JPS63101705A - Attitude sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To calculate angles of inclination of an object to be measured in all bearings in real time, by arranging strain generating plates in a cross with respect to a surface of a construction to be measured to generate changes in the inclination as such in the distortion with a weight formed at the center thereof. CONSTITUTION:As an attitude sensor 1 inclines by an angle beta on the (x) axis, a support frame 20 tilts while a substrate 4 at the center thereof is so energized as to be kept horizontal with a weight 6 and a float 8 and hence, the substrate 4 is supported at an attitude tilted to a certain extent with equilibrium held between the energizing force applied by the weight 6 and the float 8 to keep it horizontal and a return force of a spring plate 3 being bent. The spring plate 2 is kept in parallel with the substrate 4 with the turning of stroke bearings 22 at both ends thereof to be free from distortion while the other spring plate 3 is displaced vertically at both ends thereof to be bent, which causes a bending distortion. A strain gauge 10 stuck on the spring plate 3 outputs a detection value corresponding to the size of the distortion. Moreover, when the attitude sensor 1 is inclined on the horizontal axis other than the (x) and (y) axes, both of the spring plates 2 and 3 cause a bending distortion, which is detected with the strain gauge 10 stuck on both the spring plates 2 and 3.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to omnidirectional tilt angle detection for detecting the tilt angle and tilt azimuth of a structure or moving object. Tilt angle in all directions, angular velocity,
The present invention relates to an attitude sensor for detecting angular acceleration.

(Conventional technology) There is a demand for always detecting inclination angles in all directions in industrial robots, ships, civil engineering construction work, special vehicles, etc. In this case, the maximum inclination angle and its azimuth angle must be detected at the same time. Otherwise, it is extremely likely that the detected values cannot be used for automatic control or other purposes.

Some conventional inclination angle measurement devices display the inclination angle only in the -axis direction.

When measuring an arbitrary inclination on a plane with such a device, place the device on the plane, rotate it 360 degrees around the measurement point, set it in the direction of the maximum angle of elevation or depression, and then measure the inclination indicated at that time. The angle is read and the set inclination azimuth and the read inclination angle are combined and used as data.
Also, when measuring angular velocity, angular acceleration, etc., the axial direction is set as the direction of movement.

In this way, manual work makes it difficult to quickly respond to a wide range of azimuth angles, and the resolution is also limited.

Recently, there have been many requests for use in automatic control using electrical signals, but conventional low-cost devices have the disadvantage of not being able to meet these demands.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The general conventional method described above has the disadvantage that it is difficult to support a wide range of azimuth angles because it is read manually, and conventional inexpensive equipment cannot cope with this problem. . In order to solve these drawbacks of the conventional devices, it is necessary to have a function that can automatically detect any direction of 360[, which is the omnidirectional angle, in which the tilt angle sensor tilts in any direction on the measurement surface.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides strain plates that are arranged in a cross shape with respect to the surface of the structure to be measured in accordance with changes in the inclination direction of the fS structure. A weight configured in the center of the sensor generates a tilt change from the horizontal, which is the object of measurement, on the strain plate, and the signals output from all the sensing elements on the strain plate are made into a composite signal. Therefore, it can be detected.

A further feature of the present invention is that the outputs from all the sensing elements are configured in an electrical circuit as a bridge configuration to detect the inclination angle and inclination azimuth as a composite signal of stable and highly accurate detection values. It is possible to provide an omnidirectional tilt angle sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and an angular acceleration sensor that can be used as an automatic control signal based on the output, facilitates high-precision detection, improves response speed, has a robust structure, and is inexpensive. .

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the attitude sensor according to the present invention includes a strain plate arranged in multiple directions from the center of the container and a weight in the center of the strain plate. each outer end of the strain plate is supported by a base, or the strain plate is arranged in a plurality of directions from the center of the container, and a weight is supported at the center of the strain plate; Each outer end of the strain plate is supported by a base via a bearing, or the strain plates arranged in multiple directions from the center of the container and each inner end of the strain plate are supported by a base via a bearing. The strain plate supports a weight, each outer end of the strain plate is supported by a base, and is composed of all sensing elements included in the strain plate. The configuration is such that posture displacement and azimuth can be detected by a composite signal output from all the detection elements in response to any changes in the container.

