CN111230928A

CN111230928A - Proximity sensor, electronic skin, manufacturing method and proximity sensing method

Info

Publication number: CN111230928A
Application number: CN202010065290.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 路鹏; 戴媛; 刘思媛; 张正友
Original assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-01-20
Filing date: 2020-01-20
Publication date: 2020-06-05
Also published as: WO2021147452A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a proximity sensor, an electronic skin, a manufacturing method and a proximity sensing method; the technical field relates to artificial intelligence machine technology, in particular to a single-electrode capacitance type proximity sensor, which can comprise an electrode; the electrodes form an electric field in a space, and when an object other than the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, the approach of the object is induced by a change in the electric field. The scheme can improve the proximity sensing precision.

Description

Proximity sensor, electronic skin, manufacturing method and proximity sensing method

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a proximity sensor, an electronic skin, a manufacturing method and a proximity sensing method.

Background

Proximity sensing refers to contactless sensing for a close distance of an external object. At present, the proximity sensing technology is widely applied, for example, the proximity sensing technology can be applied to automatic control, intelligent terminals, robots and the like. However, the current proximity sensing mainly includes two types, namely, object pattern recognition ranging based on vision, and optical and acoustic ranging based on wave propagation. However, the accuracy of the present proximity sensing is low.

For example, in the case of robot application, the development and application of intelligent robot technology are gradually deepened. No matter large-sized industrial robots or intelligent home robots bring efficient and convenient services to people, the programmed actions of the robots cannot sense the change of the surrounding environment, and the robots collide with external objects such as people and objects to cause injuries or damages.

To prevent damage from occurring, researchers have developed proximity sensing systems for use with robots. The robot system mainly comprises two proximity sensing systems, namely object pattern recognition ranging based on vision and optical and acoustic ranging based on wave propagation. Visual pattern recognition is supported on a pattern database, a camera is used for capturing an object, and the distance between the camera and the object is calculated according to the size proportion. The optical and acoustic ranging uses a phenomenon that waves propagate in a space and are reflected when encountering an object, and calculates the distance of the object by measuring the transmission time or the phase change of the reflected waves.

In the research and practice process of the prior art, the inventor of the application finds that the proximity sensing system has lower proximity sensing precision on an object at present; for example, the existing vision sensing system, namely, the vision-based object image recognition ranging needs a camera device, and needs to input parameters of a sensing object in advance, and the proximity sensing accuracy depends on the accuracy of the input parameters, the number and the quality of the camera devices, and the like, but these cannot be guaranteed; for another example, the existing optical and ultrasonic ranging needs a complex light wave or sound wave transmitting and receiving system, the whole system has a large volume and cannot be arranged in large quantities, and therefore the approaching induction precision of the robot to an external object is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a proximity sensor, an electronic skin, a manufacturing method and a proximity sensing method, and the proximity sensing precision can be improved.

The embodiment of the application provides a flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, which comprises an electrode; wherein the electrodes form an electric field in a space, and when an object other than the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, the approach of the object is induced by a change in the electric field.

In one embodiment, the electrode is a flexible electrode.

In one embodiment, the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor further comprises: a flexible substrate and a package; the electrode is arranged on the flexible substrate, the packaging body is arranged on the electrode, and the electrode is packaged.

In one embodiment, the flexible substrate includes a top surface and a bottom surface, the electrode is disposed on the top surface, and the bottom surface is adhesive.

In one embodiment, the pattern of electrodes comprises a frame shape.

The embodiment of the application provides an electronic skin of robot, includes: at least one flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor;

the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor forms an electric field in a space, and when an object except the robot approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor to cause the electric field to change, an electric signal of the change of the electric field is transmitted to the robot, so that the robot senses the approach of the object according to the electric signal.

In one embodiment, the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor comprises: a flexible substrate, an electrode, and a package; the electrode is arranged on the flexible substrate, the packaging body is arranged on the electrode, and the electrode is packaged.

In one embodiment, the electrode is a flexible electrode.

In an embodiment, the electronic skin comprises at least two flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensors; the at least two flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors form a proximity sensor array.

In one embodiment, the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor comprises: a flexible substrate, an electrode, and a package; the electrode is arranged on the flexible substrate, the packaging body is arranged on the electrode, and the electrode is packaged; wherein the at least two single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors share a flexible substrate and a package.

In one embodiment, the package includes an adhesive tape or a polydimethylsiloxane film.

In one embodiment, the pattern of electrodes comprises a frame shape.

In an embodiment, the flexible substrate comprises a polymer film.

In an embodiment, the flexible substrate comprises a top surface on which the electrodes are arranged and a bottom surface provided with a conductive film.

The embodiment of the application provides a robot, wherein the electronic skin is attached to the outer surface of the robot; wherein the electronic skin is electrically connected with the robot;

the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor forms an electric field in a space, and transmits an electric signal of the electric field change to the robot when an object except the robot approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor to cause the electric field change;

the robot is used for sensing the approach of the object according to the electric signal.

In one embodiment, the robot comprises a robot bone, and the electronic skin is attached to an outer surface of the robot bone.

The embodiment of the application provides a proximity sensing method, which is suitable for a robot, wherein any electronic skin provided by the embodiment of the application is attached to the outer surface of the robot; the method comprises the following steps:

receiving an electrical signal transmitted by a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor in the electronic skin;

and sensing the approach of the external object of the robot according to the received electric signal.

