JP2011007653A - Contact detecting device and robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the durability of a contact detecting device, while suppressing reduction in the sensitivity of the contact detecting device.SOLUTION: A contact sensor 50 includes a base layer 51; resistance layers 52 and 54 stacked on the base layer 51; a spacer layer 53 that is arranged between one set of resistance layers 52 and 54 and has a space for permitting the contact of the resistance layer 54, positioned on an upper layer with the resistance layer 52 positioned on a lower layer; and a spacer layer 57 that is stacked on the base layer 51 and has a space for permitting the contact of a layer positioned on the upper layer with a layer positioned on the lower layer. Existing part of the second spacer layer 57 is arranged, in response to the space of the spacer layer 53. The spacer layers 53 and 57 are constituted by a plurality of spacers (61 and 62) arranged separated by an interval within the plane.

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact detection device and a robot.

  In recent years, robots have been developed in anticipation of various uses such as support for human care, as well as manufacturing assistance in factories. Robots vary from those that are fixed at a desired location to those that autonomously move in space. Regardless of whether the robot is a fixed type or a movable type, it has been practiced to provide an object detection function for the robot. For example, it is possible to detect that a workpiece to be processed flowing through a product line has arrived by installing a camera in a robot and executing a soft pattern recognition process.

  As one method for providing an object detection function to a robot, a sensor for detecting physical contact (hereinafter also referred to as a contact sensor) is provided on the outer surface of the robot, and the object is detected based on the output of the sensor. There is a method for detecting the presence or absence of contact.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a contact detection device capable of detecting contact at high speed, and a robot including the same. In the contact detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1, conductive sheets are arranged to face each other through insulating spacers having a large number of openings. Contact between the conductive sheets is electrically detected to detect physical contact with the contact detection device.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that a dot-like insulating layer is provided for the purpose of improving the durability of the resistance film. Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for improving the display quality and durability as well as measuring the reduction in the overall thickness dimension and the increase in the accuracy of position information when assembled to a display device. More specifically, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for integrating the light guide plate of the front light unit on the outer surface side of the glass plate with an elastic spacer interposed therebetween. Patent Document 4 discloses a resistive film type transparent touch panel, and discloses a technique of forming dot spacers in a portion where a conductive film on a transparent substrate is removed.

JP 2007-102719 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-292943 JP 2002-189208 A JP 2002-157089 A

  In a contact sensor mounted on a robot, a force may be applied from an arbitrary direction. In this case, the contact sensor itself is required to have a desired durability against a force applied from the outside. In order to increase the durability of the contact sensor, it is preferable to interpose a spacer between the resistance layers arranged opposite to each other. However, when the spacers are arranged at a high density, the space where the upper and lower resistance layers are in contact with each other is narrowed, and the sensitivity of the contact sensor may be reduced. Therefore, in the past, the spacers had to be arranged within a range in which the sensitivity of the contact sensor could be lowered, and it was difficult to increase the durability of the contact sensor to a desired level.

  As is apparent from the above description, there is a strong demand to increase the durability of the contact detection device while suppressing a decrease in sensitivity of the contact detection device.

  A contact detection device according to the present invention is a contact detection device that detects contact of an object, and is arranged between a base layer, a plurality of resistance layers stacked on the base layer, and a set of the resistance layers. And a first spacer layer having a space allowing contact between the resistance layer located in the upper layer and the resistance layer located in the lower layer, and a layer laminated on the base layer, and a layer located in the upper layer and the lower layer. A second spacer layer having a space that allows contact with the positioned layer, and an actual portion of the second spacer layer is disposed corresponding to the space of the first spacer layer. By disposing the actual part of the second spacer layer in correspondence with the space of the first spacer layer, it is possible to increase the durability of the contact detection device while securing a space necessary for contact detection.

  Each of the first and second spacer layers may be composed of a plurality of spacers arranged at intervals in a plane.

  Each of the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer may be arranged corresponding to a space between the plurality of adjacent spacers constituting the first spacer layer.

  Each of the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer may be arranged corresponding to an intermediate position between the plurality of adjacent spacers constituting the first spacer layer.

  The spacer is preferably an insulator.

  When the contact detection device is viewed from the side, the plurality of spacers constituting the first spacer layer and the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer are preferably arranged in a staggered manner.

  The plurality of spacers constituting the first spacer layer may be arranged in a matrix in a plane, and the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer may be arranged in a matrix in a plane.

  The plurality of spacers constituting the first spacer layer may be arranged concentrically in a plane, and the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer may be arranged concentrically in a plane.

