This paper proposes a flexible dual mode tactile and proximity sensor using Carbon Microcoils (CMCs). The sensor consists of a Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) electrode layer and a dielectric layer of CMCs composite. In order to avoid damage from frequent contacts, the sensor has all electrodes on the same plane and a polymer covering is placed on the top of the sensor. CMCs can be modeled as complex LCR circuit and the sensitivity of the sensor highly depends on the CMC content. Proper CMC content is experimentally investigated and applied to make the CMCs composite for the dielectric layer. The CMC sensor measures the capacitance for tactile stimulus and inductance for proximity stimulus. A prototype with a size of 30 × 30 × 0.6 𝑚𝑚³, is manufactured and its feasibility is experimentally validated.

Date Published: 15 April 2016
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 9798, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2016, 979838 (15 April 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2220160

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9798:
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2016
Yoseph Bar-Cohen; Frédéric Vidal, Editor(s)