Patent · US Expired

Transducer with six degrees of freedom

US4320392A · kind A · utility

16Cited by
3References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 28, 1980
Grant dateMar 16, 1982
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 28, 2000

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05G2009/0474
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A transducer is provided which has six degrees of freedom and is arranged to output electrical signals indicative of the forces and moments applied thereto. The transducer comprises a rigid casing which, for example, is of cubic form. The casing is intended to be connected, for example, to the movable arm of a robot. A rigid body of a shape similar to the casing is suspended fluidically within the casing and is connected to a control shaft which projects through the casing. The external faces of the rigid body and the inner faces of the casing are both provided with conductive portions which together constitute a plurality of condensers the capacitance of which depends on the relative positioning of the body and casing. Forces and moments applied to the control shaft produce corresponding variations in the capacitance of these condensers and can therefore be easily measured.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.