  The number of the resistance layers may be three or more, and the second spacer layer may be disposed between the pair of resistance layers.

  Each of the three or more resistance layers has a polygonal shape when viewed from above, and wiring is connected to each of the upper side and the lower side of one of the resistance layers constituting the set of the resistance layers. In the other resistance layer constituting the pair of resistance layers, it is preferable that wiring is connected to each of the right and left sides.

  It is good to further provide a frame which is arranged in the same layer as the spacer layer and surrounds the plurality of spacers.

  The robot according to the present invention includes the above-described contact detection device, and a grip portion on which the contact detection device is disposed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, durability of a contact detection apparatus can be improved, suppressing the fall of the sensitivity of a contact detection apparatus.

1 is a schematic diagram of a robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic model diagram of the holding part of the robot concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic model diagram of the holding part of the robot concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic model diagram of the holding part of the robot concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram showing a laminated structure of the contact sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial schematic perspective view of the contact sensor concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a semiconductor integrated circuit connected to a contact sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operating conditions of the contact sensor concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | positioning aspect of the spacer concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | positioning aspect of the spacer concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the laminated structure of the contact sensor concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial schematic perspective view of the contact sensor concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic schematic diagram which shows the semiconductor integrated circuit connected to the contact sensor concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operating condition of the contact sensor concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the manufacturing process of the contact sensor concerning 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Each embodiment is simplified for convenience of explanation. Since the drawings are simple, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted narrowly based on the drawings. The drawings are only for explaining the technical matters, and do not reflect the exact sizes or the like of the elements shown in the drawings. The same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Words indicating directions such as up, down, left, and right are used on the assumption that the drawing is viewed from the front.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  First, the robot according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot. 2 and 4 are schematic schematic diagrams of the gripping portion of the robot.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 100 includes a head 90, a torso 91, an arm 92, an arm 93, a grip 98, a grip 99, a leg 94, a leg 95, a foot 96, and a foot. 97.

  The arm portions 92 and 93 are pivotally attached to the trunk portion 91 at their proximal end portions. The arm portions 92 and 93 can be rotated on the yz plane with the base end portion as the rotation center. The arm portions 92 and 93 have a joint at an intermediate portion thereof, and the upper arm portion and the lower arm portion are configured to be swingable. Grip portions 98 and 99 are provided at the tip portions of the arm portions 92 and 93, respectively.

  The leg portions 94 and 95 are connected to the trunk portion 91 at the upper end portions thereof. The leg portions 94 and 95 are rotatable on the yz plane with the upper end portion as the center of rotation. The leg portions 94 and 95 have a joint at an intermediate portion thereof, and the upper leg portion and the lower leg portion are configured to be swingable. Foot portions 96 and 97 are provided at the lower end portions of the leg portions 94 and 95, respectively.

  The head 90 is pivotally attached to the trunk 91 and is configured to be rotatable in the xz plane.

  Various electrical / mechanical components are built into the housing of the robot 100. For example, the body 91 of the robot 100 incorporates various electric / mechanical components such as various sensors, a microcomputer, a power source, a motor, and a link mechanism. For example, the robot 100 rotates and moves the arm portion 92 upward in accordance with a command generated by the microcomputer, and grips an object positioned above with the grip portion 98. Further, the robot 100 alternately pushes the legs 94 and 95 forward in accordance with a command generated by the microcomputer, and moves to a desired front position. Each operation of the robot 100 described above is realized by converting a driving force generated by the motor into a spatial displacement of each part via a mechanical element such as a belt or a gear. The type and specific structure of the robot 100 are arbitrary.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic partial enlarged schematic view of the grip 99 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the grip portion 99 includes a base portion 80, finger portions 81, and finger portions 82. The finger 81 has a link 83 and a link 84. The finger part 81 has a joint between the base part 80 and the link 83 and a joint between the link 83 and the link 84. The link 83 is configured to be swingable in the xy plane with the joint between the base portions 80 as the rotation center. The link 84 is configured to be swingable in the xy plane with the joint between the links 83 as the rotation center. The finger part 82 includes a link 87 and a link 88. The description regarding the finger part 82 is the same as the description regarding the finger part 81. However, link 83 is replaced with link 87, and link 84 is replaced with link 88.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of contact sensors (contact detection devices) 50 are attached to the grip surface of the grip portion 99. In addition, the above-mentioned finger part 81 includes two finger parts 81a and 81b.

