Sensor Device Electrode Draw-Out Through Substrate Side
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tactile sensor systems for robots face challenges with increased processing load on control units, slow response speed, difficulty in mounting and maintaining large numbers of sensors, and signal degradation due to long lines, which hinder their effectiveness in applications like humanoid robots.
Innovation Solution
A sensor device integrating a contact sensing surface with a semiconductor substrate containing an embedded signal processing integrated circuit and a bonding layer, where the sensor electrode and integrated circuit are sealed together with lead-outs through the substrate's side surface, allowing for miniaturization, reduced noise, and localized signal processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large number of tactile sensor elements are managed by a centralized control unit, then comprehensive sensing coverage is achieved, but the processing load on the control unit becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sensing system into multiple independent sensor units, each with its own signal processing unit. This segmentation distributes the processing load from a single centralized control unit to multiple local processing units, reducing the complexity and burden on any single control unit while maintaining comprehensive sensing coverage across all sensor elements.
2Quantity of substance
If more tactile sensors are connected to the control unit, then sensing coverage increases, but the sampling interval becomes larger and response speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Each sensor unit operates with its own signal processing unit that can independently process sensor signals. This allows multiple sensor units to operate in parallel, maintaining a small sampling interval and fast response speed even when a large number of sensors are deployed, as each unit processes its signals without waiting for centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
Signal processing is performed preliminarily at each sensor unit before signals are transmitted to the control unit. This preliminary processing reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and processed centrally, enabling faster response times while supporting a large number of sensors.
3Quantity of substance
If tactile sensors are placed throughout the whole body surface, then sensing coverage is maximized, but the number of lines between sensors and control unit becomes enormous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent groups tactile sensors into multiple sensor units, with each unit containing several sensor elements and a dedicated signal processing unit. This segmentation reduces the number of connection lines to the central control unit, as each sensor unit aggregates and processes signals locally before transmitting consolidated data to the control unit.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensor elements within each sensor unit are combined with a shared signal processing unit. This merging reduces the total number of independent connections to the control unit, as each sensor unit presents a reduced set of processed signals rather than individual signals from each sensor element.
4Quantity of substance
If tactile sensors are distributed across the robot body, then sensing coverage increases, but maintenance and failure repair become extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the distributed sensor system into modular sensor units, each with its own signal processing unit. This modular segmentation enables independent maintenance and repair of individual sensor units without affecting the entire sensor system. When a sensor unit fails or requires maintenance, it can be serviced or replaced independently, significantly improving ease of repair compared to a fully distributed system where each sensor would need individual attention.
5Quantity of substance
If long lines are used to connect tactile sensors to the control unit, then sensing coverage is extended, but signal degradation due to noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
Signal processing is performed preliminarily at each sensor unit before signals are transmitted over long lines to the control unit. This preliminary processing includes amplification, filtering, and analog-to-digital conversion, which prepares the signals for long-distance transmission with minimal degradation. By processing signals locally first, the system maintains signal integrity even when sensors are distributed across the entire robot body.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a technique for packaging a sensor structure having a contact sensing surface and a signal processing LSI that processes a sensor signal. The sensor structure has the contact sensing surface and sensor electrodes. The signal processing integrated circuit is embedded in a semiconductor substrate. The sensor structure and the semiconductor substrate are bonded by a bonding layer, forming a sensor device as a single chip. The sensor electrodes and the integrated circuit are sealed inside the sensor device, and the sensor electrodes and external terminals of the integrated circuit are led out to the back surface of the semiconductor substrate through a side surface of the semiconductor substrate.