Soft, compliant, high spatial resolution tactile sensor array

摘要

#$%^&*AU2017100903A420170803.pdf#####Abstract The problem to be solved is that in existing sensing solutions, there is a trade-off between spatial resolution, flexibility, softness and manufacturing cost. The proposed design and analyses method provides a low cost, soft and malleable tactile sensing system with high spatial resolution that can be reshaped and applied to any surface, and that reduces the number of individual sensing elements, eliminates the need for any electronics within the sensing area and removes the need to timedivision multiplex between sensor elements, allowing fully-parallel processing of transducer readings. While most sensor arrays exhibit a trade-off between flexibility, softness, spatial resolution and sensitivity, the design here takes advantage of the softness of the embodiment to achieve both high sensitivity and spatial resolution. This design, which requires only 2n sensory elements for a sensor array with n x n sensing points, is more cost effective than traditional designs that require at least n x n sensing elements. The exemplary embodiment is an orthogonal placement of conductive rubber strips with a pressure-dependant resistance. Additional layers of different sensory properties (sensing range, sensitivity) can be added or angles different from orthogonal could be used. The sensing strips are mounted on a soft base. The softness and thickness of the base could be varied depending whether the aim of the application is to measure pressure profile (harder) or determine the shape of the intended object (softer). A basic algorithm for estimating the pressure at the intersection of each pair of orthogonal sensing strips is also described. When the system solution for sensed pressure profile or object's shape is undetermined and present more than one mathematical solution, the following approaches are used to find the solution: a) Bayesian by determining the most probable type of stimuli to be encountered in the particular application; b) Finding the solutions at successive time points of given stimulus presentation and reducing number of solutions by excluding mutually exclusive solutions deemed not compatible with naturalistic stimuli being found at different time points. c) The combination of two above applying Bayesian approach and excluding mutually exclusive solutions at different time points. d) The same object is contacted from different angles and with position shifts. The number of solutions is reduced by excluding mutually exclusive solutions deemed not compatible with naturalistic stimuli being found with two different contact approaches of the same object. e) By the combination of any of the above.5120 Copper Connectors Rubber Sensing Strip Plastic Insulation Silicon Figure 1 Horizontal Strips Vertical Ri R& Rbn FiK P. a V% Figure 2