The embodiment of the application provides a method for manufacturing electronic skin of a robot, which comprises the following steps:

providing a flexible substrate;

forming at least one electrode on the flexible substrate;

packaging the electrodes by using a packaging body to obtain at least one flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor;

an electronic skin of a robot is fabricated using at least one flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor.

In an embodiment, forming at least one electrode on the flexible substrate comprises: forming an electrode array on the flexible substrate;

encapsulating the electrodes with an encapsulant resulting in at least one flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor comprising: packaging the electrode array by using a packaging body to obtain a proximity sensor array, wherein the proximity sensor array comprises at least two flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors sharing a substrate;

fabricating an electronic skin of a robot using at least one flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor, comprising: an electronic skin of a robot is fabricated using a proximity sensor array.

In one embodiment, forming an array of electrodes on the flexible substrate comprises:

forming a conductive layer on the flexible substrate;

and carrying out electrode manufacturing treatment on the conducting layer to form an electrode array, wherein the electrode array comprises at least two electrodes which are arranged in an array.

In an embodiment, forming at least one electrode on the substrate includes:

providing a conductive layer;

carrying out electrode manufacturing treatment on the conducting layer to obtain at least two electrodes;

attaching at least two electrodes to the flexible substrate according to a preset rule to form an electrode array on the flexible substrate, wherein the electrode array comprises at least two electrodes arranged in an array.

In one embodiment, a conductive film is formed on the bottom surface of the flexible substrate.

The proximity sensing device provided by the embodiment of the application is suitable for a robot, and any electronic skin provided by the embodiment of the application is attached to the outer surface of the robot; the proximity sensing device includes:

the receiving unit is used for receiving the electric signals transmitted by the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor in the electronic skin;

and the sensing unit is used for sensing the approach of the external object of the robot according to the received electric signal.

The present embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program when executed by a processor performs the steps as the proximity sensing method.

The embodiment also provides a robot, which includes a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the steps of the proximity sensing method.

The embodiment of the application provides a flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, which comprises an electrode; wherein the electrodes form an electric field in a space, and when an object other than the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, the approach of the object is induced by a change in the electric field. The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor senses the approach of an object by adopting an electric field change mode, and compared with the prior art, the approach emotion precision can be improved. And because the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor is flexible, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor can be attached to each part of an application object such as a robot, so that the all-dimensional sensing of the application object such as the robot to an external object is realized, and the proximity sensing precision of the application object to the external object is greatly improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram of a single electrode electric field provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 1b is a schematic structural diagram of a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a scene of an electronic skin provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic skin of a robot provided in an embodiment of the present application; fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5a is a schematic diagram of a square electrode provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5b is a schematic diagram of a square electrode provided in the embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 6a is a schematic diagram of a frame-type electrode provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6b is a schematic diagram of a frame-shaped electrode provided in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a performance test of a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a performance stability test of a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a comparative test of sensing performance of a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor provided by an embodiment of the present application at different positions;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a sensing test of a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor attached to a curved surface of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a proximity sensor array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a proximity sensing method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic flowchart of a method for manufacturing an electronic skin according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a proximity sensing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 15a is an alternative structural diagram of the distributed system 100 applied to the blockchain system according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15b is an alternative schematic diagram of a block structure provided in the embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The scheme provided by the application, such as a proximity sensor, an electronic skin, a manufacturing method and a proximity sensing method, relates to the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is a theory, a method, a technology and an application system for simulating, extending and expanding human Intelligence by using a digital computer or a machine controlled by the digital computer, sensing the environment, acquiring knowledge and obtaining the best result by using the knowledge. In other words, artificial intelligence is a comprehensive technique of computer science that attempts to understand the essence of intelligence and produce a new intelligent machine that can react in a manner similar to human intelligence. Artificial intelligence is the research of the design principle and the realization method of various intelligent machines, so that the machines have the functions of perception, reasoning and decision making.

The artificial intelligence technology is a comprehensive subject and relates to the field of extensive technology, namely the technology of a hardware level and the technology of a software level. The artificial intelligence infrastructure generally includes technologies such as sensors, dedicated artificial intelligence chips, cloud computing, distributed storage, big data processing technologies, operation/interaction systems, mechatronics, and the like.

The scheme of the embodiment of the application particularly relates to the Robot related field of artificial intelligence, and an AI Robot (Robot) is a machine device for automatically executing work. The intelligent control system can accept human command, run a pre-programmed program and act according to a running rule established by an artificial intelligence technology. The task of it is to assist or replace human work, such as enterprise production, construction or hazardous operations. It is a product of advanced integrated control theory, mechanics, mechano-electronics, intelligent engineering, computer, artificial engineering, materials and bionics. AI robot major system structure: the robot generally comprises an actuating mechanism, a driving device (driver), a detection device (sensor), a control system (controller), a complex machine and the like.

In the embodiment of the present application, the robot is a machine device that automatically performs work. It can accept human command, run the program programmed in advance, and also can operate according to the principle outline action made by artificial intelligence technology. The task of which is to assist or replace human work, such as production, construction, or dangerous work. For example, the robot may comprise an industrial robot such as a robot arm, a specialty robot.

Industrial robots are multi-joint robots or multi-degree-of-freedom robots for industrial applications. And the special robot is various advanced robots for non-manufacturing industry and serving human beings, in addition to the industrial robot, including: service robots, underwater robots, entertainment robots, military robots, agricultural robots, robotized machines, and the like. In special robots, some branches develop rapidly and have the tendency of independent system formation, such as service robots, underwater robots, military robots, micro-operation robots and the like.