  Each contact sensor 50 is arranged in association with the base portion and each link. Thereby, the force received from the outside can be appropriately detected for each part, and the current gripping state of the gripper 99 can be appropriately evaluated. In addition, the number of contact sensors provided in each part is arbitrary.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the grip portion 99 grips the object 70. By displacing the links 83, 84, 87, 88 within the xy plane, the object 70 can be gripped by the grip portion 99. In addition, the specific structure of the holding part 99 is arbitrary, and the presence or absence of adoption of a multi-joint link structure is arbitrary.

  Next, the structure and operation of the contact sensor 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a laminated structure of the contact sensor 50. FIG. 6 is a partial schematic perspective view of the contact sensor 50. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a semiconductor integrated circuit connected to the contact sensor 50. FIG. 8 is an explanatory table showing operating conditions of the contact sensor 50. FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory view showing an arrangement mode of spacers. Note that the coordinate systems shown in FIG. 5 and subsequent figures are defined separately from the coordinate systems shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the contact sensor 50 includes a base layer 51, a resistance layer 52, a spacer layer 53, a resistance layer 54, a base layer 55, and a resistance layer in order from the mounting surface (the above-described gripping surface) of the robot 100. 56, a spacer layer 57, a resistance layer 58, a base layer 59, and a silicon rubber layer 60. Further, the contact sensor 50 includes a frame body 65 and a frame body 66.

  When the grasped object comes into contact with the silicon rubber layer 60, the force received by the silicon rubber layer 60 is transmitted to the lowermost base layer 51. In this process, the resistance layers 56 and 58 arranged to face each other via the spacer layer 57 come into contact with each other at a position corresponding to the position of the object to be grasped. Similarly, the resistance layers 52 and 54 arranged to face each other via the spacer layer 53 come into contact with each other at a position corresponding to the position of the object to be grasped. By electrically detecting contact between a pair of resistance layers, it is possible to detect the contact of the object to be grasped and the contact position of the object to be grasped in a plane. Moreover, the applied load can also be estimated by executing the calculation process.

  First, the laminated structure of the contact sensor 50 will be described.

  The base layers 51, 55 and 59 are made of a resin such as PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) and are thin layers having flexibility. The base layers 51, 55, 59 are formed to have a uniform layer thickness by a normal semiconductor process technique (spin coating method or the like). In addition, the manufacturing method of the base layers 51, 55, and 59 is arbitrary. Since the base layers 51, 55, and 59 do not need to have transparency, each base layer may be formed using a resin that is opaque to visible light.

  The resistance layers 52, 54, 56, and 58 are conductive layers whose resistance values are adjusted, and are made of a conductive material such as polysilicon, copper, or aluminum. The resistance layers 52, 54, 56, and 58 are formed with a uniform thickness on the lower surface or the upper surface of the base layer by a normal semiconductor process technique (evaporation, sputtering, etc.). The manufacturing method of the resistance layers 52, 54, 56, and 58 is arbitrary. Since the resistance layers 52, 54, 56, and 58 do not need to have transparency, each resistance layer may be formed using a conductive material that is opaque to visible light.

  The spacer layer 53 is formed by dispersing a plurality of spacers 61 in a plane. The spacer 61 is a granular elastic body having insulating properties. The spacer 61 has a desired adhesive force, and bonds the pair of resistance layers 52 and 54 located in the upper layer and the lower layer. The specific material of the spacer 61 is arbitrary, but a general resin adhesive may be employed. The spacer layer 53 is formed on the resistance layer by a normal semiconductor process technique (thin film formation, photolithography, etc.). The specific configuration and manufacturing procedure of the spacer layer 53 are arbitrary. The spacer layer 53 may be configured in a mode other than the dispersed arrangement of the plurality of spacers 61. The dispersed spacers 61 may be continued in a lattice shape. The spacer layer 53 may be formed without using a patterning technique such as photolithography.

  The spacer layer 57 has the same configuration as the spacer layer 53. However, the spacer 61 is replaced with the spacer 62. Since the spacer layers 53 and 57 do not need to have transparency, each spacer layer may be formed using a resin material that is opaque to visible light.

  The silicon rubber layer 60 is an elastic layer made of silicon rubber. The silicon rubber layer 60 is formed by utilizing a normal bonding technique (adhesion or the like) to form a laminate 63 (base layer 51, resistance layer 52, spacer layer 53, resistance layer 54, base layer 55, resistance layer 56, spacer layer). 57, the resistance layer 58, and the base layer 59). Since the force applied from the outside by the silicon rubber layer 60 is dispersed within a predetermined range, it is possible to effectively suppress the layered body 63 from being damaged by applying a locally strong force to the layered body 63.

