Sampling of tactile sensor array using a thick-film circuit

The problem of external leads of a tactile sensor array has a great impact on a sensor's manufacturing process, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and actual applications. This paper introduces a method that uses a local thick-film circuit to implement a tactile sensor array and to output its sampling signals. The method makes a piezoresistive tactile sensor with a 16/spl times/16 array of taxels and a 1mm interval only need 5 external leads. On the basis of presenting the structure and manufacturing process of a sensor, we also illustrate a data acquisition circuit in detail. Because of integrating all functional circuits to a sensor in a form of thick-film circuit, the whole sensor is miniaturized and its external leads are minimized successfully, which makes it convenient to be utilized in a variety of fields. Finally, several properties of the sensor are tested and evaluated.