A physical quantity sensor includes a substrate, an anchor portion, a surrounding portion, a detecting element, a moving portion, and a beam portion. The anchor portion is formed on the same side as a principal surface of the substrate and fixed to the substrate. The surrounding portion is formed on the same side as the principal surface of the substrate and surrounds the anchor portion. The detecting element detects a physical quantity as a target of detection. The moving portion is provided with at least a part of the detecting element, formed on the same side as the principal surface of the substrate, and connected to the surrounding portion. The beam portion is formed on the same side as the principal surface of the substrate and connects the anchor portion and the surrounding portion together.

A self-diagnosis method for a vibration sensor attached to vibrating equipment includes measuring vibration data of the vibrating equipment by the vibration sensor, integrating the vibration data, and diagnosing whether or not the vibration sensor is abnormal by comparing an integrated value of the vibration data with a reference value.

A sensor device includes a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) force sensor, and a capacitive acceleration sensor. In the method of manufacturing the sensor device, a sensor portion of the MEMS force sensor is prepared over a front surface of a first substrate. The sensor portion includes a piezo-resistive element and a front electrode. A bottom electrode and a first electrode are formed on a back surface of the first substrate. A second substrate having an electrode pad and a second electrode to the bottom of the first substrate are attached such that the bottom electrode is connected to the electrode pad and the first electrode faces the second electrode with a space therebetween.

A transduction detection device includes a substrate and a strain gauge suspended above a face of the substrate having a piezoresistive element. At least one portion of the surface of the piezoresistive element is covered by a stack having, successively from the surface of the piezoresistive element, a dielectric layer and an electrically conductive layer.

A piezoelectric sensor comprises a support structure, a channel extending through the support structure, a sensing material stack coupled to the support structure and extending over the channel, and a filler material disposed within the channel and over the sensing material stack. The sensing material stack comprises an structural layer, a first electrode layer disposed on the structural layer, a piezoelectric material disposed in a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer opposite the first electrode layer.

A signal processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes an acceleration arithmetic unit. The acceleration arithmetic unit extracts, on a basis of a first detection signal and a second detection signal, the first detection signal including information related to an acceleration along at least a uniaxial direction and having an alternating-current waveform corresponding to the acceleration, the second detection signal including the information related to the acceleration and having an output waveform in which an alternating-current component corresponding to the acceleration is superimposed on a direct-current component, a dynamic acceleration component and a static acceleration component from the acceleration.

A strain sensor is based on a self-biasing reference circuit that reaches an operating state that, at least at first order, is at least supply-voltage independent. The strain sensor provides an output signal that is defined by the operating state of the self-biasing reference circuit. At least one component in the self-biasing reference circuit has an electrical characteristic that depends on a strain to which the at least one component is subjected. This makes that the operating state of the self-biasing reference circuit depends on the strain. As a result, the output signal of the strain sensor varies as a function of the strain to which the at least one component is subjected.

A circuit configured to sense an input analog signal generated by a sensor at a first frequency and to generate an output digital signal indicative of the sensed input analog signal. The circuit includes a conditioning circuit, an ADC, a feedback circuit, and a low-pass filter. The conditioning circuit is configured to receive the input analog signal and to generate a conditioned analog signal. The ADC is configured to provide a converted digital signal based on the conditioned analog signal. The feedback circuit includes a band-pass filter configured to selectively detect a periodic signal at a second frequency higher than the first frequency and to act on the conditioning circuit to counter variations of the periodic signal at the second frequency. The low-pass filter is configured to filter out the periodic signal from the converted digital signal to generate the output digital signal.

A physical disturbance sensor includes a plurality of piezoresistive elements configured in a resistive bridge configuration. A signal transmitter is electrically connected to the physical disturbance sensor and configured to send an encoded signal to the piezoresistive elements of the resistive bridge configuration. A signal receiver is electrically connected to the piezoresistive elements and configured to receive a signal from the physical disturbance sensor. The received signal from the physical disturbance sensor is correlated with the sent encoded signal in determining a measure of physical disturbance.

A sensor unit includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall connected to one end of the first sidewall and one end of the second sidewall, and a fourth sidewall opposed to the third sidewall of a container including a lid, a first connector, and a second connector. The first connector is attached to the first sidewall further on the side of the fourth sidewall than the side of the third sidewall. The second connector is attached to the second sidewall further on the side of the third sidewall than the side of the fourth sidewall.