Patent ID: 8710823

Claim:
A contact sensor, comprising: an insulative spacer having a plurality of openings; a first conductive sheet touching a first surface of the insulative spacer and being deformable in such a manner as to get into any of the openings in the insulative spacer; and a second conductive sheet touching a second surface of the insulative spacer and being deformable in such a manner as to get into any of the openings in the insulative spacer, wherein electrical contact between the first conductive sheet and the second conductive sheet is to be established through the openings of the insulative spacer to provide contact detection, the insulative spacer is configured of a plurality of insulative lines combined in a grid pattern, the insulative lines have first end portions fixed to the first conductive sheet at one end side and second end portions fixed to the second conductive sheet at an other end side, the second conductive sheet has first holding portions for slidably holding the insulative lines outside a grid-patterned area having the insulative lines combined in a grid pattern and at a side of the first end portions, and the first conductive sheet has second holding portions for slidably holding the insulative lines outside the grid-patterned area and at a side of the second end portions.