JP7093080B2 - Tactile sensor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tactile sensor that detects a tactile sensation received from an object.

Patent Document 1 discloses a wearable tactile sensor including a force detection sensor and an acceleration sensor. The tactile sensor of Patent Document 1 includes a tactile detection glove that can be worn on the operator's hand. A force detection sensor that outputs a tactile detection signal related to the contact force of the operator's hand during object operation and a tactile detection signal related to the acceleration of the operator's hand movement are output to the part of the tactile detection glove that hits each fingertip. An acceleration sensor is provided. The tactile sensor of Patent Document 1 creates vibration pattern data having a frequency of 50 to 500 Hz based on the tactile detection signals output from the force detection sensor and the acceleration sensor, and creates tactile information from the vibration pattern data.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-58973

By the way, the tactile sensor of Patent Document 1 has difficulty in detecting vibration in a low frequency region (for example, vibration of 10 Hz or less), and has a difficulty in detecting a tactile sensation that causes vibration in a low frequency region. Examples of the tactile sensation that causes vibration in the low frequency region include the tactile sensation when touching a soft object such as a human body.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tactile sensor capable of detecting a tactile sensation that causes vibration in a low frequency region such as a tactile sensation when touching a soft object.

The tactile sensor that solves the above-mentioned problems is a tactile sensor that detects the tactile sensation received from an object, and has a contact portion that forms a closed space with the surface of the object by contacting the object, and the closed space. A vibration sensor for detecting the air vibration inside is provided, and the contact portion is connected to a tubular base portion whose inner diameter increases from the base end side to the tip end side as the tip opens and to the tip end of the base portion. The vibration sensor is provided with a tip portion softer than the base portion, and the vibration sensor can detect vibration in a low frequency region of at least 1 to 10 Hz and is arranged at the base end of the base portion.

According to the above configuration, when the contact portion touches a soft object, the soft tip portion is deformed so as to be crushed and the shape of the closed space is changed, and the vibration of air according to the softness of the object is generated in the closed space. Occurs. In addition, when the surface of an object is displaced (for example, the pulsation of a living organism) in a state where a closed space is formed between the object and a soft object, the shape of the closed space changes according to the displacement of the surface of the object in the closed space. Vibration of the air is generated. The vibration of the air based on the change in the shape of these closed spaces is detected by the vibration sensor as tactile information.

In particular, the base of the contact portion is formed in a cylindrical shape in which the inner diameter increases from the base end side to the tip end side as well as the tip opening. Therefore, when the shape of the closed space changes, the air in the closed space moves greatly from the tip side of the large diameter at the base to the base end side of the small diameter, and greatly moves the vibration sensor provided at the base end of the base. As a result, the vibration of the air generated in the closed space can be detected with high sensitivity.

In the tactile sensor, the vibration sensor is preferably a condenser microphone.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to detect a wide range of vibrations from a low frequency region to a high frequency region, so that it is suitable for detecting various tactile sensations.

In the tactile sensor, the shore A hardness of the tip portion is preferably 40 or less.
According to the above configuration, when the contact portion is pressed against the object, it is easy to generate vibration of a vibration pattern depending on the softness of the object. Further, when the surface of the object is displaced while the closed space is formed, it is easy to maintain the closed state of the closed space.

It is preferable that the tactile sensor includes a mounting portion that supports the contact portion, and the mounting portion has an annular cross section and is made of a stretchable elastomer material or a stretch fabric.

According to the above configuration, the tactile sensor can be easily and surely attached to the finger or the like of the operator, so that the tactile sensor having the above configuration is suitable as a wearable device.
The tactile sensor is provided with an exterior portion that is arranged around the contact portion to fill the unevenness between the mounting portion and the contact portion, and the exterior portion is softer than the base portion and harder than the tip portion. Is preferable.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to suppress the catching that occurs when the contact portion is moved while the contact portion is in contact with the surface of the object. This makes it easy to detect the tactile sensation of each part of the object while moving the contact portion so as to slide the surface of the object, as in the case of palpation.

According to the tactile sensor of the present invention, it is possible to detect the tactile sensation that causes vibration in a low frequency region such as the tactile sensation when touching a soft object.

Sectional view of the tactile sensor. Explanatory drawing of the state where the contact part is in contact with the surface of an object. Explanatory drawing of the state where the contact part is pressed against the surface of an object. Schematic diagram of the remote diagnostic system.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the tactile sensor 10 includes a mounting portion 11 to be mounted on the user's finger. The mounting portion 11 has a bag shape having an annular portion having an annular cross section into which a user's finger is inserted, and is made of a stretchable material. Examples of the material constituting the mounting portion 11 include an elastomer material such as silicone and urethane, and a stretch fabric.

