Stretch sensors have electrical characteristics which have carefully determined variations in an electrical characteristic to allow the degree of stretch of a sensor to be sensed or measured by a sensing circuit. To be commercially valuable, an initial value of an electrical characteristic needs to be in a suitable range for economically available sensing circuits and the variation in the electrical characteristic with stretch needs to be within a suitable range again for economically available sensing circuits.
One type of stretch sensor has a capacitance and resistance formed by stretchable electrodes separated by stretchable dielectrics separating the stretchable electrodes.
The degree of stretch in the sensor can be measured by sensing or measuring the capacitance and/or resistance in the sensor as it is stretched.
This measured degree of stretch can be used to instrument deformation or movement of a body, such as a human or animal body or limb, or structure or other object by mechanically coupling the sensor or to the body and measuring the degree of stretch by capacitance and/or resistance.
A challenge in the use of stretch sensors is to instrument deformation of a body is in interconnecting the part of the sensor which stretches with a sensing circuit which senses or measures the capacitance and/or resistance.
A problem in meeting this challenge is interconnecting electrodes in a sensor with terminals for sensing electronics or cables for a circuit.
Specific problems arise when electromagnetic noise occurs in the region of a sensor.
Further problems arise when the stretchable sensor stretched in use away from rigid terminals.
In some specific capacitive stretch sensors it would therefore be of advantage to have a stretch sensor which could address any or all of the above problems, or at least provide the public with an alternative choice.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds