Measuring and testing – Dynamometers – Responsive to multiple loads or load components
Patent
1989-06-03
1991-04-30
Ruehl, Charles A.
Measuring and testing
Dynamometers
Responsive to multiple loads or load components
738657, 73172, 338114, 901 46, G01L 500, G01L 120, H01C 1010, B25J 1902
Patent
active
050107747
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Art Field
The present invention relates to a device for detecting contact pressures distributed in a certain breadth of area, using a pressure sensitive conductive rubber capable of changing the electrical resistance in response to compression forces, and displaying the result of detection on a display device in the form of an image or a drawing figure.
2. Background Art
To let a robot or the like handle objects, one practice is to provide a sensor comparable to a tactile organ on the surface of a hand of the robot or the like against which the objects to be handled are contacted so that the objects can be held or gripped with an appropriate degree of force or wherein their configurations can be recognized by the sensor. Conventionally, materials such as semiconductors, ceramics, organic material, optical fibers and so forth are known to be useful for sensor elements. However, the known measurement systems made with use of such materials have problems with their flexibility and/or involve difficulties such that they cannot be made compact, they fail to provide sufficient resolving power for analyzing respective forces, distributed over an area and/or they are not economically feasible. Thus, it is the present status of art that a satisfactory measurement system has not yet been provided.
With the above status of the art in mind, the inventors of the present invention have previously invented a distribution type tactile sensor which makes use, for the sensor element, of a rubber which normally is an insulator but which, when subjected to deformation by an applied force, changes its electrical resistance in response to a change in the amount of the deformation (this rubber will hereinafter be referred to as pressure sensitive conductive rubber). This sensor can determine the forces applied on various contact points of the sensor at which the sensor is contacted with an object. This invention formed the subject matter for a patent application filed in Japan under the patent application No. 60-219245.
The above tactile sensor is of an arrangement in which electrodes are provided in pairs at each measurement point for the measurement of compression forces on a thin sheet-type pressure sensitive conductive rubber, and by which the forces applied at the measurement points are detected as changes in the electrical resistance of the conductive rubber at such measurement points. This tactile sensor may be appllied to an object holding surface of, for example, a robot and utilized as a tactile detecting sensor. Electrodes may be provided in a sufficient number as required for the holding of an object, and the number of electrodes to be provided is, for example, on the order of 16 to 25.
The invention disclosed in the above cited Japanese patent application makes a combined use of a thin layer of a flexible pressure sensitive conductive rubber and electrode leads, and thereby dispenses with the need of providing a sensor at each of the measurement points, thus making it possible to provide a sensor device having a function closely resembling the function of human hands. Thus, the touch or tactile sensor of the invention referred to above can be widely utilized, not only in controlling the force of holding or gripping depending on the strength, the weight, the configuration and so forth of an object to be handled and/or depending on the particular purpose of the handling, but also in distinguishing shapes or configurations of objects and detecting slip or slide, by contacting or touching.
In view of the above, it will be appreciated that by using a sensor device having a number of touch or contact detecting points closely arranged in longitudinal and transverse directions (hereinafter referred to as distribution type tactile sensor), it is possible to display the configuration of the object against which the sensor device is contacted, and the distribution of the contact pressures on the object, in the form of an image or a drawing figure. An attempt made in order to realize this possibility is reported
REFERENCES:
patent: 4013835 (1977-03-01), Eachus et al.
patent: 4390028 (1983-06-01), Okano et al.
patent: 4481815 (1984-11-01), Overton
patent: 4640137 (1987-02-01), Trull et al.
Kanamori Katsuhiko
Kikuo Kanaya
Masuda Ryosuke
Ruehl Charles A.
The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.
LandOfFree
Distribution type tactile sensor does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Distribution type tactile sensor, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Distribution type tactile sensor will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-633437