Referring to fig. 1a to 11, an embodiment of the present application provides a flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11, which may include: one electrode 111, i.e. comprising a single electrode, the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 is flexible with the ability to bend, stretch, etc.

Referring to fig. 1a and 1b, in which an electrode 111 may form an electric field in a space, when an object other than the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 approaches the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11, the approach of the object is induced by a change in the electric field.

For example, the single electrode 111 in the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may form an electrode axial near-parallel electric field in space, and when an external object such as a human body or a conductor approaches the electrode to a certain distance, the external object may contact the bound electric field, which may cause an increase in capacitance, and at this time, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may sense the approach of the object through the change of the electric field, for example, sense information such as a distance and a position between the object and the sensor

In an embodiment, referring to fig. 1a and 1b, the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may further include a substrate 110 and a package 112; the electrode 111 is disposed on the substrate 110, and the package body 113 is disposed on the electrode 111 and encapsulates the electrode 111. Referring to fig. 4, the package body 112 may also simultaneously encapsulate the electrode 111 and the flexible substrate 110 in an embodiment. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may also have no substrate and no package, only the electrode 111.

There are various implementations of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11, for example, in an embodiment, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 is made to be flexible by a flexible substrate 110, in this case, the substrate 110 may be a flexible substrate; or in an embodiment, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may be made flexible by a flexible electrode 11, in which case the electrode 111 may be a flexible electrode.

In an embodiment, in order to enable the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor to be attached to an application object such as a robot, a smart phone, an unmanned vehicle, or the like, wherein the bottom surface of the substrate 110 may have an adhesive property.

In an embodiment, the pattern of the electrode 111 may be set according to actual requirements, for example, it may be a frame type, a non-frame type, etc., for example, refer to fig. 5a and 5 b.

The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 provided by the embodiment of the application adopts the mode of electric field change to sense the approach of an object, and compared with the prior art, the approach emotion precision can be improved. And because the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor is flexible, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor can be attached to each part of an application object such as a robot, so that the all-dimensional sensing of the application object such as the robot to an external object is realized, and the proximity sensing precision of the application object to the external object is greatly improved.

The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 provided in the embodiment of the present application may be applied to any object that needs proximity sensing, that is, an application object, for example, may be applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned vehicle, an electric vehicle, a robot, a detector (such as an aviation detector), and the like.

For example, in the case of application to a robot, the electronic skin of the robot may be manufactured by using the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11, and the electronic skin may assist the robot to sense the proximity of an external object.

The embodiment of the application takes an industrial robot or a household service robot as an example to introduce the electronic skin of the robot and the like.

Referring to fig. 2 to 3, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic skin 10 of a robot, where the electronic skin 10 may be attached to a surface of a robot 20 to help the robot sense a surrounding working environment, and avoid a loss caused by collision between the robot and an external object, such as an operator or a service object.

The e-skin 10 may include at least one flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11, for example, one flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11, or at least two flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11. In an embodiment, referring to fig. 3, in order to improve the proximity sensing accuracy of the robot 20 for the external object, the electronic skin 20 may include a proximity sensor array 12, and the proximity sensor array 12 includes at least two flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 arranged in an array.

In practical applications, the more the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 are in the electronic skin 10, the higher the density is, the higher the proximity sensing accuracy for external objects is, for example, the high-density single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 may be provided to improve the sensing accuracy.

The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 according to the embodiment of the present application may be a capacitive proximity sensor including a single electrode, and the embodiment of the present application may manufacture a flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor by using a spatial electric field of the electrode, so as to manufacture an electronic skin of a robot.

The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may form an electric field in a space, and when an object other than the robot, such as an object, approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor to cause a change in the electric field, an electric signal of the change in the electric field is transmitted to the robot, so that the robot senses the approach of the object according to the electric signal. For example, the robot may analyze and determine the proximity of the external object according to the change of the electrical signal.

For example, referring to fig. 3, a single electrode of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 of the electronic skin 10 may form a near-parallel electric field in the axial direction of the electrode in space, when an external object such as a human body or a conductor approaches the electrode to a certain distance, the near-parallel electric field may cause an increase in capacitance, at this time, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may transmit an electric signal of the electric field change to the robot 20, and the robot 20 may sense the approach of the object according to the received electric signal, for example, sense information such as the distance between the object and the robot, the position, and the like.

This application embodiment, can adopt flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 to make electron skin 10, electron skin 10 is whole also to have flexibility so, and have certain bending deformation ability (refer to fig. 2), consequently, can make attached at the surface of robot that electron skin can be good, help robot 20 to respond to external object better like being close to of human body or conductor, avoid the robot to collide rather than taking place, make the robot make corresponding actions such as dodging or braking, promote greatly and be close to the response precision.

For example, because the flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 is used, the electronic skin 10 can be attached to the exoskeleton of the robot, such as the cylindrical outer wall of the robot arm, the chest or back of the robot backbone; in addition, the electronic skin can be attached to key parts of the robot, such as joint parts of the robot, parts with complex shapes and the like, so that certain parts can accurately sense the approach of an external object to respond.