The mounting portion 11 supports a contact portion 12 that forms a closed space S, which will be described later, with the surface of the object A by being brought into contact with the object. The contact portion 12 includes a cylindrical base portion 13 having an open tip and a tip portion 14 that is integrally connected to the tip end of the base portion 13 and is softer than the base portion 13, and is supported by the mounting portion 11 at the base end portion of the base portion 13. Has been done.

The base portion 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole, and includes a diameter-expanded portion 13a whose inner diameter gradually increases from the base end side supported by the mounting portion 11 toward the tip end side. In the contact portion 12, the base portion 13 is a portion formed of a relatively hard hard material, and for example, the shore A hardness is preferably 90 or more, and more preferably 95 or more. Examples of the hard material constituting the base 13 include hard resins such as polypropylene and ABS and metals.

The tip portion 14 is a cylindrical portion provided on the entire tip of the base portion 13. The inner diameter of the base end of the tip portion 14 is the same as the inner diameter of the tip end of the base portion 13, and the diameter is gradually increased from the base end side to the tip end side. In the contact portion 12, the tip portion 14 is a portion formed of a relatively soft soft material, and for example, the shore A hardness is preferably 40 or less, more preferably 10 to 40, and 20 to 20 to 40. It is more preferably 30. Examples of the soft material constituting the tip portion 14 include elastomers such as silicone, urethane, and acrylic.

The length of the tip portion 14 in the axial direction of the base portion 13 is preferably, for example, 0.5 mm or more, and more preferably 1 to 10 mm. Further, the length of the tip portion 14 in the axial direction of the base portion 13 is preferably shorter than the length of the base portion 13 in the axial direction.

A vibration sensor 15 is attached to the base end of the base portion 13 of the contact portion 12 so that the base end of the base portion 13 is closed and a part thereof is exposed on the inner surface side of the mounting portion 11. The vibration sensor 15 detects the vibration of the air in the contact portion 12. As the vibration sensor 15, a sensor capable of detecting vibration in a low frequency region of at least 1 to 10 Hz is used, and specific examples thereof include a condenser microphone, a dynamic microphone, a piezo type sensor, an acceleration sensor, and an air pressure sensor. Among these, it is preferable to use a condenser microphone because it can detect a wide range of vibrations from a low frequency region to a high frequency region. The vibration sensor 15 is connected to a terminal 16 for transmitting a detection signal as tactile information based on the vibration of air in the contact portion 12 to an external device.

Around the contact portion 12, an exterior portion 17 that fills the unevenness between the outer surface of the mounting portion 11 and the contact portion 12 is arranged. The exterior portion 17 is formed of a soft material that is softer than the base portion 13 and harder than the tip portion 14. The exterior portion 17 preferably has a shore A hardness of, for example, 20 to 60, and more preferably 30 to 50. Examples of the soft material constituting the exterior portion 17 include elastomers such as silicone, urethane, and acrylic.

Next, an aspect of detecting the tactile sensation using the tactile sensation sensor 10 will be described together with the operation of the present embodiment.
First, a case where the tactile sensation based on the softness of the object A to be measured is detected by using the tactile sensation sensor 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mounting portion 11 and the exterior portion 17 are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tactile sensor 10 is put into a mounted state by covering the user's finger with the bag-shaped mounting portion 11. In this mounted state, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip portion 14 of the contact portion 12 is brought into contact with the surface of the object A. As a result, a closed space S is formed between the surface of the object A and the contact portion 12. Even when the surface of the object A is not flat, the closed space S is formed by deforming the tip portion 14 following the shape of the surface of the object A.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the contact portion 12 is slowly pressed against the object A from the state where the closed space S is formed, the soft tip portion 14 is deformed so as to be crushed and the shape of the closed space S changes. Vibration in the low frequency region occurs in the closed space S. Since the deformation mode such as the deformation amount and the deformation speed of the tip portion 14 when the contact portion 12 is pressed against the object A depends on the softness of the object A, the closed space generated by the change in the shape of the closed space S. The vibration pattern of the vibration of the air in S also depends on the softness of the object A. The vibration sensor 15 detects the vibration of the air in the closed space S as tactile information and outputs it to an external device (not shown) connected to the terminal 16. For example, when the vibration sensor 15 is a condenser microphone, the vibration of the air in the closed space S is detected as a change in capacitance, and an electric signal based on the change in capacitance is output to an external device.

Here, the base portion 13 of the contact portion 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape in which the tip thereof is opened and the inner diameter increases from the base end side to the tip end side. Therefore, when the shape of the closed space S changes, the air in the closed space S moves greatly from the tip side of the large diameter to the base end side of the small diameter in the base portion 13, and the vibration sensor provided at the base end of the base portion 13. Move 15 a lot. As a result, the vibration of the air generated in the closed space S can be detected with high sensitivity by the vibration sensor 15.

