Patent ID: 7347102

Claim:
A contact-type electric capacitive displacement sensor comprising: a stationary element including a stationary plate and a stationary conductive pattern formed on the stationary plate, wherein the stationary conductive pattern has one or more stationary conductors distanced away from each other; a displaceable element including a displaceable plate and a displaceable conductive pattern formed on the displaceable plate, wherein the displaceable conductive pattern has at least one displaceable conductor; a voltage source for supplying an electric power to the sensor; and signal detector means for detecting a variation of capacitance between the stationary and the displaceable elements, wherein each of the stationary and the displaceable elements has an insulation film associated with its corresponding conductive pattern, and the displaceable element and the stationary element are contacted with each other through the insulation films and movable relative to each other, so that the areas overlapped between the respective stationary conductors and the displaceable conductor change to thereby produce the variation of capacitance therebetween when moving relative to each other.