The structure of the flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be various, for example, in an embodiment, referring to fig. 1a and 1b, the flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may include a flexible substrate 110, an electrode 111, and a package 112; the electrode 111 is disposed on the flexible substrate 110, and the package body 113 is disposed on the electrode 111 and encapsulates the electrode 111. Referring to fig. 4, the package body 112 may also simultaneously package the electrode 111 and the flexible substrate 110 in an embodiment.

The flexible substrate 110 may be a substrate made of a flexible material, and in an embodiment, the flexible substrate 110 may be a flexible insulating substrate, which may be a substrate made of a flexible insulating material. For example, the flexible substrate 110 may include a polymer film, which may include a film of flexible material, i.e., a film made of flexible material. Among them, the polymer film may include a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) film, a PI (polyimide film), and the like.

In one embodiment, to improve the safety, stability and proximity sensing accuracy of the e-skin, all single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 in the e-skin share a common flexible substrate. In one embodiment, a flexible substrate common to all the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 may be used as a substrate for the e-skin 10 for its attachment to the outer surface of the robot. In actual use, a common flexible substrate may be directly attached to the outer surface of the robot.

In one embodiment, to prevent interference between the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11, all of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 in the e-skin do not share a single flexible substrate, i.e., each single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 has a respective flexible substrate 110. At least one single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 is incorporated into the electronic skin 10. For example, in one embodiment, a flexible electronic skin substrate may be provided, and all of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 may be disposed on the electronic skin substrate (e.g., glued, etc.) to form the electronic skin 10. In actual use, the electronic skin substrate can be attached to the outer surface of the robot. For another example, in one embodiment, at least one unipolar capacitive proximity sensor 11 may be directly attached to the outer surface of the machine as the e-skin 10.

The electrode 111 may be an electrode made of a conductive material, that is, the electrode may be made of a conductive material, for example, a metal electrode, a conductive carbon cloth, or other conductive materials. In one embodiment, the electrodes 111 may be flexible electrodes, for example, electrodes made of flexible conductive material, for the flexibility of the sensor and thus facilitating easier attachment of the e-skin to the outer surface of the robot. For example, the electrode 111 may be an electrode made of conductive carbon cloth having a bending property, or the like.

In the embodiment of the present application, the shape of the electrode 111 may be any shape, for example, the pattern of the electrode 111 may be a square circle or any polygon. For example, referring to fig. 5a, the electrode 111 may be a square electrode, fig. 5b is a square electrode, and the electrode 111 on the flexible substrate 110 in fig. 5b may include a square electrode body 1110 and a signal lead 1111, where the signal lead 1111 is used for transmitting an electrical signal.

In one embodiment, the pattern of the electrode 111 may be any frame shape, such as a triangular frame shape, a circular frame shape, a square frame shape or any polygonal frame shape, in order to improve the sensing accuracy of the sensor. For example, referring to fig. 6a, the electrode 111 may be a square frame-type electrode, fig. 6b is a square electrode, and the electrode 111 on the flexible substrate 110 in fig. 6b may include a frame-type electrode body 1110 and a signal lead 1111, where the signal lead 1111 is used for transmitting an electrical signal.

In the embodiment of the present application, the size of the electrode 11 is not fixed, and may be set according to actual requirements, for example, the size may be selected in a range from micrometers to meters.

In an embodiment, in order to improve the adhesiveness of the e-skin, wherein the bottom surface of the flexible substrate 110 has adhesiveness, for example, the flexible substrate 110 may include a top surface on which the electrode 11 is disposed and a bottom surface having adhesiveness. For example, in actual use, the bottom surface of the flexible substrate 110 of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 10 may be attached to the outer surface of the robot.

In one embodiment, when the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 10 shares a flexible substrate, the bottom surface of the flexible substrate can be attached to the outer surface of the robot as an electronic skin due to its adhesive properties. Because the flexible substrate has flexibility and adhesiveness, the flexible substrate can be well attached to the outer surface of any part of the robot in practical application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the package 112 is used for packaging the electrode 111 to form a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, and the package 112 has a protection function to prevent the electrode 111 from contacting with an external environment; the package body 112 may enclose the electrode 111. In an embodiment, in order to better protect the electrode 111, the package body 112 may also package the electrode 111 and the flexible substrate 110 at the same time, and the package body 112 may enclose the electrode 111 and the flexible substrate 110.

The package 112 may include a package such as an adhesive tape or a film; for example, the package body 112 may include PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) or the like.

The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor designed by the embodiment of the application has stronger proximity sensing performance compared with the existing sensor, and has very high sensing precision on the external object of the robot. Referring to fig. 7, in an actual test, performance of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor with frame-type and square electrodes according to the embodiment of the present application at different sensing distances (sensing distances) is shown, where the left side is the performance of the frame-type electrode sensor, and the right side is the performance of the square electrode sensor, where the performance index may be sensing intensity (sensing intensity).

For example, referring to fig. 8, in an actual test, the performance stability of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor with frame-type electrodes under different sensing distances is shown, where a curve 1 shows the sensing performance when an object is far away, a curve 2 shows the sensing performance when the object is close, and the two curves in fig. 8 are completely overlapped to show good stability of the sensor performance.

The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor designed by the embodiment of the application has little difference in sensing performance of external objects at different positions and has extremely strong stability. For example, referring to fig. 9, in an actual test, sensing performances of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor of the frame-type electrode at different positions of the periphery are compared, specifically, in an actual test, sensing performances at five positions (i.e., upper left, middle left, lower left, upper middle and middle left) of the frame-type electrode are compared, and it can be seen from fig. 9 that the sensing performances at the five positions do not fluctuate greatly and are stable. In the third diagram of fig. 9, k1 represents a sensing distance (sensing distance), and k2 represents a response amplitude (response amplitude).

