KR100812318B1 - A curved surface attaching type tactile sensor and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A curved surface attaching type tactile sensor and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to be adapted to a small curved surface such as a finger of a human robot by increasing tension in all directions. A curved surface attaching type tactile sensor includes lower and upper polymer layers. The lower and the upper polymer layers have an excellent restoring force and high flexibility and are made of polymer such as PDMS(Poly Di-Methyl Siloxane), silicon, and poly urethane. The lower polymer layer includes first signal lines(14) and first resistors(15). The first signal lines are arranged on a lower coating layer at certain intervals. The first resistors are arranged in matrix on the first signal line. The upper polymer layer includes second signal lines(24) and second resistors(25). The second signal lines are arranged beneath an upper coating layer at certain intervals. The second resistors are arranged in matrix beneath the second signal line. The first and second signal lines are vertically arranged to each other for connecting the first and second resistors.

Description

Curved tactile sensor and its manufacturing method {A CURVED SURFACE ATTACHING TYPE TACTILE SENSOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME}

1 is a plan view of a surface-mounted tactile sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the curved tactile sensor of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a plan view of the curved-attached tactile sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

4A to 4I are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a method for manufacturing a curved tactile sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

5A to 5I are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a method for manufacturing a curved tactile sensor according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a photograph showing a manufacturing process and an embodiment of a tactile sensor having flexibility according to the present invention.

7 is a view showing an example of a tactile sensor according to the prior art.

8 shows another example of a tactile sensor according to the prior art.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: lower pattern

    10: lower plate

    11: lower plate polymer layer

    12: lower polymer film

    13: first signal line

    14: first resistive layer

2: upper pattern

    20: top plate

    21: upper polymer layer

    22: upper polymer film

    23: second signal line

    24: second resistance layer

The present invention relates to a tactile sensor and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, by forming signal lines and resistors on upper and lower films having excellent bending and restoring forces, respectively, and bonding them vertically to each other, thereby increasing flexibility and increasing curvature radius. The present invention relates to a surface-mounted tactile sensor that can be applied to a small multidimensional curvature and a method of manufacturing the same.

Currently, the tactile function of acquiring the information of the surrounding environment through contact, that is, the contact force, vibration, surface roughness, temperature change for thermal conductivity, etc., is recognized as the next generation information gathering medium, and biomimetic that can replace tactile sensation The type tactile sensor is used for various medical diagnosis and procedures such as microscopic surgery and cancer diagnosis in blood vessels, and its importance is increasing because it can be applied to important tactile presentation techniques in the virtual environment implementation technology in the future.

The biomimetic tactile sensor has been developed to detect contact pressure and instantaneous slippage for the six-way inductive force / torque sensor and gripper of the robot, which is already used on the wrist of an industrial robot. Due to the relatively large size of wealth, it has a low sensitivity.

In addition, although the development of a tactile sensor has been shown using micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing technology, they have a disadvantage in that they do not have flexibility because the sensor is developed using a silicon wafer or the like.

7 is a view showing an example of a tactile sensor according to the prior art, which was released by Takao Someya Group in 2005 at Tokyo University in Japan.

According to this technology, the tactile sensor is manufactured in a punching process using a single film to realize some flexibility and expandability.

However, the tactile sensor manufactured by the punching process did not maximize flexibility because a single film was punched to give flexibility. Therefore, it can be applied to a cylinder or a sphere with a large radius of curvature, but lacks softness such as human skin, so it is difficult to apply it to an organ such as a finger of a humanoid robot or a very small sphere.

FIG. 8 shows another example of a tactile sensor according to the prior art, which was published in 2005 by the Wagner group of Preston University.

According to this technique, a metal line 510 is formed on a PDMS substrate and a fixed cell 520 is formed between the metal lines.

However, there is a problem that cracking occurs in the metal line due to peeling or slight deformation between the metal line and the substrate, and there is a disadvantage in that wear occurs due to continuous contact.

An object of the present invention for solving the problems according to the prior art is to form a plurality of signal lines and resistors in the polymer film of the material having excellent bending and restoring force, respectively, and the signal lines of the polymer film are bent so as to cross perpendicular to each other and The present invention provides a curved tactile sensor and a method of manufacturing the same, which bond each upper and lower plate with excellent restoring force to contact each resistor at an intersection, thereby forming a flexible sensor shape and allowing attachment to an object having curvature. .

In addition, the present invention forms a plurality of signal lines formed in the upper plate and the lower plate in a wavy pattern, and then bonds the upper plate and the lower plate, thereby increasing the tensile / compressive deformation ability in all directions in the X, Y and diagonal directions. It is to provide a surface-mounted tactile sensor that can be applied to an object having a fine radius of curvature, and a manufacturing method thereof.

