歪変形拡大メカニズムを用いた指関節トルクの高感度センシング

抄録

For dexterously performing object grasping and manipulation with multifingered hand of robot, sensing the finger joint torque is required. In general, the size of finger joint is quite small so that it is hard to realize the torque sensing. This paper proposes a novel mechanism calledStrain-Deformation Expansion Mechanismto sense the joint torque, which is small enough and fitted in the finger joint. By the torque-sensing mechanism, the small joint strain deformation used for torque sensing can be expanded without reducing the joint stiffness. In this paper, the torque-sensing principle is addressed by analyzing the deformation of the sensing mechanism and the torques acting on the joint axis theoretically. Then, the sensitivity of the sensing mechanism and its expansion rate of sensitivity are defined, and a method for realizing the sensing mechanism with high sensitivity is discussed. Lastly, some experiments with robot finger are performed to show the basic characteristcs and the effectiveness of the proposed torque-sensing mechanism.