In addition, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor designed by the embodiment of the application has the advantages that after the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor is attached to the outer surface of the robot, the sensing performance is not changed greatly, and the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor has extremely strong stability. For example, referring to fig. 10, the sensing performance of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor attached to the curved surface of the robot in the actual test is shown.

In an embodiment, in order to improve the proximity sensing accuracy or sensing accuracy of the robot on an external object, the electronic skin 10 may be formed by using a flexible capacitive proximity sensing array, that is, the electronic skin 10 may include at least two (two or more) flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11, and the at least two flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 may form a proximity sensor array; for example, the flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 are arranged in an array according to actual conditions to form a proximity sensor array. For example, referring to FIG. 2, a single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 on an e-skin 10 is arranged in an array to form a proximity sensor array.

In one embodiment, in order to improve the performance and stability of the proximity sensor array and improve the proximity sensing accuracy, all flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors in the proximity sensor array share one flexible substrate and a package. Specifically, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 in the proximity sensor array may share a large-area flexible substrate, that is, the proximity sensor array is fabricated on the large-area flexible substrate. That is, the flexible substrate shared by the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 is the substrate of the electronic skin 10.

It should be understood that: in other embodiments, the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 in the proximity sensor array may not share a common flexible substrate. Can be selected according to actual requirements.

For example, referring to fig. 11, the proximity sensor array 30 may include a large area flexible substrate 113, an electrode array 114, and a package 115; the electrode 114 is disposed on the flexible substrate 113, the package body 115 is disposed on the electrode 111 and the flexible substrate 113, and the electrode array 114 and the flexible substrate 113 are packaged. The electrodes 114 include at least two electrodes, which may be arranged in an array on the flexible substrate 113. In one implementation, the flexible substrate 113 may serve directly as a substrate for the e-skin.

The electrodes in the electrode array 114 may be electrodes made of a conductive material, that is, the conductive material of the electrodes may be, for example, electrodes made of a conductive material such as a metal electrode and conductive carbon cloth. The shape of the electrode can be set according to actual requirements, and for example, the electrode can be square, frame-shaped, grid-shaped, and the like.

The flexible substrate 113 may be a substrate made of a flexible material, and in an embodiment, the flexible substrate 113 may be a flexible insulating substrate, which may be a substrate made of a flexible insulating material. For example, a film of flexible material, i.e., a film made of flexible material, may be included.

In an embodiment, in order to improve the adhesiveness of the e-skin, wherein the bottom surface of the flexible substrate 113 has adhesiveness, for example, the flexible substrate 113 may include a top surface on which the electrode array 114 is disposed and a bottom surface having adhesiveness. For example, in actual use, the bottom surface of the flexible substrate 113 of the proximity sensor array 30 may be attached to the outer surface of the robot. Since the flexible substrate of the proximity sensor array 30 has flexibility (i.e., has a certain bending deformation capability) and adhesiveness, it can be attached to the outer surface of any part of the robot well in practical applications.

The package 115 may encapsulate the electrode array 114, and in an embodiment, the electrode array 114 and the flexible substrate 113 may be encapsulated at the same time. The package 115 may include a package such as an adhesive tape or a film; for example, the encapsulation body 115 may include PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane film) or the like.

In one embodiment, in order to shield the electric field interference inside the robot, a conductive film may be disposed on the bottom surface of the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11; in particular, the substrate of the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may comprise a top surface and a bottom surface, the electrodes may be arranged on the top surface, e.g. the electrodes or electrode array may be arranged on the top surface, and the bottom surface of the substrate may be provided with a conductive film.

For example, in one embodiment, in the case where the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 do not share a substrate, a conductive film may be disposed on the bottom surface of the flexible substrate of each single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11.

For another example, in one embodiment, the bottom surface of the flexible substrate 113 shared by the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors 11 in the proximity sensor array 30 may be provided with a conductive film.

The conductive film may include a copper foil, an aluminum foil, a carbon cloth, and the like.

In actual use, the conductive film of the electronic skin 10 may be attached to the outer surface of the robot.

By last knowing, the electron skin of this application embodiment design can be attached on the robot surface, through being close of electric field change response external object, can realize the accurate response of being close of robot to external object. The single-electrode capacitance proximity sensor can improve the sensing distance to more than 50cm, so that the robot has more reaction time, and the collision risk is reduced.

And because the electronic skin adopts flexible single electrode capacitance type proximity sensor, therefore, can attach each position of robot, realized the all-round response of machine to external object, promoted the proximity response precision of robot to external object greatly.

Further, the electronic skin designed by the embodiment of the application can be used for manufacturing a high-density multi-layer thin film sensor array on a large-area substrate, and no additional sensing device is needed when the electronic skin is used. The sensing array is attached on the outer surface of the robot, so that all-round sensing of each position of the robot to an external object can be realized, the high-density array also helps the robot to accurately judge a specific position close to the object, complete early warning of the robot to a working environment is really realized, and collision with the object is prevented. The flexible capacitor proximity sensing array provided by the embodiment of the application can enable the sensing precision of the robot to the object to reach a millimeter level, the spatial resolution is reduced to the millimeter level, and high-density sensing is achieved.

