CN214066386U

CN214066386U - Flexible pressure sensor and simulation robot

Info

Publication number: CN214066386U
Application number: CN202022683805.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李计考; 王士敏; 朱泽力; 古海裕; 何云富; 宋小来
Original assignee: Shenzhen Laibao Hi Tech Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Laibao Hi Tech Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-18
Filing date: 2020-11-18
Publication date: 2021-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 2030-11-18

Abstract

The application provides a flexible pressure sensor and emulation robot, flexible pressure sensor includes: the flexible substrate comprises a flexible substrate and a resistance layer arranged on the surface of the flexible substrate; the resistance layer comprises at least two conducting layers and at least one semiconductor layer, and each semiconductor layer is positioned between two adjacent conducting layers, so that when the resistance layer is subjected to external pressure, the resistance layer can deform and change the resistance value; the simulation robot comprises the flexible pressure sensor; according to the flexible pressure sensor, the resistance layer is arranged on the surface of the flexible base layer, so that the resistance value change of the resistance layer can reflect the magnitude of external pressure, the structure is light and thin, the flexibility is high, and the flexible pressure sensor can be simultaneously suitable for a plane object and a curved object to play a pressure sensing role; the simulation robot can sense the external pressure through the flexible pressure sensor, so that a touch function is obtained, and the reality and the user experience are improved.

Description

Flexible pressure sensor and simulation robot

Technical Field

The application belongs to the technical field of artificial intelligence, and more particularly relates to a flexible pressure sensor and a simulation robot.

Background

With the increasing development of artificial intelligence and the internet of things, the technical requirements of robot touch, object perception and the like are increasingly urgent. In the prior art, conventional mechanical pressure sensors are typically used, which convert a pressure signal into a usable output electrical signal according to a certain rule.

However, the conventional mechanical pressure sensor cannot be bent due to its poor flexibility, and thus, can be mounted only on a planar object. However, for example, the surface of a robot hand of a robot is mostly a curved surface, and external pressure cannot be comprehensively sensed through a traditional mechanical pressure sensor, so that the touch function of the robot is incomplete, and the user experience is affected. In addition, the thickness of the traditional mechanical pressure sensor is large, the requirement on installation space is large, and high-density installation cannot be realized, so that the application of the traditional mechanical pressure sensor is limited.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

An object of the embodiment of the application is to provide a flexible pressure sensor and a simulation robot, so as to solve the technical problems of poor flexibility and large thickness existing in the application process of the pressure sensor in the prior art.

In order to achieve the purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the application is as follows: there is provided a flexible pressure sensor comprising: the flexible substrate comprises a flexible substrate and a resistance layer arranged on the surface of the flexible substrate;

the resistance layer comprises at least two conducting layers and at least one semiconductor layer, wherein each semiconductor layer is positioned between two adjacent conducting layers, so that when the resistance layer is subjected to external pressure, the resistance layer can deform and change the resistance value.

Preferably, the resistive layer comprises two conductive layers and a semiconductor layer, the semiconductor layer being located between the two conductive layers.

Preferably, the conductive layer is a metal layer; and/or the thickness of the conductive layer is 40 to 1000 nanometers.

Preferably, the semiconductor layer is a metal nitride layer; and/or the thickness of the semiconductor layer is 40 to 1000 nanometers.

Preferably, the conductive layer is provided with a connection electrode through which an external circuit can be connected.

Preferably, the connection electrode is provided with a fixed connection hole.

Preferably, the flexible base layer is one of a colorless polyimide material layer, a polyethylene terephthalate material layer and a silica gel material layer; and/or the flexible base layer has a thickness of 20 to 40 microns.

Preferably, the flexible pressure sensor comprises an adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer is located on one surface of the flexible base layer, which faces away from the resistance layer.

The application also provides a simulation robot, which comprises the flexible pressure sensor.

Preferably, the simulation robot comprises a plurality of the flexible pressure sensors, and the plurality of the flexible pressure sensors are uniformly distributed on the skin surface of the simulation robot.

