Digital Foam
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Accused Products
Abstract
A displacement sensor element and a haptic sensor arrangement using two or more displacement sensor elements are provided. The arrangements can be used for real-time capture of the shape of haptic deformation of the sensor arrangement. Although examples described in detail herein are primarily directed to tactile applications, the sensor can be used in the machine, robotic and medical fields where a sensor of this type can usefully be applied where only machine or computer controlled robotic elements are interacting, particularly if the machines or robotic elements are being used in human like applications but other force measurement applications are possible.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1-12. -12. (canceled)
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13. A displacement sensor array comprising:
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two or more conductive elastomeric members, each of which is elastomeric along at least one axis of the elastomeric member and has at least one electrical characteristic that changes when the elastomeric member is compressed along the at least one axis by a force, wherein the conductive elastomeric members have a known spatial configuration relative to each other and are not in physical contact with each other; an electrically conductive first elastomeric terminal in electrical contact with all of the elastomeric members; two or more second conductive terminals, each in electrical contact with a corresponding one of the elastomeric members, wherein each said second terminal is located on an opposite side of the corresponding elastomeric member than the first elastomeric terminal, along the at least one axis of the corresponding elastomeric member; and wherein the known spatial configuration of the elastomeric members combined with the change in the at least one electrical characteristic of a respective conductive elastomeric member affected by a force applied to the first conductive terminal, determines the spatial location of the force relative to one or more of the conductive elastomeric members and relative to at least one of the second conductive terminals. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A displacement sensor comprising:
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a substrate; at least two spaced apart and electrically conductive elastomeric members, wherein each of the elastomeric members is elastomeric along at least one axis and has at least one electrical characteristic that changes when the member is compressed along the least one axis, and wherein each of the elastomeric members is at a known spatial location with respect to the substrate; an elastomeric electrically conductive tactile force transference terminal (TFTT) in electrical contact with each of the elastomeric members such that in response to a tactile actuation of the TFTT, an electrical characteristic of at least one of the elastomeric members changes; at least two electrically conductive terminals, each terminal in electrical contact with a corresponding one of the elastomeric members; and a processor for measuring the at least one electrical characteristic of each of the elastomeric members between each electrically conductive terminal and the TFTT, and determining the spatial location of a force applied to the TFTT from the measured electrical characteristics and the known locations of the elastomeric members. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification