Acoustic wave sensors are utilized in a variety of sensing applications, such as, for example, temperature and/or pressure sensing devices and systems. Acoustic wave devices have been in commercial use for over sixty years. Although the telecommunications industry is the largest user of acoustic wave devices, they are also used for in other areas for sensor applications, e.g., (chemical vapor detection). Acoustic wave sensors are so named because they use a mechanical, or acoustic, wave as the sensing mechanism. As the acoustic wave propagates through or on the surface of the material, any changes to the propagation path affect the characteristics of the wave.
Changes in acoustic wave characteristics can be monitored by measuring the frequency, amplitude or phase characteristics of the sensor and can then be correlated to the corresponding physical quantity or chemical quantity that is being measured. Virtually all acoustic wave devices and sensors utilize a piezoelectric substrate to generate the acoustic wave. Three mechanisms can contribute to acoustic wave sensor response, i.e., mass-loading, visco-elastic and acousto-electric effect. The mass-loading of chemicals alters the frequency, amplitude, and phase and Q value of such sensors. Most acoustic wave chemical detection sensors, for example, rely on the mass sensitivity of the sensor in conjunction with a chemically selective coating that absorbs the vapors of interest resulting in an increased mass loading of the acoustic wave sensor.
Examples of acoustic wave sensors include acoustic wave detection devices, which are utilized to detect the presence of substances, such as chemicals, or environmental conditions such as temperature and pressure. An acoustical or acoustic wave (e.g., SAW/BAW) device acting as a sensor can provide a highly sensitive detection mechanism due to the high sensitivity to surface loading and the low noise, which results from their intrinsic high Q factor. Surface acoustic wave devices are typically fabricated using photolithographic techniques with comb-like interdigital transducers placed on a piezoelectric material. Surface acoustic wave devices may have a delay line, a filter, or a resonator configuration. Bulk acoustic wave device are typically fabricated using a vacuum plater. The choice of the electrode materials and the thickness of the electrode are controlled by filament temperature and total heating time. The size and shape of electrodes are defined by proper use of masks. One type of bulk device, the acoustic plate mode device, however, can be constructing utilizing techniques similar to that utilized for configuring a surface wave device.
One area where acoustic wave sensors seem to offer advantages is in the field of torque sensing. In systems incorporating rotating drive shafts, for example, it is often necessary to know the torque and speed of such shafts in order to control the same or other devices associated with the rotatable shafts. Accordingly, it is desirable to sense and measure the torque in an accurate, reliable, and inexpensive manner.
Sensors to measure the torque imposed on rotating shafts, such as but not limited to shafts in automotive vehicles, are utilized in many applications. For example, it might be desirable to measure the torque on rotating shafts in a vehicle's transmission, or in a vehicle's engine (e.g., the crankshaft), or in a vehicle's automatic braking system (ABS) for a variety of purposes known in the art.
One application of this type of torque measurement is in electric power steering systems wherein an electric motor is driven in response to the operation and/or manipulation of a vehicle steering wheel. The system then interprets the amount of torque or rotation applied to the steering wheel and its attached shaft in order to translate the information into an appropriate command for an operating means of the steerable wheels of the vehicle.
Torque sensors, particularly SAW-based torque sensors, provide a generally unpredictable output frequency temperatures sensitivity resulting in excess calibration points for each sensor. Additionally, such devices offer poor short term and long term stability, because they lack a cover and hermetic sealing features. Additionally, the substrate mounting and packaging techniques are unsuitable for high-demand torque applications. It is therefore believed that in order to overcome these deficiencies, an improved torque sensor device must be designed and implemented. Such a device is described in greater detail herein.