(for production) The operation and effect will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the basic principle of the present invention, which includes strain plates 1X and 1M arranged in a cross shape, a weight 2 supported at the center of the cross, and a base 3 that supports the strain plates. It is composed of all the detection elements 4 attached to the strain plate, and if the strain plates 1x and 1y arranged in a cross shape are taken as the X axis and the Y axis, the inclination angle θ is
is defined by the following formula ek=Jnu2+117, and is a diagram explaining the principle of detecting tilt angles in all directions.

An operation that detects the amount of displacement for each fluctuating motion by fixing a weight at the center of the cross of such a strain plate and detecting the amount of strain on the strain plate from the weight and direction of the weight. I can give an explanation.

For example, if the attitude sensor is tilted in a certain direction, the weight fixed at the center of the cross on the strain plate will always try to be vertical toward the earth's axis, causing distortion in the strain plate arranged in a cross shape. I will let you do it.

Therefore, by attaching a strain gauge, a flexible piezoelectric film, or the like as a strain sensing element for detecting strain to the strain plate, it becomes possible to detect the tilt angle and the tilt direction at the same time. For this reason, each displacement amount can be detected by further calculating each detected value for angular velocity and angular acceleration.

In Fig. 2, the basic operation is the same as in Fig. 1, a container is filled with liquid, a float 6 that is symmetrical to the weight 2 is fixed to improve verticality as a posture detection means, and it is further movable. It also creates a damper effect on the object and improves response speed and stability.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an application example of the present invention, in which the four outer ends of the strain plate arranged in a cross shape are supported by a base via each bearing, and attached to the strain plate according to the amount of operational displacement. From the strain sensing element,
Can be detected more faithfully.

In other words, if we assume that the movement of the weight fixed at the center of the cross of the strain plate is a two-dimensional movement for simplicity, then the outer west end of the cross shape of the strain plate is moved through a bearing installed on the base that supports the reciprocating rotational movement. If the plate is supported by a base, the torsional strain generated in the strain plate can be reduced, allowing more accurate detection.

In FIG. 4, a float 6, which is symmetrical to the weight 2 in FIG. 3, is fixedly installed as an attitude detection means, and a container is filled with liquid to improve verticality and further provide a damper effect for a movable object.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an application example of the present invention, in which the four internal ends of the strain plate arranged in a cross shape are fixed to the center of the strain plate cross by supporting weights through each bearing. Assuming that the movement of the weight is a two-dimensional motion for simplicity, the four ends of the cross-shaped interior of the strain plate support the weight through bearings installed on the weight, and the torsional strain generated in the strain plate is Therefore, the amount of operational displacement can be detected more faithfully from the strain sensing element attached to the strain generating plate even in the amount of operational displacement in any direction.

In FIG. 6, a float 6, which is symmetrical to the weight 2 in FIG. 5, is fixedly installed as an attitude detection means, and a container is filled with liquid to improve verticality and to provide a damper effect for a movable object.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a mounting diagram in which the container is cut out to reveal the inside.

Each component in the figure is a strain plate 1 arranged in a cross shape.
X, 1'l/ and a light 2 fixed at the center of the cross
, a base 3 supporting a strain plate arranged in a cross shape, a strain sensing element 4 attached to the strain plate, a bearing 5 supporting the four outer ends of the cross shape, and a weight 2 symmetrically. Naru float 6 and
It consists of a container 7 that accommodates the above structures.

In this embodiment, the container is filled with a liquid, in which case silicone liquid is filled, and the specific gravity of the weight 2 and float 6 is adjusted to be equal to that of the silicone liquid, considering the specific gravity of the silicone liquid used. There is.

A cross-shaped strain plate supported by a base 3, and the strain plate 1X, 1
The weight 2 and the float 6 supported by the V are designed considering the weight of the cross-shaped strain plate that supports them, and ideally the strain plate is designed to minimize the amount of natural deflection of the strain plate. Care has been taken to ensure that measurements can be made under realistic conditions.

The strain plate constructed in this way uses a weight 2 fixed at the center of the cross and a float 6 to keep the cross-shaped center of the strain plate constant against any changes in the structure. As a virtual fulcrum, it follows all changes in the structure, so it is possible to generate strain in an ideal posture and detect the amount of strain displacement.

In addition, the movement of the strain plate in response to any changes in the structure is
The bearing 5 is equipped with a stroke bearing as a reciprocating rotary motion bearing, and the function of this bearing has the feature that it is possible to reduce the amount of unintended distortion such as twisting in the strain plate regardless of the measurement direction. There is.