  The frame body 65 is provided between the resistance layers 52 and 54 arranged to face each other. The frame 65 is made of a general resin material and has an arbitrary adhesive property. The resistance layers 52 and 54 sandwiching the frame body 65 are fixed to each other via the frame body 65. The frame body 65 is a frame-like member when viewed from above. Spacers 61 are arranged in a matrix in the hollow portion of the frame 65. The frame body 65 is manufactured by utilizing a normal semiconductor process technology (thin film formation, photolithography, etc.). By surrounding the spacer 61 with the frame body 65, the mechanical strength of the spacer layer 53 can be effectively increased.

  The frame body 66 has the same configuration as the frame body 65. However, the spacer 61 is replaced with the spacer 62.

  In addition, the manufacturing method of the contact sensor 50 is arbitrary. As described above, the semiconductor process technology may be used for manufacturing, or other methods may be used for manufacturing.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, the mechanism of contact detection of the contact sensor 50 will be described. 6 to 8, for convenience of explanation, the mechanism for electrically connecting the contact between the resistance layers 52 and 54 will be described in a limited manner.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the electrode layer 40 is formed on the left side of the resistance layer 52, and the electrode layer 41 is formed on the right side of the resistance layer 52. The electrode layers 40 and 41 are in ohmic contact with the resistance layer 52. The electrode layers 40 and 41 are preferably formed of a metal having good conductivity. A wiring L3 is soldered to the electrode layer 40. Similarly, a wiring L4 is soldered to the electrode layer 41.

  An electrode layer 42 is formed on the lower side of the resistance layer 54, and an electrode layer 43 is formed on the upper side of the resistance layer 52. The electrode layers 42 and 43 are in ohmic contact with the resistance layer 54. The electrode layers 42 and 43 are preferably formed of a metal having good conductivity. A wiring L1 is soldered to the electrode layer 43. Similarly, the wiring L2 is soldered to the electrode layer.

  As shown in FIG. 7, each of the above-described wirings L <b> 1 to L <b> 4 is connected to the semiconductor integrated circuit 30. The semiconductor integrated circuit 30 is supplied with a power supply potential VDD and a ground potential GND. The semiconductor integrated circuit 30 supplies a power supply potential to the wirings L1 and L3 based on switching control. The semiconductor integrated circuit 30 connects the wirings L2 and L4 to the ground potential based on switching control. The semiconductor integrated circuit 30 connects the wirings L1 to L4 to the voltage detection circuit included in the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 based on the switching control. However, the specific circuit configuration of the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 is arbitrary. For example, a commercially available semiconductor integrated circuit for a touch screen may be employed. In such a commercially available semiconductor integrated circuit, the above switching control is realized by a MOS switch, and an input to the voltage detection circuit is selected by a multiplexer. A controller for controlling switching is also incorporated in such a commercially available semiconductor integrated circuit.

  The operation state of the contact sensor 50 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 is in the first state, a voltage is applied with the wiring L1 on the high potential side and the wiring L2 on the low potential side. In response to this, a voltage is applied to the resistance layer 54 from the upper side to the lower side. In this state, when the resistance layer 54 contacts the resistance layer 52, a voltage having a value corresponding to the contact position between the resistance layer 54 and the resistance layer 52 is input to the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 via the wirings L 3 and L 4. The semiconductor integrated circuit 30 digitally converts the input voltage value and outputs the generated digital value to the microcomputer as position data indicating the contact position. In this manner, the contact position (x coordinate) of the grasped object on the x axis within the detection area of the contact sensor 50 is detected.

  When the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 is in the second state, a voltage is applied with the wiring L3 on the high potential side and the wiring L4 on the low potential side. In response to this, a voltage is applied to the resistance layer 52 from the left side to the right side. In this state, when the resistance layer 54 contacts the resistance layer 52, a voltage having a value corresponding to the contact position between the resistance layer 54 and the resistance layer 52 is input to the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 via the wirings L 1 and L 2. The semiconductor integrated circuit 30 digitally converts the input voltage value and outputs the generated digital value to the microcomputer as position data indicating the contact position. In this manner, the contact position (z coordinate) of the grasped object on the z axis within the detection area of the contact sensor 50 is detected.