Curved type tactile sensor of the present invention for solving the above technical problem is a lower polymer layer, a lower polymer film layer and a lower coating layer provided on the upper surface of the lower polymer layer, and the lower surface of the coating layer in a first direction A plurality of first signal lines arranged at intervals apart from each other, a plurality of second signal lines arranged at regular intervals in a second direction perpendicular to the first signal lines, and the first signal lines and the second signal lines A plurality of first resistors provided on an upper portion of the first signal line at an intersection point, a plurality of second resistors respectively provided on an upper portion of the first resistor and electrically connected to the first resistors, and the connected first resistors; An upper coating layer and an upper polymer film layer sequentially stacked on an upper surface of the second signal line to contact a plurality of second resistors, and the upper polymer film layer It is configured to include an upper polymer layer that is provided on the unit.

Here, since the first signal line and the second signal line have a straight shape, tensile / compression deformation in the X direction and the Y direction is not easy, and flexibility in the diagonal direction is possible. Therefore, in order to increase the flexibility in the diagonal direction as well as the X direction and the Y direction, it is preferable to make the shape of the signal line as a wavy pattern instead of a date.

In addition, using a metal sheet having excellent flexibility and resilience instead of the lower polymer film layer and the upper polymer film layer forming the first signal line and the second signal line has an advantage of simplifying the manufacturing process.

In addition, the first resistor and the second resistor may be made of any one selected from a pressure-sensitive ink, a nichrome (N-Cr) alloy, carbon black, or carbon nanotubes.

In addition, the method for manufacturing the curved tactile sensor according to an aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of sequentially forming a lower coating layer and a first metal layer on the lower polymer film layer, the first metal layer and the lower coating layer and the lower polymer film Forming a plurality of first signal lines spaced apart from each other by processing a layer, and forming a plurality of first resistors arranged in a matrix on the first signal line; Sequentially forming an upper coating layer and a second metal layer on the upper polymer film layer, processing the second metal layer, the upper coating layer, and the upper polymer film layer to form a plurality of second signal lines spaced apart at regular intervals; Forming an upper pattern comprising forming a plurality of second resistors arranged in a matrix on the second signal line; Bonding the lower pattern on the lower plate coated with the lower polymer layer, bonding the upper pattern on the upper plate coated with the upper polymer layer, and vertically mutually connecting the first signal line and the second signal line Bonding the upper plate to the upper portion of the lower plate so as to be electrically connected at the intersection point by crossing the upper plate and bonding the upper plate to the upper plate; And removing the lower plate and the upper plate.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a curved-attached tactile sensor, forming a lower coating layer on a lower polymer film layer, and patterning the lower coating layer and the lower polymer film layer through a punching process; Forming a plurality of first signal lines by depositing a first metal layer on the lower coating layer, and forming a plurality of first resistors arranged in a matrix on the plurality of first signal lines; Forming an upper coating layer on the upper polymer film layer, patterning the upper coating layer and the upper polymer film layer through a punching process, and depositing a second metal layer on the upper coating layer to form a plurality of second signal lines And forming a plurality of second resistors arranged in a matrix on the second signal line; Bonding the lower pattern on the lower plate coated with the lower polymer layer, bonding the upper pattern on the upper plate coated with the upper polymer layer, and vertically mutually connecting the first signal line and the second signal line Bonding the upper plate to the upper portion of the lower plate so as to be electrically connected at the intersection point by crossing the upper plate and bonding the upper plate to the upper plate; And removing the lower plate and the upper plate.

In the method of manufacturing a curved-attached tactile sensor according to various aspects of the present invention, since the first signal line and the second signal line have a straight shape, tensile / compression deformation in the X and Y directions is not easy, Flexibility is possible. Therefore, in order to increase the flexibility in the diagonal direction as well as the X direction and the Y direction, it is preferable to make the shape of the signal line as a wavy pattern instead of a date.

The invention will become more apparent through the preferred embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter will be described in detail to enable those skilled in the art to easily understand and reproduce through embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a plan view of the curved-attached tactile sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the curved-attached tactile sensor of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, (a) is a plan view of a lower pattern, (b) is a rear view of an upper pattern, and (c) is a plan view of a combination of a lower pattern and an upper pattern, and the surface-attached touch type according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sensor consists of a lower pattern 1 and an upper pattern 2, and includes a lower polymer layer 11 and an upper polymer layer 21.