The electronic skin designed by the embodiment of the application adopts the flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor such as a flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor array, the substrate of the electrode adopts a flexible material film, the electrode can also be made of a flexible conductive material and packaged by using a flexible film material, the whole flexibility of the sensing array is realized, and the flexible skin has certain bending deformation capability. Can be well attached to the surface of the robot.

In addition, the flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor provided by the embodiment of the application has the advantages of small volume and low cost, and can be conveniently arranged in a large number of robots.

The electronic skin provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to proximity sensing scenes of various robots, for example, in some scenes, a proximity sensor with a small area is applied. On narrow or pointed parts of the robot, such as finger tips and the like, a single sensor or a simple sensing array is designed according to specific situations for carrying out proximity sensing. The robot is helped to actively sense objects in operation and timely take braking or avoiding actions, and collision of narrow or pointed parts in work is prevented.

For another example, in some scenes, the proximity sensors and the array may be arranged on the contact surface (such as finger abdomen, palm center, etc.) between the robot and the object to prompt the robot to grasp or touch the object at a position and a general shape, so that the robot adjusts the posture and speed to perform grasping or touching more stably.

With reference to fig. 12, an embodiment of the present application further provides a proximity sensing method, which is suitable for a robot, to the outer surface of which an electronic skin as described above is attached, and which may be specifically executed by a processor in the robot, the method including:

and S121, receiving an electric signal transmitted by the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor in the electronic skin.

The single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 may form an electric field in a space, and when an object other than the robot approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor to cause a change in the electric field, an electric signal of the change in the electric field is transmitted to the robot.

For example, the data is transmitted to the robot 20 through a connection circuit between the electronic skin 10 and the robot 20

And S122, sensing the approach of the external object of the robot according to the received electric signal.

For example, in one embodiment, the proximity of the robot to an external object may be analyzed and determined according to the change of the received electrical signal.

For example, information such as a distance, a position, and a shape between the robot and an external object may be sensed according to the received electric signal.

There are various approaches of the external object of the robot according to the sensing of the electrical signal, for example, the distance between the robot and the external object may be calculated according to the intensity of the electrical signal.

In the case of an electronic skin sensor array, the robot can sense the proximity of an external object according to the electrical signal transmitted by each single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor 11 in the array, such as sensing the position, distance, etc. of the external object.

As can be seen from the above, in the embodiment of the application, the electronic skin manufactured by using the flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor can be attached to the outer surface of the robot, and the robot senses the approach of an external object through an electric signal transmitted by the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor in the electronic skin; compare current response scheme of being close, can promote the precision of being close the response.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a method for manufacturing an electronic skin of a robot, as shown in fig. 13, the method includes:

s131, providing a flexible substrate.

The flexible substrate includes a flexible material film, such as a polymer film, and may specifically include: PET, PI, etc.

S132, forming at least one electrode on the flexible substrate;

the number of the electrodes can be determined according to the number of the sensors to be manufactured, for example, one electrode can be formed on the flexible substrate when one sensor is manufactured; when n sensors are to be fabricated, n electrodes may be formed on the flexible substrate, where n is a positive integer greater than 1.

In an embodiment, when a proximity sensor array needs to be manufactured, an electrode array may be formed on the flexible substrate, where the electrode array includes at least two electrodes, and the at least two electrodes are arranged in an array.

There are various ways to form the electrode array on the flexible substrate, for example, in one embodiment, a conductive layer is formed on the flexible substrate; and carrying out electrode manufacturing treatment on the conducting layer to form an electrode array, wherein the electrode array comprises at least two electrodes which are arranged in an array.

The conductive layer may be a layer made of a conductive material, such as a metal layer, a conductive carbon cloth, or the like. The metal layer may include a metal network layer, and the like, which may be set according to actual requirements, for example, the metal network layer formed by spraying silver nanowires on the substrate may be used.

There are various ways to form the conductive layer on the flexible substrate, for example, evaporation, spraying, printing, etc. can be used.

For example, a metal layer of a conductive metal may be vapor deposited on a polymer (PET, PI, etc.) film, a metal layer printed on a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber (TPU) film; a metal network layer of silver nanowires is sprayed on a polymer (PET, PI, etc.) film, and the like.

The conductive layer may be formed by performing electrode manufacturing processing on the conductive layer, and the method may be selected according to actual requirements. For example, in one embodiment, the electrode material is selected from a conductive carbon cloth having bending properties, and the carbon cloth is cut into electrode sizes using laser cutting to form an electrode array.

For another example, in an embodiment, when the electrode material is a metal electrode formed by vapor deposition of a conductive metal on a polymer (PET, PI, etc.) film, laser cutting may be used to cut the gold-plated electrode into an electrode size or directly using a mask plate to vapor deposit an electrode array.

For another example, in one embodiment, when electrodes are printed on a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber (TPU) film, the electrodes are directly fabricated into a flexible electrode array using a mask.

For another example, in an embodiment, when the electrode is a metal network electrode formed by spraying silver nanowires on a polymer (PET, PI, etc.) film, the electrode array is directly sprayed by using a mask, so as to manufacture a flexible electrode array.

Wherein, the specific shape and size of the electrode are not fixed and can be in the range of micron to meter. The single electrode is designed into a square shape, a circular shape or any polygon and any frame shape (including a triangular frame shape, a circular ring frame shape, a square frame shape or any polygon frame shape). And the electrodes in the electrode array are arrayed according to actual conditions.

