Detection device, electronic apparatus, and robot

{
  "publication_number": "US9459712B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Detection device, electronic apparatus, and robot",
  "abstract": "A detection device includes a first substrate that has a plurality of pressure sensors disposed around a reference point, and a second substrate on which disposed an elastic projection whose center is positioned in a position overlapping with the reference point and that elastically deforms due to the external force in a state in which the tip portion of the elastic projection makes contact with the first substrate. When an external force has been applied, the direction and intensity of the applied external force is found by carrying out a predetermined calculation using pressure values detected by the pressure sensors.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A detection device comprising: a first substrate on which is arranged a plurality of pressure sensors; and a second substrate having: an elastic projection that is elastically deformed in a state in which its tip end portion contacts each of the pressure sensors due to external pressure; and a support substrate arranged on a side opposite to the first substrate with respect to the elastic projection, the plurality of pressure sensors being disposed symmetrically, with a contact part serving as the point of symmetry, the plurality of pressure sensors being disposed in matrix form in two directions that are orthogonal to each other, and the direction of the external pressure being defined by a component in an x-direction (Fx), a component in a y-direction (Fy), and a component in a z-direction (Fz) based on the following formulas: F x = ∑ i ⁢ P i ⁢ r xi ∑ i ⁢ P i ⁢; F y = ∑ P i ⁢ r yi ∑ i ⁢ P i; and ⁢ ⁢ F z = ∑ P i ⁢ r zi ∑ i ⁢ P i where P i is the detected value at each sensor, i=total number of sensors, r xi is a distance between the contact part and a respective sensor in the x-direction; r yi is a distance between the contact part and a respective sensor in the y-direction; and r zi a distance between the contact part and a respective sensor in a z-direction.",
    "2. The detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation device that calculates differences between pressure values detected by pressure sensors combined at random from among pressure values detected by the plurality of pressure sensors when the elastic projection elastically deforms due to the external pressure, and calculates a direction in which the external pressure is applied and an intensity of the external pressure based on the differences.",
    "3. The detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a reinforcing member that is more resilient than the second substrate and is disposed on a first side of the second substrate opposite of a second side to which the elastic projection is disposed.",
    "4. An electronic apparatus comprising the detection device according to claim 1.",
    "5. A robot comprising the detection device according to claim 1.",
    "6. A detection device comprising: a first substrate on which is arranged a plurality of pressure sensors; and a second substrate having: an elastic projection that is elastically deformed in a state in which its tip end portion contacts each of the pressure sensors due to external pressure; and a support substrate arranged on a side opposite to the first substrate with respect to the elastic projection, the plurality of pressure sensors being disposed symmetrically, with a contact part serving as the point of symmetry, the plurality of pressure sensors being disposed in matrix form in two directions that are orthogonal to each other, the plurality of pressure sensors being disposed in two directions that are orthogonal to each other, with at least four columns and four rows, and a direction of the external pressure being defined by a component in an x-direction (Fx), a component in a y-direction (Fy), and a component in a z-direction (Fz) based on the following formulas: F z = (Ps 2 + P ⁢ ⁢ s 4) - (Ps 1 + Ps 3) Ps 1 + Ps 2 + Ps 3 + Ps 4 ⁢ ⁢ and F y = (Ps 1 + Ps 2) - (Ps 2 + Ps 4) Ps 1 + Ps 2 + Ps 3 + Ps 4 F z =Ps 1 +Ps 2 +Ps 3 +Ps 4 where Ps 1 is a pressure value of a first pressure sensor, Ps 2 is a pressure value of a second pressure sensor, Ps 3 is a pressure value of a third pressure sensor, and Ps 4 is a pressure value of a fourth pressure sensor.",
    "7. A detection device comprising: a first substrate on which is arranged first and second pressure sensors; and a second substrate having: an elastic projection that is elastically deformed in a state in which its tip end portion contacts each of the first and second pressure sensors due to external pressure; and a support substrate arranged on a side opposite to the first substrate with respect to the elastic projection, the first and second pressure sensors being disposed symmetrically, with a contact part serving as the point of symmetry, the first and second pressure sensors being disposed in matrix form in two directions that are orthogonal to each other, and the direction of the external pressure being defined by a component in an x-direction (Fx), a component in a y-direction (Fy), and a component in a z-direction (Fz) based on the following formulas: F x = ∑ i ⁢ P i ⁢ r xi ∑ i ⁢ P i ⁢; F y = ∑ P i ⁢ r yi ∑ i ⁢ P i; and ⁢ ⁢ F z = ∑ P i ⁢ r zi ∑ i ⁢ P i where P i is the detected value at each sensor, i=total cumber of sensors, r xi is a distance between the contact part and a respective sensor in the x-direction; r yi is a distance between the contact part and a respective sensor in the y-direction; and r zi is a distance between the contact part and a respective sensor in a z-direction.",
    "8. The detection device according to claim 7, when the external pressure is applied to a measurement surface, a direction of the external pressure applied to the measurement surface being detected based on a difference between pressure values detected by the first and second pressure sensors, respectively.",
    "9. The detection device according to claim 7, an intensity of the external pressure applied to a measurement surface of the second substrate being detected based on pressure values detected by the first and second pressure sensors.",
    "10. The detection device according to claim 7, a direction of the external pressure applied to a measurement surface of the second substrate being detected based on a correction coefficient in accordance with positions at which the first and second pressure sensors are disposed.",
    "11. The detection device according to claim 7, further comprising: a reinforcing member that is more resilient than the support substrate disposed on the second substrate.",
    "12. An electronic apparatus comprising the detection device according to claim 7.",
    "13. A robot comprising the detection device according to claim 7."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This application claims priority to JP 2010-166791 filed in Japan on Jul. 26, 2010 and to JP 2011-140619 filed in Japan on Jun. 24, 2011, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety.\n\n1. Technical Field The present invention relates to detection devices, electronic apparatuses, and robots. 2. Related Art The detection devices disclosed in JP-A-60-135834 and JP-A-7-128163 are known as detection devices that detect an external force. The application of such detection devices in tactile sensors for touch panels, robots, and so on is under consideration. The detection device disclosed in JP-A-60-135834 is configured using a pressure receiving sheet on the rear surface of which cone-shaped protrusions are disposed in an essentially uniform manner, and pressure distributions are detected from the amounts by which the protrusions deform. However, the detection device disclosed in JP-A-60-135834 cannot measure forces acting in directions within the plane due to pressure applied to the measurement surface (that is, cannot measure sliding forces). Meanwhile, the detection device disclosed in JP-A-7-128163 is configured with a plurality of column-shaped protrusions disposed in a matrix on the front surface of a pressure receiving sheet, with conical protrusions provided in the rear surface in areas that equally divide the peripheral areas of the front surface protrusions.",
  "cpc": [
    "G06F 3/03547",
    "B25J 13/082",
    "G01L 5/228"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B25J 13/08",
    "G01L 1/04",
    "G06F 3/0354"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "IKEBE TOMO",
    "SEIKO EPSON CORP"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "IKEBE TOMO"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2011-07-22",
  "publication_date": "2016-10-04",
  "grant_date": "2016-10-04",
  "priority_date": "2010-07-26",
  "application_number": "US-201113188996-A",
  "family_id": "45494283",
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}