Wide-range load sensor using quartz crystal resonator for biological signal detection

A load sensor with high sensitivity, a wide measurement range, and a small size was developed by using an AT-cut quartz crystal resonator (QCR). The quartz crystal generates a charge that is proportional to the external force. Because it has high sensitivity and excellent temperature stability, it has been used for various sensors. In particular, a QCR has an inherently superior static-load-sensing characteristic. However, a QCR is fragile and easily broken by a stress concentration. Moreover, a retention mechanism is required to efficiently transmit the load, and it is necessary to fix the QCR firmly to avoid a horizontal force. Moreover, it is very difficult to miniaturize the retention mechanism because the fabrication and assembly process is complicated. We previously proposed a miniaturized sensor element that was developed using microfabrication. The QCR load sensor had an enormously wide force-sensing range of greater than 10⁴ N. However, the output was easily affected by a change in the parasitic capacitance around the QCR. The objective of this study was to improve the load-measurement resolution and stabilize the sensor output for application to biological signal detection. We fabricated a QCR sensor with a sensitivity of 973 Hz/N and succeeded in detecting multiple biological signals (respiration, heartbeat, and posture) with using proposed QCR load sensor.