  When the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 causes the above-described operation mode to be executed in a time-sharing manner, the contact coordinates (x, z) of the grasped object in the detection area (xz plane) of the contact sensor 50 can be acquired. Thus, by acquiring the contact position of the grasped object as coordinate information, the grasping unit 99 can be controlled with higher accuracy. By improving the controllability of the grip portion 99, for example, a fragile object or a slippery object can be suitably gripped.

  In this embodiment, a plurality of resistance layer pairs (a pair of resistance layers 52 and 54 and a pair of resistance layers 56 and 58) are stacked. Therefore, the contact position on the x-axis of the gripping object is detected according to the output of one resistance layer pair, and the contact position on the z-axis of the gripping object is detected according to the output of the other resistance layer pair. Also good. In this case, the necessity of switching the operation state of the semiconductor integrated circuit can be eliminated. In accordance with this, the semiconductor integrated circuit can be reduced in size.

  Moreover, you may calculate the load received from the gripping target object which contacted. As a result, the grip 99 can be controlled with higher accuracy.

  When the semiconductor integrated circuit 30 is in the first state, the contact position (x coordinate) on the x axis can be acquired as described above. When the potential of the resistance layer 52 is Z1, the potential of the resistance layer 54 is Z2, and the resistance value of the resistance layer 52 is R, the contact resistance value CR can be calculated by the following equation (1).

  CR = R * (x coordinate value / 4095) * ((Z2 / Z1) −1) (1)

  The presence or absence of contact can be determined from the contact resistance value CR, and the load received from the grasped object can be calculated by an arbitrary arithmetic expression.

  Finally, the arrangement of the spacers 61 and 62 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the contact sensor 50 is viewed from the side, it can be seen that the spacers 61 and 62 are arranged in a zigzag manner. In other words, when the contact sensor 50 is viewed from the side, the spacers 61 and 62 are arranged in a staggered manner.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the spacers 61 are arranged in a matrix. Similarly, the spacers 62 are arranged in a matrix. Here, the spacer 62 is disposed immediately above the intermediate position between the adjacent spacers 61. In other words, the spacers 62 are arranged corresponding to the spaces between the spacers 61. When the contact sensor 50 is viewed from the front, the spacer 61 and the spacer 62 are arranged so as not to overlap each other.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the spacers 62 are arranged in association with the spaces between the spacers 61. By adopting this configuration, the strength in the space portion between the spacers 61 can be supplemented by the arranged spacers 62. By reducing the force received from the outside by the arranged spacer 62, the resistance layer 52 and the resistance layer 54 located under the spacer 62 are effectively prevented from abutting and wearing due to an unacceptable force. be able to. In this way, it is possible to improve the durability of the contact sensor while suppressing a decrease in sensitivity of the contact sensor. Note that if the spacers are arranged at a high density in a common plane, the durability of the contact sensor can be increased, but the sensitivity (detection accuracy) of the contact sensor is lowered according to the high density arrangement of the spacers.

  As is apparent from the above description, in this embodiment, two resistance layer pairs are stacked, and a spacer between one resistance layer pair and a spacer between the other resistance layer pair are arranged in a complementary manner. That is, as described above, the spacer 62 is arranged in association with the space between the spacers 61. Thereby, for the reasons described above, it is possible to increase the durability of the contact sensor while suppressing a decrease in sensitivity of the contact sensor.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of resistance layer pairs are stacked. Therefore, the contact position on the x-axis of the gripping object is detected according to the output of one resistance layer pair, and the contact position on the z-axis of the gripping object is detected according to the output of the other resistance layer pair. Also good. In this case, the necessity of switching the operation state of the semiconductor integrated circuit can be eliminated. In accordance with this, the semiconductor integrated circuit can be reduced in size.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the spacer layer is constituted by a dispersed arrangement of spacers. Thereby, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the contact area between the resistance layer pairs while ensuring a certain mechanical strength. The spacer has elasticity in addition to insulation. Thereby, according to the force applied from the outside, between the resistance layer pairs can be smoothly contacted. Further, the frame body is arranged in the same layer as the spacer. Thereby, the mechanical strength of the spacer layer can be increased. A base layer 55 is inserted between the resistance layer 56 and the resistance layer 54. Thereby, the mechanical strength of the contact sensor 50 can be increased.

  In this embodiment, each wiring is connected to each resistance layer as shown in FIG. Thereby, the coordinate information of the contact position in the xz plane can be acquired. By acquiring two-dimensional contact position information, the gripping state of the gripper 99 can be more accurately evaluated, and the gripper 99 can be feedback controlled to a more appropriate state.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory view showing an arrangement mode of spacers.

