System for measuring tongue pressure

The present invention relates to a system for measuring contact pressure between a tongue and a palate during speech production (in this description, this system is referred to as a "tongue pressure measuring system"), and the system is applicable for the study of phonetic science, rehabilitation exercise for a person having articulation impediments, and so forth. A system for measuring tongue pressure includes a thin palate floor plate, thin pressure sensor sheets, an attaching member and a cable. The shape of the thin palate floor plate matches with that of a palate. The thin pressure sensor sheets have a plurality of pressure sensing cells secured to the lower surface of the palate floor plate. The attaching member attaches the palate floor plate to a proper position in the palate. The cable transmits information from the pressure sensing cells of the pressure sensor sheets to an apparatus outside the palate, and is let out of the oral cavity extending around the back of the final gum tooth and passing along the vestibule of the oval cavity when the palate floor plate is attached in the palate. Each of the pressure sensor sheets has two resin backings structured in one body, each of which has a plurality of electrodes covered with a pressure-sensitive ink layer on one side. Between the backings, air is contained gastightly. The electrodes are opposed to each other via the pressure-sensitive ink. The portions corresponding to the opposing electrodes and the pressure-sensitive ink layer functions as the pressure sensing cells.