Using a flexible substrate to enhance the sensitivity of Dielectric Elastomer force sensors
Article
Article Title | Using a flexible substrate to enhance the sensitivity of Dielectric Elastomer force sensors |
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ERA Journal ID | 4508 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Zhu, Yuting and Tairych, Andreas |
Journal Title | Sensors and Actuators A: Physical |
Journal Citation | 332 (Part 2) |
Article Number | 113167 |
Number of Pages | 9 |
Year | 2021 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Place of Publication | Netherlands |
ISSN | 0924-4247 |
1873-3069 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2021.113167 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924424721006300 |
Abstract | The application of a force sensor in a robotic gripper is essential as it can provide feedback in the control of the grasping force. This paper examined a way to increase the sensitivity of dielectric elastomer force sensors by adding a flexible substrate and demonstrated how the finite element method (FEM) could be used for identifying the optimum substrate thickness. A capacitive force sensor with a substrate made from liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is studied here. The influence of the contact mechanics and the effect of substrate thickness on the sensitivity of these capacitive sensors were studied. Substrates of different thicknesses were also investigated with a compressive force up to 10 N. Different indenters in spherical shapes made from metal and fruits to mimic the objects being grasped by the gripper were used in this study. This study shows that for forces up to 10 N, a substrate thickness of 5 mm led to an optimum sensitivity, irrespective of the indenter type. |
Keywords | Dielectric elastomer capacitive sensor; Substrate; Compression; Pressure; Force; Robotic gripper |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 400303. Biomechanical engineering |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | University of Auckland, New Zealand |
StretchSense, New Zealand |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/xv8v4/using-a-flexible-substrate-to-enhance-the-sensitivity-of-dielectric-elastomer-force-sensors
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