Further, when the air in the closed space S moves from the tip end side to the base end side of the base portion 13, if the base portion 13 is deformed or vibrates, the air vibrates due to the movement of the base portion 13 and becomes a disturbance. .. Therefore, in the tactile sensor 10, the base portion 13 of the contact portion 12 is formed to be harder than the tip portion 14, so that the base portion 13 is made difficult to move and the occurrence of the above-mentioned disturbance is suppressed. As a result, the vibration of the air based on the tactile sensation of the object A can be detected with high sensitivity by the vibration sensor 15.

Next, a case where the tactile sensation based on the minute displacement of the object A to be measured is detected by using the tactile sensation sensor 10 will be described. Here, a case where the pulsation of an organism is detected as a minute displacement of the object A will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the tactile sensor 10 attached in the same manner as described above, the tip portion 14 of the contact portion 12 is attached to a portion (for example, the wrist of the human body) where pulsation is easily felt in the object A to be measured. They are brought into contact with each other to form a closed space S between the surface of the object A and the contact portion 12. In this state, when the surface of the object A is displaced up and down due to pulsation, the shape of the closed space S changes due to the change in the position of the surface of the object A, and vibration in the low frequency region occurs in the closed space S. The vibration sensor 15 detects the vibration of the air in the closed space S based on this pulsation as tactile information, and outputs it to an external device (not shown) connected to the terminal 16.

In this case as well, by the same mechanism as described above, the vibration of the air generated in the closed space S can be detected with high sensitivity by the vibration sensor 15, the generation of the disturbance is suppressed, and the vibration of the air based on the displacement of the object A is suppressed. Can be detected with high sensitivity by the vibration sensor 15. Further, when the surface of the object A is displaced up and down due to pulsation, the soft tip portion 14 is deformed following the displacement, so that the closed state of the closed space S is maintained. As a result, the vibration of the air in the closed space S is suppressed from escaping to the outside, and the vibration of the air in the closed space S can be detected with high sensitivity by the vibration sensor 15.

An example of application of the tactile sensor 10 of the present embodiment is a tactile transmission system such as a remote diagnosis system. Hereinafter, a case where the tactile sensor 10 is applied to the remote diagnosis system 20 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the remote diagnostic system 20 includes a first device 20A used on the patient side and a second device 20B used on the doctor side located in a remote place away from the patient. There is. The first device 20A includes a tactile sensor 10 and a transmission unit 21 that transmits tactile information detected by the tactile sensor 10. The second device 20B has a receiving unit 22 that receives tactile information transmitted from the first device 20A, a tactile presentation device 23 that presents tactile sensation to the wearer, and a tactile sensation based on the tactile information received by the receiving unit 22. It includes a control unit 24 that controls the operation of the presentation device 23. As the tactile sensation presenting device 23, for example, a tactile sensation presenting device having a polymer actuator such as a dielectric elastomer actuator, an eccentric motor, a piezoelectric element or the like as an actuator can be used.

In the remote diagnosis system 20, a caregiver, a robot, or the patient himself / herself, who is present on the patient side, touches the affected part while wearing the tactile sensor 10 according to an instruction from a doctor existing in a remote place, and acquires the tactile sensation of the affected part. The first device 20A transmits tactile information based on the tactile sensation of the affected area acquired by the tactile sensor 10 to the second device 20B at a remote location. The control unit 24 of the second device 20B causes the tactile sensation presenting device 23 worn by the doctor to reproduce the tactile sensation of the affected part based on the transmitted tactile sensation information. As a result, a doctor existing in a remote place can obtain a tactile sensation close to that when he / she actually touches the affected part of the patient, and can make an appropriate diagnosis in the remote place.

Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described.
(1) The tactile sensor 10 that detects the tactile sensation received from the object A has a contact portion 12 that forms a closed space S with the surface of the object A by contacting the object A, and the air in the closed space S. It is equipped with a vibration sensor 15 that detects vibration. The contact portion 12 has a cylindrical base portion 13 whose inner diameter increases from the base end side to the tip end side as the tip opens, and a tip portion 14 which is connected to the tip end of the base portion 13 and is softer than the base portion 13. I have. The vibration sensor 15 can detect vibration in a low frequency region of at least 1 to 10 Hz, and is arranged at the base end of the base 13.

According to the above configuration, the change in the shape of the closed space S that occurs when the contact portion 12 touches the soft object A or when the surface of the object A is displaced while the closed space S is formed between the soft object A and the contact portion 12. The vibration of the air based on the above can be detected with high sensitivity as tactile information.

(2) The vibration sensor 15 is a condenser microphone.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to detect a wide range of vibrations from the low frequency region to the high frequency region. Therefore, it is suitable for detecting various tactile sensations.

(3) The tip portion 14 has a shore A hardness of 40 or less.
According to the above configuration, when the contact portion 12 is pressed against the object A, vibration of a vibration pattern depending on the softness of the object A is likely to occur. Further, when the surface of the object A is displaced while the closed space S is formed, it is easy to maintain the closed state of the closed space S.