The application provides a flexible pressure sensor's beneficial effect lies in: compared with the prior art, the resistance layer is arranged on the surface of the flexible base layer, so that the resistance value change of the resistance layer can reflect the magnitude of external pressure, the structure is light and thin, the flexibility is high, and the pressure sensor can be simultaneously suitable for a plane object and a curved object to play a pressure sensing role;

the application provides a simulation robot's beneficial effect lies in: compared with the prior art, the flexible pressure sensor can sense the external pressure, so that the touch function is obtained, and the verisimilitude and the user experience are 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 embodiments or the prior art descriptions will be briefly described 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 inventive exercise.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible pressure sensor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible pressure sensor according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic partial structure diagram of a simulation robot according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous effects to be solved by the present application clearer, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or be indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or be indirectly connected to the other element.

It will be understood that the terms "length," "width," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like, as used herein, refer to an orientation or positional relationship indicated in the drawings that is solely for the purpose of facilitating the description and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be considered as limiting the present application.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

Referring to fig. 1, a flexible pressure sensor 100 according to an embodiment of the present application will be described. A flexible pressure sensor 100 comprising: a flexible base layer 10 and a resistive layer 20 disposed on a surface of the flexible base layer 10.

Specifically, the resistive layer 20 includes at least two conductive layers 21 and at least one semiconductor layer 22, and each semiconductor layer 22 is located between two adjacent conductive layers 21, so that when the resistive layer 20 is subjected to an external pressure, the resistive layer 20 can be deformed and change in resistance value.

It is understood that the semiconductor is a material having a conductive property at normal temperature between the conductor and the insulator, and by disposing the semiconductor layer 22 between two adjacent conductive layers 21, a resistance can be formed between the two adjacent conductive layers 21, which can block the current transmission between the two adjacent conductive layers 21.

Preferably, the conductive layer 21 and the semiconductor layer 22 may be deposited by a vacuum sputtering process, in which a suitable inert gas is introduced as a medium in a vacuum environment, and the inert gas is accelerated to impact the target, so that atoms on the surface of the target are impacted, and a coating film is formed on the surface. The thicknesses of the conductive layer 21 and the semiconductor layer 22 can be precisely controlled by a vacuum sputtering process, so that the conductive layer 21 and the semiconductor layer 22 become light, thin and uniform in thickness, and the flexible pressure sensor 100 is light and small.

When the flexible pressure sensor 100 is subjected to an external pressure, the resistive layer 20 is subjected to a pressure perpendicular to the resistive layer 20, so that the resistive layer 20 is locally compressed, and a distance between adjacent conductive layers 21 is changed, thereby causing a resistance value of the entire resistive layer 20 to be changed.

Specifically, the greater the external pressure applied to the flexible pressure sensor 100, the greater the pressure applied to the resistive layer 20 perpendicular to the resistive layer 20, resulting in a greater variation in the distance between the adjacent conductive layers 21 and a smaller resistance value of the entire resistive layer 20. Conversely, the smaller the external pressure applied to the flexible pressure sensor 100, the smaller the pressure applied to the resistive layer 20 perpendicular to the resistive layer 20, resulting in smaller variations in the distance between the adjacent conductive layers 21 and a larger resistance value of the entire resistive layer 20.

Therefore, the flexible pressure sensor 100 can reflect the magnitude of the external pressure by the change in the resistance value of the resistive layer 20. In addition, by replacing the material of the semiconductor layer 22 having a different conductivity, the resistance value change sensitivity of the flexible pressure sensor 100 can be adjusted. That is, the larger the conductivity of the semiconductor layer 22 is, the greater the sensitivity of the flexible pressure sensor 100 to the change in the resistance value is; the smaller the conductivity of the semiconductor layer 22, the less sensitive the change in resistance value of the flexible pressure sensor 100.

Further, the flexible pressure sensor 100 employs the flexible base layer 10 to support the resistive layer 20, and due to the characteristic of flexibility of the flexible base layer 10, the flexible pressure sensor 100 can be simultaneously applied to a planar object and a curved object to perform a pressure sensing function, such as a robot, a keyboard, a wearable device, and the like, for sensing external pressure changes. Compared with the traditional mechanical sensor, the sensor has the characteristics of convenience in installation and wider application range.