In this case, the lower polymer layer 11 and the upper polymer layer 21 is a polymer having excellent resilience and good flexibility, such as PDMS, silicone, polyurethane, and the like. Since PDMS is vulnerable to abrasion, it is preferable to use PU having excellent abrasion resistance and resilience. Here, the lower polymer layer 11 includes a lower polymer film layer 12, a lower coating layer 13, a plurality of first signal lines 14 arranged on the lower coating layer 13 at regular intervals, and a first one. A plurality of first resistors 15 are arranged on the signal line 14 in a matrix.

In addition, the upper polymer layer 21 includes a plurality of second signal lines 24 and a second polymer film layer 22, an upper coating layer 23, and a plurality of second signal lines arranged at a predetermined interval below the upper coating layer 23. A plurality of second resistors 25 are arranged below the two signal lines 24 in a matrix.

At this time, the lower polymer film layer 12 and the upper polymer film layer 22 are excellent in resilience and flexible polymer film having a high flexibility, such as, for example, various films such as polyimide film, polyester film or Va-Cu and The same metal sheet can be used.

In addition, the first resistor 15 and the second resistor 25 may be any one selected from reduced pressure ink or nichrome (Ni-Cr), carbon black, or carbon nanotube, and in the case of using a reduced pressure ink, the screen printing method may be used. It is preferable to form by applying a reduced pressure ink using, and when using chromium, the chromium is deposited by using an e-beam or a sputtering equipment and then formed by etching.

With this configuration, the first signal line 14 and the second signal line 24 here are connected to the first signal line such that the first resistor 15 and the second resistor 25 are electrically connected to each other at each intersection. Reference numeral 14 is arranged in the first direction, and the second signal line 24 is arranged in the second direction perpendicular to the first signal line 14.

In addition, the space between the lower pattern and the upper pattern is filled with the cured lower polymer layer and the upper polymer layer, and are not only fixed to each other but also insulated.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the signal lines and the resistors are formed on the upper and lower polymer layers having excellent flexibility, respectively, and attached to each other, but cannot be pulled in the X direction or the Y direction, but in the diagonal direction. Increased flexibility allows for tension in the diagonal direction.

Accordingly, it can be attached to a cylinder having a one-dimensional curvature or a sphere having a large radius of curvature, as well as a spherical object having a size less than or equal to a ping pong ball having a multi-dimensional curvature, and can be applied to an organ or a very small sphere such as a finger of a humanoid robot.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the curved tactile sensor according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and descriptions of the same components as those of the first embodiment of the present invention will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, according to a characteristic aspect of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first signal line 14 and the second signal line 24 each have a wavy pattern.

Here, the lower polymer film layer 12, the lower coating layer 13, the upper coating layer 23, and the upper polymer film layer 22, as well as the first signal line 14 and the second signal line 24, may be formed respectively. It has a wavy pattern like signal lines.

As described above, since the first signal line and the second signal line have a wavy pattern in the curved tactile sensor according to the second embodiment of the present invention, flexibility in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the diagonal direction increases. This allows tension in all directions.

This makes it possible to apply to multidimensional curvature objects having a very small radius of curvature.

In addition, according to the embodiments of the present invention, since the electrode is formed on the polymer film layer having excellent flexibility, the signal line, that is, the metal is hardly peeled off. This is because the contact strength between the metal and the polymer film is very excellent. Therefore, peeling does not occur compared to the existing tactile sensor which directly combines the metal and the polymer layer, thereby showing excellent durability.

Since the curved-attachment type tactile sensor having a contact resistance method to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied is already known, specific drawings and configuration description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a curved-attached tactile sensor according to the present invention will be described through various embodiments.

4A to 4I are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a method for manufacturing a curved tactile sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the lower coating layer 120 and the first metal layer 130 are formed on the lower polymer film layer 110 to reduce the film surface roughness.

Referring to the cross-sectional view shown in (a) of Figure 4b and the top view shown in (b) of Figure 4b, the first metal layer 130, the lower coating layer 120 and the lower polymer film layer 110 by processing a predetermined interval A plurality of first signal lines 130 'spaced apart from each other is formed.

In this case, the first signal line 130 ′ may not be seen in a cross section but may be processed in a wavy pattern.

Referring to FIG. 4C, the lower pattern 100 is completed by forming a plurality of first resistors 140 arranged in a matrix on the first signal line 130 ′.

Here, the first resistor 140 is formed of any one of pressure-sensitive ink or nichrome (Ni-Cr) or carbon black or carbon nanotubes, in the case of using a pressure-sensitive ink by applying a pressure-sensitive ink using a screen printing method In the case of forming and using nichrome, it is preferable to form nichrome after etching by using an E-Beam or a sputtering equipment.