The strain sensing element 4 attached to the strain plate uses a strain gauge and has a waterproof structure.The output of this strain gauge can be electrically configured into a bridge circuit, so its temperature characteristics and other characteristics are stable. It has the advantage of being able to provide inexpensive and highly accurate electrical signal output as each attitude control signal. Each of the parts that make up these components has a structure that can be made smaller and lighter because the amount of movement is small.

In this first embodiment, since the container of the attitude sensor is filled with silicone liquid, the movable object of the sensor has a damper effect against any fluctuations in the structure, resulting in a robust structure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the second embodiment, and is a mounting diagram in which the container is cut out to reveal the inside.

Each component in the figure is a strain plate 1 arranged in a cross shape.
x, 1y, a weight 2 supported through each bearing 5 at the west end of the central part, a base 3 supporting a strain plate arranged in a cross shape, and a lightning detection element attached to the strain plate. 4 and a container 7 that houses the above-mentioned structure, and since the tilt direction or the acceleration direction is detected by an independent external sensor, the azimuth sensor 10 is combined with the main body attitude sensor. The structure is as follows.

The movement of the strain plate arranged as described above is carried out in accordance with the necessary changes in the structure.The bearing 5 is equipped with a bearing, and the action of this bearing causes the strain plate to undergo unintended distortion such as twisting. The amount is reduced to the minimum amount.

The lightning detection cord 4 attached to the strain plate uses a strain gauge, and the outputs of the strain gauge 1 to the strain gauge can be electrically configured as a bridge circuit, so that temperature characteristics and other
Since stable detection output can be obtained, it has the advantage of being able to supply inexpensive and highly accurate electrical signal output as each attitude control signal, and since the parts that make up these have a small amount of movement, they can be made smaller and lighter. It has a possible structure.

In the case of this second embodiment, the attitude detection direction is detected by a dedicated azimuth angle sensor 10, but at present, rather than calculating and detecting from a composite signal, it is better to procure various parts and manufacture a dedicated sensor. This is shown as an application example because it is cheaper and easier to make.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, the attitude sensor according to the present invention can operate and display the inclination angle output and the inclination azimuth angle output as electrical signals, or automatically control the inclination attitude or speed attitude of a moving object. It is possible to provide a posture sensor that is expected to be used in a wide range of fields as a low-cost and robust general-purpose sensor, taking advantage of its compact and lightweight external shape, such as being able to be used as an electrical signal for the purpose of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the basic principle of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an equivalent diagram showing an application example of FIG. 1 and explaining the operation and effect. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an application example of the present invention, and FIG.
It is an equivalent diagram for illustrating the example of application of a figure, and explaining an operation effect. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an application example of the present invention, and FIG.
This is an equivalent diagram for illustrating an application example of the figure and for explaining the operation and effect. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a mounting diagram in which the container is cut open to reveal the inside. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and is an implementation diagram in which the container is cut open to reveal the inside. As an application example, a configuration is provided in which a dedicated azimuth angle sensor is provided. FIG. 9(a) is a diagram showing an example of a block diagram of an electric circuit configuration when operating the attitude sensor using the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9(B) shows an example of a block diagram of an electric circuit configuration when operating an attitude sensor using the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram in which an azimuth sensor is configured exclusively. 1x...Strain plate 1y...Strain plate 2...
Weight 3... Base 4... Lightning detection element
5...Bearing 6...Float 7...
・Container 10...Azimuth angle sensor

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A container, a strain plate arranged in multiple directions from the center of the container, a weight supported at the center of the strain plate, and each outer end of the strain plate supported by a base. and a strain sensing element included in the strain plate, and a composite signal outputted from the strain sensing element in response to any change in the container in the gas or liquid filled in the inner space of the container. An attitude sensor characterized by detecting an amount of attitude displacement and an azimuth angle. (2) A strain plate is arranged in multiple directions from the center of the container, and a weight is supported at the center of the strain plate, and each outer end of the strain plate is connected to a base via a bearing. The posture sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that the posture sensor has a supported configuration. (3) A strain plate arranged in multiple directions from the center of the container, each inner end of the strain plate supports a weight via a bearing, and each outer end of the strain plate supports a base. The posture sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that the posture sensor is supported by a stand. (4) The inner space of the container is filled with liquid, and the attitude detection means includes a weight supported by the strain plate and a float or a float.
Attitude sensor described in section. (5) The attitude sensor according to claim 1, wherein the attitude sensor is configured as a means for detecting an azimuth angle by an azimuth angle sensor set in the structure of the attitude sensor.