Compared with the prior art, the flexible pressure sensor 100 provided by the application has the advantages that the resistance layer 20 is arranged on the surface of the flexible base layer 10, so that the resistance value of the resistance layer 20 changes to reflect the external pressure, the structure is light and thin, the flexibility is high, and the flexible pressure sensor can be simultaneously suitable for the pressure sensing effect on a plane object and a curved object.

In another embodiment of the present application, referring to fig. 1, the resistive layer 20 includes two conductive layers 21 and a semiconductor layer 22, and the semiconductor layer 22 is located between the two conductive layers 21. It is understood that when the resistive layer 20 is pressed perpendicularly to the resistive layer 20, so that the resistive layer 20 is locally pressed, the semiconductor layer 22 is pressed to be thin, and thus, the distance between the two conductive layers 21 becomes small, and the resistance value of the entire resistive layer 20 becomes small. When the flexible pressure sensor 100 is connected to the external circuit 30, if the resistance value of the resistive layer 20 is decreased, the current passing through the flexible pressure sensor 100 is increased while the voltage across the flexible pressure sensor 100 is not changed, thereby converting the pressure signal into an electrical signal.

In another embodiment of the present application, referring to fig. 1, the conductive layer 21 is a metal layer; and/or the thickness of the conductive layer 21 is 40 to 1000 nm. It can be understood that the metal layer is used as the conductive layer 21, which has the advantage of high stability, and meanwhile, the metal layer has the characteristic of wear resistance and is not easy to fall off. For example, the metal layer may be made of one of copper and gold, which have good conductivity and high stability, and can prolong the service life of the flexible pressure sensor 100. The thickness of the conductive layer 21 is 40 to 1000 nm, and preferably, the thickness of the conductive layer 21 is 100 to 500 nm, so that the conductive layer 21 can be stably conductive, and the flexibility of the conductive layer 21 can be improved, so that the flexible pressure sensor 100 can be freely bent.

In another embodiment of the present application, referring to fig. 1, the semiconductor layer 22 is a metal nitride layer; and/or the thickness of the semiconductor layer 22 is 40 to 1000 nanometers. It is understood that metal nitrides are compounds of nitrogen with metals, such as copper nitride, manganese nitride, tungsten nitride, zirconium nitride, and the like. The metal nitride layer is adopted as the semiconductor layer 22, so that the characteristic of high thermal stability is achieved, when the resistance of the semiconductor layer 22 is large, a large amount of heat can be generated when current passes through the resistance layer 20, the metal nitride layer can withstand high temperature, and the service life of the flexible pressure sensor 100 can be prolonged. In addition, when the flexible pressure sensor 100 is not subjected to a pressure perpendicular to the resistive layer 20, since the thickness of the semiconductor layer 22 is 40 to 1000 nm, preferably, the thickness of the semiconductor layer 22 is 100 to 500 nm, even if the flexible base layer 10 itself is deformed, it has little influence on the thickness of the semiconductor layer 22, and does not cause a large resistance value change of the resistive layer 20, and thus, the interference resistance of the flexible pressure sensor 100 can be improved.

In another embodiment of the present application, referring to fig. 2, a connection electrode 211 is disposed on the conductive layer 21, and the connection electrode 211 can be connected to an external circuit 30. It can be understood that the external circuit 30 can be connected through the connection electrodes 211, and when the external circuit 30 is a resistance meter, the resistance between two adjacent connection electrodes 211 can be monitored through the external circuit 30, so as to realize pressure sensing; when the external circuit 30 is a current meter, the external circuit 30 can monitor the current flowing through the resistive layer 20 to realize pressure sensing; when the external circuit 30 is a voltmeter, the external circuit 30 can also monitor the voltage of the resistive layer 20 to realize pressure sensing.

Specifically, referring to fig. 2, the connection electrode 211 is provided with a fixing connection hole 2111. It is understood that the connection of the connection electrode 211 to the external circuit 30 is facilitated by the fixing connection hole 2111. For example, when the connection electrode 211 and the external circuit 30 are connected by electric welding, solder can flow into the fixing connection hole 2111, so that cold solder can be prevented; when the connection electrode 211 and the external circuit 30 are connected by an electrical clip, the friction force can be increased, so that the connection between the connection electrode 211 and the external circuit 30 is more stable.