Referring to FIG. 4D, the coating layer 220 and the second metal layer 230 are formed on the upper polymer film layer 210 to reduce the film surface roughness.

Referring to the cross-sectional view shown in (a) of FIG. 4e and the top view shown in (b) of FIG. 4e, a plurality of second spaced apart by a predetermined interval by processing the second metal layer 230 and the upper polymer film layer 220 Signal line 230 'is formed. In this case, the second signal line 230 ′ is not shown on the cross-sectional view but is preferably formed in a wavy pattern.

Referring to FIG. 4F, the upper pattern is completed by forming a plurality of second resistors 240 arranged in a matrix on the second signal line 230 ′.

Referring to FIG. 4G, the lower pattern 100 of FIG. 4C is bonded onto the lower plate 150 coated with the lower polymer layer 160, and referring to FIG. 4H, the upper pattern 200 of FIG. 4F is upper polymer layer. 260 is bonded onto the coated top plate 250.

Referring to FIG. 4I, the first resistor 140 and the second resistor 240 are electrically connected to each other by crossing the first signal line 130 ′ and the second signal line 230 ′. The upper polymer layer 260 overlaps the upper portion of the lower polymer layer 160 and adheres through curing. Finally, after curing, the lower plate 150 and the upper plate 250 are removed to manufacture a sensor.

At this time, the lower polymer layer 160 and the upper polymer layer 260 is a polymer having excellent resilience and good flexibility, for example, various polymer materials such as PDMS, silicone, polyurethane, etc. may be used. Since PDMS is vulnerable to abrasion, it is preferable to use PU having excellent abrasion resistance and resilience.

At this time, the lower polymer film layer 110 and the upper polymer film layer 210 is excellent in the resilience and has a high flexibility, such as a high-flex polymer film, such as polyimide film, polyester film and various films such as Va-Cu and The same metal sheet can be used.

5A to 5I are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a method of manufacturing a curved tactile sensor according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a lower coating layer 320 made of a polymer material such as HD 4000 is formed on the lower polymer film layer 310.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the lower coating layer 320 and the lower polymer film layer 310 are patterned through a punching process.

Referring to FIG. 5C, a plurality of first signal lines 330 are formed by depositing a first metal layer on the patterned lower coating layer 320, and the matrix is sequentially arranged on the plurality of first signal lines 330. A plurality of first resistors 340 are formed to complete the lower pattern 300.

Referring to FIG. 5D, an upper coating layer 420 is formed on the upper polymer film layer 410, and the upper coating layer 420 and the upper polymer film layer 410 are patterned through a punching process.

Referring to FIG. 5E, a plurality of second signal lines 430 are formed by depositing a second metal layer on the upper coating layer 420.

Referring to FIG. 5F, a plurality of second resistors 440 arranged in a matrix on the second signal line 430 is formed to complete the upper pattern 400.

Referring to FIG. 5G, the lower pattern 300 is bonded onto the lower plate 350 coated with the lower polymer layer 360. Referring to FIG. 5H, the upper pattern 400 is coated with the upper polymer layer 460. Bonding on top plate 450.

Referring to FIG. 5I, the lower polymer may cross the first signal line 330 and the second signal line 430 vertically so that the first resistor 340 and the second resistor 440 may be electrically connected at the intersection. The bonding process of overlapping the upper polymer layer 460 on the upper part of the layer 360 and bonding through curing is performed.

Here, although not shown in the cross-sectional view, according to an additional aspect of the present invention, forming the first signal line and the second signal line in a wavy pattern to improve the tensile ability in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the diagonal direction, respectively. More preferred.

Figure 6 is a photograph showing a tactile sensor manufacturing process and an embodiment having flexibility according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the lower pattern and the upper pattern in which the electrode layer is formed on the polymer layer having excellent flexibility according to the embodiments of the present invention are bonded to each other, and the signal lines formed in each pattern are bonded to each other perpendicularly.

The manufactured tactile sensor is excellent in flexibility and hardly causes delamination of a signal line made of metal, so that the tactile sensor can be applied to a sphere having a small radius of curvature as shown in the photograph.

As described above, the present invention forms a plurality of signal lines and resistors in the upper and lower polymer layers of materials having excellent bending and restoring power, respectively, and bonds the upper and lower plates so that the upper and lower signal lines cross each other perpendicularly. By contacting the resistors at the intersection point, there is an advantage that can be attached to the object having a curvature by forming a signal line and a resistor between the flexible film.