In an embodiment, the forming of the electrode array on the flexible substrate may further include fabricating electrodes, and attaching the electrodes to the flexible substrate; specifically, a conductive layer is provided; carrying out electrode manufacturing treatment on the conducting layer to obtain at least two electrodes; attaching at least two electrodes to the flexible substrate according to a preset rule to form an electrode array on the flexible substrate, wherein the electrode array comprises at least two electrodes arranged in an array.

For example, when the electrode material is conductive carbon cloth with bending performance, the carbon cloth is cut into the size of an electrode by laser cutting, and then the electrode is attached to the polymer film, so that the electrode array is formed on the flexible substrate. That is to say

And S133, packaging the electrodes by using a packaging body to obtain at least one flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor.

In an embodiment, the electrode and the flexible substrate may be encapsulated simultaneously using an encapsulation body.

For example, in the case of one electrode, the electrode may be encapsulated using one encapsulation, resulting in a single flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor.

For another example, in the case of a plurality of electrodes such as an electrode array, the electrode array is packaged with a package to obtain a proximity sensor array including at least two single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors that share a substrate and are flexible.

The package may include an adhesive tape or a PDMS film.

For example, when a metal network electrode in which silver nanowires are sprayed on a polymer (PET, PI, or the like) film is used as an electrode, an electrode array is directly sprayed using a mask to manufacture a flexible electrode array. And packaging the sensor on the upper layer by using an adhesive tape or a PDMS film to obtain the proximity sensor array.

In one embodiment, in order to shield the electric field interference inside the robot, a conductive film may be formed on the bottom surface of the flexible substrate, that is, a full-surface conductive film, such as a copper foil, an aluminum foil, a carbon cloth, or the like, is disposed, for example, adhered on the lower layer of the sensor or the sensor array.

And S134, manufacturing the electronic skin of the robot by adopting at least one flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor.

For example, in one embodiment, at least one flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor may be used as the electronic skin; for example, the proximity sensor is used as an electronic skin of a robot. In actual use, at least one flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, such as a sensor array, is directly attached to the outer surface of the robot.

For another example, in one embodiment, at least a flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor can also be disposed on an electronic skin substrate to form an electronic skin. In actual use, the electronic skin substrate is attached to the outer surface of the robot.

The application designs flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensing electronic skin, is mainly applied to the outer surface of a robot, helps the robot to sense the surrounding working environment, and avoids the robot from colliding with an operator or a service object to cause loss. The large area proximity sensor array is attached to a large area of the robot, such as the cylindrical outer wall of the arm and the chest or back of the robot backbone. The high-density remote sensing to people in a large area is realized, and the high-density array can enable the robot to accurately sense the position of an object, so that the collision between the robot and people is avoided.

Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of the invention has the following effects:

1. the flexible capacitance proximity sensing array manufactured by the invention can enable the sensing precision of the robot on the object to reach the millimeter level, reduce the spatial resolution to the millimeter level and realize high-density sensing.

2. The capacitive proximity sensor with the single electrode can improve the sensing distance to more than 50cm, so that the robot has more reaction time, and the collision risk is reduced.

3. The flexible sensing array can be simply and conveniently attached to the surface of the robot, and the robot can sense the surrounding environment in an all-round mode.

In order to better implement the above method, correspondingly, the embodiment of the present application further provides a proximity sensing device, which may be integrated in a robot, an outer surface of which is attached with an electronic skin as described above. Referring to fig. 14, the proximity sensing apparatus may include a receiving unit 140 and a sensing unit 141, as follows:

a receiving unit 140, configured to receive an electrical signal transmitted by a single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor in the electronic skin;

and a sensing unit 141 for sensing the approach of the external object of the robot according to the received electric signal.

The proximity sensing system related to the embodiment of the application can be a distributed system formed by connecting a client and a plurality of nodes (robots in any form in an access network) in a network communication mode. Wherein the sensing data of the robot can be stored in a distributed system such as a block chain.

Taking a distributed system as a blockchain system as an example, referring to fig. 15a, fig. 15a is an optional structural schematic diagram of the distributed system 100 applied to the blockchain system provided in this embodiment of the present application, and is formed by a plurality of nodes (computing devices in any form in an access network, such as servers and user terminals) and clients, and a Peer-to-Peer (P2P, Peerto Peer) network is formed between the nodes, and the P2P protocol is an application layer protocol operating on top of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). In a distributed system, any machine such as a server, a terminal and an intelligent robot can be added to form a node, and the node comprises a hardware layer, a middle layer, an operating system layer and an application layer. In this embodiment, the proximity sensing data and the like may be stored in the shared ledger of the area chain system through the node of the area chain system, and the computer device (e.g., a terminal or a server) may acquire the proximity sensing data based on the record data stored in the shared ledger.

Referring to fig. 15a, the functions of each node in the blockchain system are shown, and the functions involved include:

1) routing, a basic function that a node has, is used to support communication between nodes.

Besides the routing function, the node may also have the following functions:

2) the application is used for being deployed in a block chain, realizing specific services according to actual service requirements, recording data related to the realization functions to form recording data, carrying a digital signature in the recording data to represent a source of task data, and sending the recording data to other nodes in the block chain system, so that the other nodes add the recording data to a temporary block when the source and integrity of the recording data are verified successfully.