(4) A mounting portion 11 for supporting the contact portion 12 is provided. The mounting portion 11 has an annular cross section and is made of a stretchable elastomer material or a stretch fabric.
According to the above configuration, the tactile sensor 10 can be easily and surely attached to a mounting portion such as an operator's finger, so that the tactile sensor 10 having the above configuration is suitable as a wearable device.

(5) An exterior portion 17 is provided around the contact portion 12 to fill the unevenness between the mounting portion 11 and the contact portion 12. The exterior portion 17 is softer than the base portion 13 and harder than the tip portion 14.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to suppress the catching that occurs when the contact portion 12 is moved while the contact portion 12 is in contact with the surface of the object A. This makes it easy to detect the tactile sensation of each part of the object A while moving the contact portion 12 so as to slide the surface of the object A as in the case of palpation.

In addition, this embodiment can be changed and carried out as follows. The present embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
Regarding the inner peripheral shape of the enlarged diameter portion 13a of the base portion 13 of the contact portion 12, the mode in which the inner diameter is expanded from the proximal end side to the distal end side is not particularly limited. For example, the diameter may be expanded in a straight line, the diameter may be expanded in a curved cross section, or the diameter may be expanded in a stepped cross section.

-In the above embodiment, the portion on the tip end side of the base portion 13 of the contact portion 12 is used as the enlarged diameter portion 13a, and the inner diameter is expanded from the base end side toward the tip end side. The inner diameter may increase from the end side to the tip side.

-In the above embodiment, the inner peripheral shape of the tip portion 14 of the contact portion 12 may be changed. For example, the diameter may be expanded in a straight line, the diameter may be expanded in a curved cross section, or the diameter may be expanded in a stepped cross section. Further, the inner peripheral shape may be formed in which the inner diameter is constant from the base end side to the tip end side.

The shape of the end portion of the base portion 13 on the base end side is not particularly limited as long as the closed space S can be formed between the surface of the object A and the surface of the object A. For example, instead of the configuration in which the base end side of the base portion 13 is closed by the vibration sensor 15, a bottomed cylindrical base portion 13 having an end wall that closes the base end is adopted, and vibration occurs on the inner surface of the end wall of the base portion 13. The sensor 15 may be attached.

-The mounting portion 11 may be configured to be mounted on a portion other than the finger. Further, the shape of the mounting portion 11 is not limited to the bag shape, and can be appropriately changed depending on the mounting portion and the like. However, from the viewpoint of wearability, it is preferable to have a structure having an annular portion such as a ring shape, a string shape, a band shape, or a configuration capable of forming the annular portion at the time of mounting. Further, the mounting portion 11 may be omitted.

The exterior portion 17 is not limited to a configuration that completely fills the unevenness between the mounting portion 11 and the contact portion 12, and at least the step of the unevenness between the mounting portion 11 and the contact portion 12 can be reduced. All you need is.

The exterior portion 17 may be formed of a material that is harder than the base portion 13 or may be formed of a material that is softer than the tip portion 14. Further, the exterior portion 17 may be omitted.

The tactile sensor 10 may be configured as a part of an output device (for example, a tactile sensation presenting device 23) that executes some operation based on the tactile sensation received from the object A.

A ... object, S ... closed space, 10 ... tactile sensor, 11 ... mounting part, 12 ... contact part, 13 ... base, 13a ... enlarged diameter part, 14 ... tip part, 15 ... vibration sensor, 16 ... terminal, 17 ... Exterior unit, 20 ... remote diagnosis system, 20A ... first device, 20B ... second device, 21 ... transmission unit, 22 ... receiver unit, 23 ... tactile presentation device, 24 ... control unit.

Claims (5)

It is a tactile sensor that detects the tactile sensation received from an object.
A contact portion that forms a closed space between the object and the surface of the object by being brought into contact with the object.
It is equipped with a vibration sensor that detects air vibration in the closed space.
The contact portion includes a cylindrical base portion whose inner diameter increases from the base end side to the tip end side as the tip opens, and a tip portion connected to the tip end of the base portion and softer than the base portion.
The vibration sensor is a tactile sensor capable of detecting vibration in a low frequency region of at least 1 to 10 Hz and being arranged at the base end of the base portion. The tactile sensor according to claim 1, wherein the vibration sensor is a condenser microphone. The tactile sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tip portion has a shore A hardness of 40 or less. A mounting portion for supporting the contact portion is provided.
The tactile sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting portion has an annular cross section and is made of a stretchable elastomer material or a stretch fabric. It is provided around the contact portion and has an exterior portion that fills the unevenness between the mounting portion and the contact portion.
The tactile sensor according to claim 4, wherein the exterior portion is softer than the base portion and harder than the tip portion.

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