures that are configured to prevent contact with electrodes during bending, allowing only contact pressure to be sensed by maintaining vertical spacing between the protrusion structures and electrodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the pressure sensor uses a flexible structure to adapt to curved surfaces, then adaptability is improved, but bending pressure is erroneously sensed reducing measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure sensor is divided into multiple independent sensing regions (first sensing region with first electrodes and second sensing region with second electrodes) separated by the protrusion structure. This segmentation allows each region to independently sense pressure in different directions, enabling the sensor to distinguish between bending pressure and contact pressure while maintaining flexibility for curved surface adaptation.
2Ease of manufacture
If the sensor structure is simplified to reduce device complexity, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to selectively sense contact pressure while excluding bending pressure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion structure is designed with a specific height that allows it to deform elastically under bending pressure, maintaining a gap between the sensing surfaces during bending. Under contact pressure, the protrusion compresses sufficiently to bring the sensing surfaces into contact. This dynamic response enables selective pressure sensing without requiring complex additional components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor effectively minimizes pressure sensing due to bending while selectively sensing contact pressure, enhancing accuracy on curved or moving surfaces, thus improving performance in wearable and robot applications.
Implementation Method 1
the first protrusion structures are in contact with a top surface of the flexible substrate, the second protrusion structures are vertically spaced apart from the first and second electrodes... capable of preventing pressure sensing due to bending, but selectively sensing only a pressure due to contact
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a flexible pressure sensor. The flexible pressure includes: a lower structure; and an upper structure on the lower structure, wherein the lower structure includes: a flexible substrate; and first electrodes on the flexible substrate and second electrode spaced apart from the first electrodes, and the upper structure includes: a support; first protrusion structures integrally connected to the support to protrude from a bottom surface of the support; and second protrusion structures integrally connected to the support to protrude from the bottom surface of the support, the second protrusion structures being spaced apart from the first protrusion structures, wherein the first protrusion structures are in contact with a top surface of the flexible substrate, the second protrusion structures are vertically spaced apart from the first and second electrodes, and when viewed in a plan view, the first protrusion structures are configured to completely surround the second protrusion structures.