A controller configured for detecting a disturbance using a comparison of outputs of at least two sensors and for determining a pressure from the outputs of the at least two sensors. A ratio of the measurement sensitivity and the disturbance sensitivity should be different for the at least two sensors. A method for monitoring disturbances of a sensor assembly includes comparing the outputs of the at least two sensors. The controller and related method provide, while requiring only two sensors, a redundant system that is also able to detect excessive disturbances on a sensor assembly.

An integrated polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) thin-film sensor produced by laser pyrolysis and additive manufacturing and a fabrication method thereof are provided. Using a metal component or an insulating material as a substrate, a PDC-doped composite insulating film layer with high density, high insulation, and high temperature resistance is formed by a layer-by-layer laser pyrolysis and additive manufacturing on the surface of the metal component, and a strain sensitive layer with excellent electrical conductivity is obtained by Weissenberg direct writing process PDC-doped filler sensitive grid on the composite insulating film layer and laser pyrolysis enhancing graphitization of PDC. In this way, the in situ integrated laser fabrication of highly insulating film layer, sensitive grid with excellent electrical conductivity, and metal substrate based on PDC materials is developed, which achieves the laser processing of “liquid-solid-function” transformation of PDC composites and allows the successful use thereof in strain sensing of metallic materials.

A magnetic angle sensor system includes a first magnetic sensor configured to generate a first sensor signal, a second magnetic sensor configured to generate a second sensor signal, and at least one signal processor configured to: generate an angle signal including an angular value corresponding to an orientation of a magnetic field based on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal; generate a vector length signal comprising a plurality of vector lengths corresponding to the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal; and extract at least one spectral component of the vector length signal, the at least one spectral component being indicative of a vector length variance between at least two consecutively sampled vector lengths of the plurality of vector lengths.

Provided are an element applicable to a high-precision, high-sensitivity pressure detecting sensor and switch, a manufacturing method for the element; and a sensor, an electronic circuit, and an input device that include the element. The electret element of the present invention has a semiconductor sandwiched between a pair of electrodes, and an electret film disposed at a location opposite to the semiconductor via a gap. The electret element of the present invention may be structured so that the semiconductor contacts with the electret film, or so as to have micro-sized gaps therebetween. The electret film is semi-permanently kept in a positively or negatively charged state. By having a structure in which the electret film can contact with or approach the semiconductor, an amount of electric currents flowing between the pair of electrodes can be controlled.

A load sensor disposed between an air suspension assembly of a vehicle and a vehicle suspension, wherein the load sensor generates a load signal which varies based on an amount of force transferred from said vehicle frame to said vehicle suspension, wherein the load signal can be received by a load calculator to allow calculation of the load exerted from said vehicle frame to the vehicle suspension.

A strain gauge includes a substrate formed of resin and having flexibility and a functional layer formed of a metal, an alloy, or a metal compound, directly on one surface of the substrate. The strain gauge includes a resistor formed as a film that contains Cr, CrN, and Cr.sub.2N and into which an element contained in the functional layer is diffused. The resistor is provided on one surface of the functional layer. A first substance having a function of controlling growth of crystal grains as a main component of the resistor, is added to the resistor.

The pressure sensing device includes a substrate and a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor used is a thin-film piezoresistive sensor with a certain area, and a power wire, a ground wire, and two differential wires are led out from ends of the pressure sensor respectively, and the pressure sensor is arranged on the substrate. The substrate is simply attached to the object being tested that is to be subjected to pressure, the pressure sensor is connected to a pressure sensing detection circuit, the object being tested deforms under pressure, and the thin-film piezoresistive sensor deforms as the substrate deforms. The deformation of the substrate is detected through detecting the voltage drop between the two differential wires, which is converted to obtain the pressure on the object being tested, thereby realizing a pressure-sensitive touch function. A pressure sensing method and an electronic terminal with the pressure sensing device are also provided.

Sensor systems are described that are designed to be integrated with gloves for the human hand. An array of sensors detects forces associated with action of a hand in the glove, and associated circuitry generates corresponding control information that may be used to control a wide variety of processes and devices.

In one embodiment, a ruggedized wafer level microelectromechanical (“MEMS”) force sensor includes a base and a cap. The MEMS force sensor includes a flexible membrane and a sensing element. The sensing element is electrically connected to integrated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (“CMOS”) circuitry provided on the same substrate as the sensing element. The CMOS circuitry can be configured to amplify, digitize, calibrate, store, and/or communicate force values through electrical terminals to external circuitry.

An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A lateral resistor is arranged in a first plane parallel to the surface of the substrate. A vertical reference resistor comprises a layer arranged in a second plane parallel to the surface of the substrate and deeper than the first plane. This layer is doped to promote current flow in the second plane. The vertical reference resistor further comprises a first trench and a second trench coupled between the layer and the surface of the substrate. The first and second trenches are arranged in a vertical direction orthogonal to the first and the second planes and are doped to impede current flow in the vertical direction. A cross-section of the first and second trenches is two-fold rotationally symmetric around the vertical direction, and the lateral resistor and the first and second trenches have the same temperature coefficient.