Sensing apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for sensing contact with an article, the apparatus comprising a support member, a probe displaceable with respect to the support member and to a reference position in response to contact with an article, and three or more pressure sensitive capacitative transducers arranged in spaced apart relationship between the support member and the probe,wherein each said pressure sensitive capacitative transducer includes an elastomeric dielectric material and is capable of producing a detectable electrical signal in response to a displacement of the probe from the reference position.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sensing apparatus has a probe displacement with respect to a support arm and to a reference position. The probe has a flat disc mounting three transducers which are spaced apart from one another at regular intervals. Each transducer has an elastomeric dielectric and is capable of producing an electrical output signal in response to displacement of the probe from the reference position. An electrical circuit compares output signals produced by the transducers and evaluates the direction and/or extent of probe displacement. Such evaluation may be used in the manipulator control system of an article-handling equipment.
62 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An apparatus for sensing contact with an article, the apparatus comprising a support member, a probe displaceable with respect to the support member and to a reference position in response to contact with an article, and three or more pressure sensitive capacitative transducers arranged in spaced apart relationship between the support member and the probe,
wherein each said pressure sensitive capacitative transducer includes an elastomeric dielectric material and is capable of producing a detectable electrical signal in response to a displacement of the probe from the reference position.
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9. An article-handling equipment comprising a work station at which an article can be held, an apparatus for sensing contact with the article, the apparatus comprising a support member, a probe displaceable with respect to the support member and to a reference position in response to contact with the article,
and three or more pressure sensitive capacitative transducers arranged in spaced apart relationship between the support and the probe, wherein each said pressure sensitive capacitative transducer includes an elastomeric dielectric material and is capable of producing a detectable electrical signal in response to a displacement of the probe from the reference position, and control means to cause relative movement of the probe and article in dependence in electrical signals produced by one or more of the transducers.
Specification