Shear force detection device, tactile sensor and grasping apparatus

• US 8,640,550 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nishiwaki, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNLAP, JONATHAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/596,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20120319418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 737/77, 738/41, 738/46, 310/338, 901/46
• US Class Current: 73/846
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/00 Gripping heads and other end effectors grippers used in machine tools B23Q7/04; gripping members fitted on cranes B66C1/42, B66C1/44; gripping means used in the manufacture of semiconductors H01L21/68707; gripping means used for mounting electrical components H05K13/04
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 1/445 motor actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/16 Applications of indicating, registering, or weighing devices in crane hooks B66C1/40; in safety gear B66C15/00; weighing-apparatus G01G; remote indicating in general G08
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/302 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/31 Gripping jaw
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device

Abstract

A shear force detection device for detecting a shear force includes: a support body including an opening defined by a pair of straight parts perpendicular to a detection direction of the shear force and parallel to each other; a support film on the support body and closing the opening, the support film having flexibility; a piezoelectric part on the support film and extending astride an inside and outside of the opening and along at least one of the pair of straight parts of the opening when viewed in a plane in which the support body is seen in a substrate thickness direction, the piezoelectric part being bendable to output an electric signal; and an elastic layer covering the piezoelectric part and the support film.

Claims

1. A shear force detection device for detecting a shear force, comprising:

a support body including an opening defined by a pair of straight parts perpendicular to a detection direction of the shear force and parallel to each other;

a support film on the support body and closing the opening, the support film having flexibility;

a piezoelectric part on the support film and extending astride an inside and outside of the opening and along at least one of the pair of straight parts of the opening when viewed in a plane in which the support body is seen in a substrate thickness direction, the piezoelectric part being bendable to output an electric signal; and

an elastic layer arranged along an entire length of the opening along the detection direction of the shear force and covering the piezoelectric part and the support film.

2. The shear force detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the piezoelectric part and the opening have a rectangular shape in which a length of a long side is larger than a length of a short side when viewed in the plane,

the straight part in the opening is the long side of the opening, and

a piezoelectric body longitudinal direction along the long side of the piezoelectric part and an opening longitudinal direction along the long side of the opening are the same direction.

3. The shear force detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a compliance part parallel to the straight part at a center of the opening in the detection direction, and, when viewed in a section in which the shear force detection device is seen in a straight direction of the straight part, generates an inflection point in a deformed state of the support film when the shear force is applied along the shear direction.

4. The shear force detection device according to claim 3, wherein

the support body includes a support reinforcing part provided at the center of the opening in the detection direction and in parallel to the straight part, and

the compliance part is on the support reinforcing part.

5. The shear force detection device according to claim 3, wherein the piezoelectric part further comprises two piezoelectric parts respectively provided on each of the pair of straight parts of the opening.

6. The shear force detection device according to claim 5, further comprising an arithmetic circuit outputting at least one of a difference and a sum of the electric signals outputted from the two piezoelectric parts.

7. The shear force detection device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer includes a plurality of elastic members along the detection direction and having rigidity higher than the support film.

8. The shear force detection device according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric part includes a piezoelectric film, a lower electrode on the surface of the piezoelectric film facing the support film, and a upper electrode on the surface of the piezoelectric film opposite to the surface on which the lower electrode is formed.

9. A force sensor comprising:

a plurality of shear force detection devices each including;

a support body including an opening defined by a pair of straight parts perpendicular to a detection direction of the shear force and parallel to each other;

a support film on the support body and closing the opening, the support film having flexibility;

a piezoelectric part on the support film and extending astride an inside and outside of the opening and along at least one of the pair of straight parts of the opening when viewed in a plane in which the support body is seen in a substrate thickness direction, the piezoelectric part being bendable to output an electric signal; and

an elastic layer covering the piezoelectric part and the support film; and

a first direction shear force detecting part in which the straight part of the shear force detection device is provided along a first direction, and

a second direction shear force detecting part in which the straight part of the shear force detection device is provided along a second direction different from the first direction.

10. The force sensor according to claim 9, further comprising a positive pressure detecting part to detect a pressure in a contact direction perpendicular to a surface direction of the support film at a time of contact with an object, wherein

the positive pressure detecting part includes:

a positive pressure detection opening opened in the support body;

a support film closing the positive pressure detection opening and having flexibility;

a positive pressure detection piezoelectric body on the support film and inside the positive pressure detection opening when viewed in the plane in which the support body is seen in the substrate thickness direction, and is bendable to output an electric signal, and

an elastic layer to cover the positive pressure piezoelectric body and the support film.

11. A grasping apparatus for grasping an object, comprising:

a force sensor including;

a plurality of shear force detection devices each including;

a support body including an opening defined by a pair of straight parts perpendicular to a detection direction of the shear force and parallel to each other;

a support film on the support body and closing the opening, the support film having flexibility;

a piezoelectric part on the support film and extending astride an inside and outside of the opening and along at least one of the pair of straight parts of the opening when viewed in a plane in which the support body is seen in a substrate thickness direction, the piezoelectric part being bendable to output an electric signal; and

an elastic layer covering the piezoelectric part and the support film; and

a first direction shear force detecting part in which the straight part of the shear force detection device is provided along a first direction, and

a second direction shear force detecting part in which the straight part of the shear force detection device is provided along a second direction different from the first direction; and

at least a pair of grasping arms which grasp the object and in which the tactile sensor is provided on a contact surface to contact with the object;

a grasping detection unit that detects a slide state of the object based on the electric signal outputted from the tactile sensor; and

a drive control unit that controls driving of the grasping arms based on the slide state.