For example, the services implemented by the application include:

2.1) wallet, for providing the function of transaction of electronic money, including initiating transaction (i.e. sending the transaction record of current transaction to other nodes in the blockchain system, after the other nodes are successfully verified, storing the record data of transaction in the temporary blocks of the blockchain as the response of confirming the transaction is valid; of course, the wallet also supports the querying of the remaining electronic money in the electronic money address;

and 2.2) sharing the account book, wherein the shared account book is used for providing functions of operations such as storage, query and modification of account data, record data of the operations on the account data are sent to other nodes in the block chain system, and after the other nodes verify the validity, the record data are stored in a temporary block as a response for acknowledging that the account data are valid, and confirmation can be sent to the node initiating the operations.

2.3) Intelligent contracts, computerized agreements, which can enforce the terms of a contract, implemented by codes deployed on a shared ledger for execution when certain conditions are met, for completing automated transactions according to actual business requirement codes, such as querying the logistics status of goods purchased by a buyer, transferring the buyer's electronic money to the merchant's address after the buyer signs for the goods; of course, smart contracts are not limited to executing contracts for trading, but may also execute contracts that process received information.

3) And the Block chain comprises a series of blocks (blocks) which are mutually connected according to the generated chronological order, new blocks cannot be removed once being added into the Block chain, and recorded data submitted by nodes in the Block chain system are recorded in the blocks.

Referring to fig. 15b, fig. 15b is an optional schematic diagram of a Block Structure (Block Structure) provided in this embodiment, each Block includes a hash value of a transaction record (hash value of the Block) stored in the Block and a hash value of a previous Block, and the blocks are connected by the hash value to form a Block chain. The block may include information such as a time stamp at the time of block generation. A block chain (Blockchain), which is essentially a decentralized database, is a string of data blocks associated by using cryptography, and each data block contains related information for verifying the validity (anti-counterfeiting) of the information and generating a next block.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps of the methods of the above embodiments may be performed by instructions or by associated hardware controlled by the instructions, which may be stored in a computer readable storage medium and loaded and executed by a processor.

To this end, embodiments of the present application further provide a storage medium, in which a plurality of instructions are stored, where the instructions can be loaded by a processor to execute the steps in any one of the proximity sensing methods or the manufacturing method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

The above operations can be implemented in the foregoing embodiments, and are not described in detail herein.

Wherein the storage medium may include: read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), magnetic or optical disks, and the like.

Since the instructions stored in the storage medium may execute any of the steps in the proximity sensing method or the manufacturing method provided in the embodiments of the present application, beneficial effects that can be achieved by any of the proximity sensing method or the manufacturing method provided in the embodiments of the present application may be achieved, for details, see the foregoing embodiments, and are not described herein again.

The electronic skin, the manufacturing method, the proximity sensing method and the storage medium of the robot provided by the embodiment of the present application are described in detail above, and the principle and the implementation of the present application are explained in this document by applying specific examples, and the description of the above embodiments is only used to help understanding the method and the core idea of the present application; meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor comprising an electrode;

wherein the electrodes form an electric field in a space, and when an object other than the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor approaches the single-electrode capacitive proximity sensor, the approach of the object is induced by a change in the electric field.

2. The single electrode capacitive proximity sensor of claim 1 wherein the electrode is a flexible electrode.

3. The single electrode capacitive proximity sensor of claim 1, further comprising: a flexible substrate and a package; the electrode is arranged on the flexible substrate, the packaging body is arranged on the electrode, and the electrode is packaged.

4. A single electrode capacitive proximity sensor as in claim 3 wherein said flexible substrate comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, said electrodes being disposed on said top surface and said bottom surface being adhesive.

5. A single electrode capacitive proximity sensor as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the pattern of electrodes comprises a frame shape.

6. An electronic skin of a robot, comprising: at least one flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensor;

7. The electronic skin of claim 6, wherein the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor comprises: a flexible substrate, an electrode, and a package; the electrode is arranged on the flexible substrate, the packaging body is arranged on the electrode, and the electrode is packaged.

8. The electronic skin according to claim 6, comprising at least two flexible single electrode capacitive proximity sensors; the at least two flexible single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors form a proximity sensor array.

9. The electronic skin of claim 8, wherein the single electrode capacitive proximity sensor comprises: a flexible substrate, an electrode, and a package; the electrode is arranged on the flexible substrate, the packaging body is arranged on the electrode, and the electrode is packaged; wherein the at least two single-electrode capacitive proximity sensors share a flexible substrate and a package.

10. The electronic skin according to claim 7 or 9, wherein the flexible substrate comprises a top surface on which the electrodes are arranged and a bottom surface provided with a conductive film.

11. A robot, characterized in that the outer surface of the robot is attached with the electronic skin according to any one of claims 6-10; wherein the electronic skin is electrically connected with the robot;

12. A proximity sensing method, which is applied to a robot, the robot having the electronic skin according to any one of claims 6 to 10 attached to an outer surface thereof; the method comprises the following steps:

13. A method for manufacturing electronic skin of a robot is characterized by comprising the following steps:

providing a flexible substrate;

forming at least one electrode on the flexible substrate;

14. The electronic skin fabrication method of claim 13, wherein forming at least one electrode on the flexible substrate comprises: forming an electrode array on the flexible substrate;

15. The electronic skin fabrication method of claim 14, wherein forming an electrode array on the flexible substrate comprises:

forming a conductive layer on the flexible substrate;

carrying out electrode manufacturing treatment on the conducting layer to form an electrode array, wherein the electrode array comprises at least two electrodes which are arranged in an array;

or

Providing a conductive layer;