Sensor device

1 . A sensor device comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate arranged in a planar manner at a vertical distance to each other, wherein inner sides of the first substrate and the second substrate face each other; a first electrode arranged on the inner side of the first substrate;

a second electrode arranged on the inner side of the second substrate;

a first force sensitive element arranged on the inner side of the first substrate and covering at least a part of the first electrode;

a second force sensitive element arranged on the inner side of the second substrate and covering at least part of the second electrode;

a plurality of outer stiffening elements, each arranged on at least one of the first substrate or the second substrate, the plurality of outer stiffening elements being radially arranged around a center axis of the sensor device and located in an outer area of the sensor device, the outer area being an area closer to an outer edge of the sensor device than to the center axis; and

a plurality of inner stiffening elements, each arranged on at least one of the first substrate or the second substrate, the plurality of inner stiffening elements being radially arranged around the center axis of the sensor device and located on an inner area of the sensor device, the inner area being an area closer to the center axis than to the outer edge, and wherein

the first force sensitive element and the second force sensitive element are arranged radially between the plurality of inner stiffening elements and the plurality of outer stiffening elements.

2 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first substrate is divided into a plurality of first segments and the second substrate is divided into a plurality of second segments, wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of first segments and adjacent ones of the plurality of second segments are electronically insulated from each other.

3 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein

individual segments of the plurality of first segments and the plurality of second segments comprise terminal contacts.

4 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first electrode is arranged on the first substrate in a ring shape and the second electrode is arranged in a ring shape on the second substrate.

5 . The sensor device according claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of inner stiffening elements are shaped as one of a ring or a disc.

6 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first force sensitive element and the second force sensitive element comprise a force sensitive resistor material.

7 . The sensor device according to claim 5 , wherein the force sensitive elements are arranged in one of a thru-mode or a shunt-mode configuration.

8 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate have stiffer substrate regions, wherein the stiffer substrate regions are harder to bend than electrode regions in which the electrodes are located.

9 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of outer stiffening elements and the plurality of inner stiffening elements are adapted to convert a deflection of the sensor device into a pressure due to an external force.

10 . A method for measuring an external force to a sensor device of claim 2 , the method comprising:

applying the external force at one or more of a plurality of inner stiffening elements of the sensor device, thereby causing a deflection of at least one of a plurality of first segments or a plurality of second segments resulting in force vectors in a force sensitive material of a first and second force sensitive element, and thus resulting in a change of resistance of the force sensitive material;

generating signals in ones of the one of the plurality of first segments or the plurality of second segments; and

processing the signals to generate a measurement signal representative of the value of the external force.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

detecting a position of the external force on the sensor device based on different values of the signal in ones of the plurality of first segments or the plurality of second segments.