Sensor tip for a robotic gripper and method of manufacture
US5261266A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 10, 1992 |
| Grant date | Nov 16, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 10, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01L25/00
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A sensor tip (10) for use in a robotic hand has a three-dimensional compliant elastomeric body (12) with an outer boundary (22) having a circular base (24) and a convex surface (26) extending therefrom. Four strain transducers (14, 16, 18, and 20) produce electrical signals indicative of the strain at various positions near the boundary of the elastomeric body (12) resulting from forces exerted upon the sensor tip (10) by an object which the robotic hand is manipulating. The transducers (14, 16, 18, and 20) are positioned about the convex surface (26) so as to produce signals that may be decoupled to determine the normal and tangential forces and the applied torque. A buffer amplifier circuit (34), one for each of the transducers (14, 16, 18, and 20), receives the signals and provides quasi-steady state force information. The circuit (34) connects the respective transducer (40) in a feedback loop around an amplifier (36) and has desirable attributes for static charge buffering. The sensor tip (10) is calibrated to determine proportionality constants for the decoupling algorithm for use of a force delivering system (60), which uses voice coils (74) to apply a force that is linearly …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.