  As is clear from FIG. 10, in this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the spacers 61 are arranged concentrically, and the spacers 62 are also arranged concentrically. However, as in the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the spacers 62 are arranged corresponding to the spaces between the spacers 61. Even in such a case, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a stacked structure of a contact sensor. FIG. 12 is a partial schematic perspective view of the contact sensor. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a semiconductor integrated circuit connected to the contact sensor. FIG. 14 is an explanatory table showing operating conditions of the contact sensor.

  As is apparent from FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the resistance layers 52, 54, and 56 are laminated without interposing a base layer. In such a case, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the contact sensor 50 can be thinned. Moreover, the structure of the contact sensor 50 can be simplified and the manufacture thereof can be simplified.

  In this embodiment, as is clear from FIGS. 12 and 13, the common semiconductor integrated circuit 30 is provided for the resistance layers 52, 54 and 56.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the electrode layer 44 is formed on the left side portion of the resistance layer 56, and the electrode layer 45 is formed on the right side portion thereof. The wiring L5 is connected to the electrode layer 44, and this is connected to the wiring L3. Further, the wiring L6 is connected to the electrode layer 45, and this is connected to the wiring L4.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the wiring is connected to the semiconductor integrated circuit 30. As shown in FIG. 14, by operating the semiconductor integrated circuit 30, the contact coordinates (x, z) can be detected as described in the first embodiment.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of the contact sensor.

  In the present embodiment, a recess 52a is formed in the resistance layer 52 by a normal semiconductor process technique (such as etching), and the spacer 61 is disposed in the recess 52a. The spacer 61 can be disposed at a desired position also by a method other than patterning by semiconductor process technology.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The specific structure of the contact sensor is arbitrary. The number of resistance layers is arbitrary. The specific configuration of the spacer layer is arbitrary. The specific shape, material, etc. of the spacer are arbitrary. The arrangement method of the spacer is arbitrary.

100 robot

50 Contact sensor

51 Base layer 52 Resistive layer 52 Resistive layer 53 Spacer layer 54 Resistive layer 55 Base layer 56 Resistive layer 57 Spacer layer 58 Resistive layer 59 Base layer 60 Silicon rubber layer 61 Spacer 62 Spacer 63 Laminated body 65 Frame body 66 Frame body

70 objects

Claims (12)

A contact detection device for detecting contact of an object,
The base layer,
A plurality of resistance layers stacked on the base layer;
A first spacer layer disposed between the pair of resistance layers and having a space allowing contact between the resistance layer located in an upper layer and the resistance layer located in a lower layer;
A second spacer layer that is stacked on the base layer and has a space that allows contact between a layer located in an upper layer and a layer located in a lower layer;
With
The actual part of the said 2nd spacer layer is a contact detection apparatus arrange | positioned corresponding to the said space of the said 1st spacer layer.   2. The contact detection device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second spacer layers includes a plurality of spacers arranged at intervals in a plane.   3. The plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer are respectively arranged corresponding to spaces between the plurality of adjacent spacers constituting the first spacer layer. The contact detection device according to 1.   The plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer are disposed corresponding to intermediate positions between the plurality of adjacent spacers constituting the first spacer layer. The contact detection apparatus according to 2 or 3.   The contact detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the spacer is an insulator.   When the contact detection device is viewed from the side, the plurality of spacers constituting the first spacer layer and the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer are arranged in a staggered manner. Item 6. The contact detection device according to any one of Items 2 to 5. The plurality of spacers constituting the first spacer layer are arranged in a matrix in a plane,
The contact detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer are arranged in a matrix in a plane. The plurality of spacers constituting the first spacer layer are arranged concentrically in a plane,
The contact detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of spacers constituting the second spacer layer are arranged concentrically in a plane. The resistance layer has three or more layers,
The contact detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second spacer layer is disposed between the pair of resistance layers. Each of the three or more resistance layers has a polygonal shape when viewed from above.
In one of the resistance layers constituting the set of the resistance layers, wiring is connected to each of the upper side and the lower side thereof, and in the other resistance layer constituting the set of the resistance layers, the right side and the left side The contact detection device according to claim 1, wherein a wiring is connected to each of the portions.   The contact detection device according to claim 2, further comprising a frame that is disposed in the same layer as the spacer layer and surrounds the plurality of spacers. The contact detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A gripping portion on which the contact detection device is disposed; and
Robot equipped with.

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