In another embodiment of the present application, referring to fig. 1 or fig. 2, the flexible substrate 10 is one of a colorless polyimide material layer, a polyethylene terephthalate material layer, and a silicone material layer; and/or the flexible base layer 10 has a thickness of 20 to 40 microns. It can be understood that the colorless polyimide material layer, the polyethylene terephthalate material layer and the silica gel material layer have the characteristics of good flexibility and high toughness, and in the application process, the flexible base layer 10 can be well attached to a planar object and a curved object to play a pressure sensing role. In addition, the thickness of the flexible base layer 10 is 20 to 40 micrometers, which can reduce the overall thickness of the flexible pressure sensor 100, so that the overall thickness is lighter and thinner, which is beneficial to reducing the requirement of installation space.

In another embodiment of the present application, referring to fig. 2, the flexible pressure sensor 100 includes an adhesive layer 40, wherein the adhesive layer 40 is disposed on a side of the flexible substrate 10 opposite to the resistive layer 20. It can be understood that the adhesive layer 40 has a certain viscosity, and the flexible pressure sensor 100 can be adhered to a planar object or a curved object through the adhesive layer 40 to perform a pressure sensing function, thereby facilitating the fixing and installation of the flexible pressure sensor 100.

Referring to fig. 3, a simulation robot 200 according to an embodiment of the present application will be described. The simulation robot 200 includes the flexible pressure sensor 100 as above.

It can be understood that the simulation robot 200 can sense the external pressure through the flexible pressure sensor 100, so as to obtain a touch function, thereby improving the reality and the user experience.

Specifically, referring to fig. 3, the simulation robot 200 includes a plurality of flexible pressure sensors 100, and the plurality of flexible pressure sensors 100 are uniformly distributed on the surface of the skin 201 of the simulation robot 200. It can be understood that, by uniformly distributing the plurality of flexible pressure sensors 100 on the surface of the skin 201 of the simulation robot 200, the simulation robot 200 can also be made to distinguish the point of application of the external pressure. For example, by uniformly distributing the plurality of flexible pressure sensors 100 on the surface of the skin 201 of the manipulator of the simulation robot 200, when the human touches the manipulator of the simulation robot 200, the flexible pressure sensors 100 can convert the pressure sense into the tactile sense of the simulation robot 200, so that the simulation robot makes a handshake action, thereby improving the fidelity of the simulation robot 200.

The above description is only exemplary of the present application and should not be taken as limiting the present application, as any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible pressure sensor, comprising:

a flexible base layer; and

the resistance layer is arranged on the surface of the flexible base layer; the resistance layer comprises at least two conducting layers and at least one semiconductor layer, wherein each semiconductor layer is positioned between two adjacent conducting layers, so that when the resistance layer is subjected to external pressure, the resistance layer can deform and change the resistance value.

2. The flexible pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein said resistive layer comprises two conductive layers and a semiconductor layer, said semiconductor layer being positioned between said two conductive layers.

3. The flexible pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is a metal layer; and/or the thickness of the conductive layer is 40 to 1000 nanometers.

4. The flexible pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is a metal nitride layer; and/or the thickness of the semiconductor layer is 40 to 1000 nanometers.

5. The flexible pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is provided with connection electrodes through which an external circuit can be connected.

6. The flexible pressure sensor of claim 5, wherein the connection electrode is provided with a fixing connection hole.

7. The flexible pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the flexible base layer is one of a colorless polyimide material layer, a polyethylene terephthalate material layer, a silicone gel material layer; and/or the flexible base layer has a thickness of 20 to 40 microns.

8. The flexible pressure sensor of any of claims 1 to 7, comprising an adhesive layer on a side of the flexible substrate facing away from the resistive layer.

9. A simulation robot comprising a flexible pressure sensor according to any of claims 1 to 8.

10. The simulated robot of claim 9, wherein said simulated robot comprises a plurality of said flexible pressure sensors, said plurality of said flexible pressure sensors being evenly distributed over a skin surface of said simulated robot.