In addition, the present invention by forming a plurality of signal lines formed in the upper plate and the lower plate with a wavy pattern, and then bonding the upper plate and the lower polymer layer, thereby increasing the tensile capacity in all directions in the X direction, Y direction and diagonal direction By doing so, it is possible to apply to an object having a fine radius of curvature, so that it can be applied to an organ such as a humanoid robot or a very small sphere.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many different and obvious modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention from this description. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be construed by the claims described to include many such variations.

Claims (7)

The lower polymer layer 11, A lower polymer film layer 12 and a lower coating layer 13 provided on an upper surface of the lower polymer layer 11, A plurality of first signal lines 14 arranged on the upper surface of the lower coating layer 13 at regular intervals in a first direction; A plurality of second signal lines 24 arranged at regular intervals in a second direction perpendicular to the first signal line 14; A plurality of first resistors 15 provided on an upper portion of the first signal line 14 at the intersection of the first signal line 14 and the second signal line 24; A plurality of second resistors 25 respectively provided on the first resistors 15 and electrically connected to the first resistors 15; The upper coating layer 23 and the upper polymer film layer 22 sequentially stacked on the upper surface of the second signal line 24 to contact the plurality of connected first and second resistors 15 and 25. , And Surface-mounted tactile sensor characterized in that it comprises an upper polymer layer (21) provided on the upper polymer film layer (22). The method of claim 1, The first signal line 14, the lower coating layer 13, the lower polymer film layer 12, the second signal line 23, the upper coating layer 23, and the upper polymer film layer 22 each have a wavy pattern. Surface-mounted tactile sensor, characterized in that made. The method of claim 2, The lower polymer film layer 12 and the upper polymer film layer 22 is a surface-attached tactile sensor, characterized in that made of any one selected from polyimide film, polyester film or metal sheet. The method of claim 3, wherein The first and second resistors (15) and 25 (25) is a surface-attached tactile sensor, characterized in that made of any one selected from the pressure-sensitive ink or nichrome (N-Cr), carbon black or carbon nanotubes. In the manufacturing method of the tactile sensor, Sequentially forming a lower coating layer and a first metal layer on the lower polymer film layer; Forming a plurality of first signal lines spaced apart from each other by processing the first metal layer, the lower coating layer, and the lower polymer film layer; A lower pattern forming step of forming a plurality of first resistors arranged in a matrix on the first signal line; Sequentially forming an upper coating layer and a second metal layer on the upper polymer film layer; Processing the second metal layer, the upper coating layer, and the upper polymer film layer to form a plurality of second signal lines spaced apart at regular intervals; An upper pattern forming step of forming a plurality of second resistors arranged in a matrix on the second signal line; Bonding the lower pattern on a lower plate coated with a lower polymer layer; Bonding the upper pattern on the upper plate coated with the upper polymer layer; Vertically intersecting the first signal line and the second signal line so as to overlap the upper plate with an upper portion of the lower plate such that the first resistor and the second resistor are electrically connected at an intersection point, and bonding the upper plate to the upper surface of the lower plate. Bonding step; And Removing the lower plate and the upper plate; Surface-mounted tactile sensor manufacturing method comprising a. In the manufacturing method of the tactile sensor, Forming a lower coating layer on the lower polymer film layer and patterning the lower coating layer and the lower polymer film layer through a punching process; Depositing a first metal layer on the lower coating layer to form a plurality of first signal lines; A lower pattern forming step of forming a plurality of first resistors arranged in a matrix on the plurality of first signal lines; Forming an upper coating layer on the upper polymer film layer and patterning the upper coating layer and the upper polymer film layer through a punching process; Depositing a second metal layer on the top coating layer to form a plurality of second signal lines; An upper pattern forming step of forming a plurality of second resistors arranged in a matrix on the second signal line; Bonding the lower pattern on a lower plate coated with a lower polymer layer; Bonding the upper pattern on the upper plate coated with the upper polymer layer; Vertically intersecting the first signal line and the second signal line so as to overlap the upper plate with an upper portion of the lower plate such that the first resistor and the second resistor are electrically connected at an intersection point, and bonding the upper plate to the upper surface of the lower plate. Bonding step; And Removing the lower plate and the upper plate; Surface-mounted tactile sensor manufacturing method comprising a. The method according to claim 5 or 6, The lower polymer film layer, the lower coating layer, the first signal line, the second signal line, the upper coating layer, the lower polymer film layer is a curved tactile sensor manufacturing method characterized in that formed in a wavy pattern.

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