Patent ID: 7178405

Claim:
A pressure sensor comprising: a surface sheet whose front side is an operating surface; and a substrate sheet including a plurality of switches and being disposed below the back side of the surface sheet at a predetermined space therebetween, wherein the substrate sheet includes an upper sheet including upper electrodes disposed on a back side of thereof and a lower sheet including lower electrodes disposed on a front side thereof, the lower sheet being separated from the upper sheet and opposing the upper sheet with a predetermined space therebetween, wherein each switch comprises an upper electrode vertically opposing a lower electrode such that the upper or lower electrode in at least one switch comprises a resistive film and the resistances of the upper and lower electrodes differ from one another in the at least one switch, and wherein a resolution of switch signals from at least one switch is configured to vary as the contact area between the opposing electrodes in the at least one switch changes in accordance with an amount of a pressing force applied on the operating surface, so as to change a resistance value of the at least one switch.