KR102464229B1 - Buckle type force sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a buckle-type force sensor, wherein the buckle-type force sensor according to the present invention has a strap fixed thereto and is elastically movable by the tension of the strap from a fixed part, and the insert is formed to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the elastic movement direction. A buckle portion including a module, a substrate having a fixed position with a plate-shaped substrate, a hole into which the insertion module can be inserted spaced apart is formed, and an electrode is formed on the inner surface of the hole to form a capacitance with the insertion module and a force measuring unit measuring a force acting on the buckle unit by using a change in the capacitance according to the elastic movement of the buckle unit and the buckle unit.

Description

Buckle TYPE FORCE SENSOR

The present invention relates to a buckle-type force sensor, and more particularly, to a buckle-type force sensor used in a wearable robot or device to measure a force acting on a buckle to which a strap is connected.

Recently, various wearable robots have been developed. In particular, wearable robots made of flexible materials are being actively developed, which has the advantage that it can be used in various environments due to the flexible characteristics of the material. The wearable robot can be used for construction site workers, rehabilitation patients, etc., and can be worn on the human body like clothes to assist the wearer's muscular strength.

Since these wearable robots are driven in close contact with the human body, the ability to interact with the wearer is important for safety. For the ability to interact with the wearer, various sensors are designed in the robot to understand the wearer's intentions and act accordingly.

Among the information measured by these various sensors, information about force is very important information for interaction with the wearer. Since information about force is physical information, information on force that the wearable robot acts on the wearer is directly related to the safety of the wearer. In addition, stable driving can be performed through force information acting on the wearable robot from the wearer or from the outside.

Wearable robots and devices made of flexible materials are worn on a body having many movements. Therefore, the force sensor mounted in these places should not restrict the movement of the robot and the wearer. To this end, the developed force sensor must be light in weight, small in size, and capable of sensing without an additional device. And it must have a sturdy construction to withstand the great force of the wearer.

Accordingly, various force sensors for application to wearable robots and devices have been developed, but most have limitations in limiting the mobility of the wearer or the robot. Therefore, there is a need for a force measuring sensor that can be easily combined with a wearable robot.

Until now, most force sensors coupled to wearable robots and devices made of flexible materials use strain sensors that measure force through deformation that occurs when force is applied. Since the strain sensor can be manufactured as thin as a film, it is easy to combine with a device made of a flexible material. However, a voltage amplifier is required to drive such a strain sensor. And additional parts for mounting it must also be designed. In addition, due to the nature of the wearable robot with a lot of movement, it should be designed as a structure to protect the deformation sensor because it is exposed to a lot of external force. These structures often limit the mobility of the device. Therefore, there are many limitations for the deformation sensor to be widely applied to wearable robots and devices made of flexible materials.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 2019-68947

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the related art, and it is a buckle type force sensor that can be used for wearable robots and devices made of flexible materials, and is a buckle type that can easily measure the tensile force of a strap connected to the buckle. To provide a force sensor.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to the present invention, the strap is fixed and elastic movement is possible by the tension of the strap from the fixing portion, the buckle portion comprising an insertion module protruding in a direction orthogonal to the elastic movement direction; a substrate part having a fixed position with a flat substrate, a hole into which the insertion module can be inserted and spaced apart, and an electrode formed on an inner surface of the hole to form a capacitance with the insertion module; And it can be achieved by a buckle-type force sensor comprising a force measuring unit for measuring the force acting on the buckle portion using a change in the capacitance according to the elastic movement of the buckle portion.

Here, it is preferable that the insertion module has a cylindrical shape, and the hole is a circular hole.

Here, the fixing part and the buckle part are integrally formed, and a flexure structure is formed therebetween, so that the buckle part can elastically move.

Here, the substrate part may be fixed to the fixing part.

Here, it may further include a cover part fixed to the buckle part or fixed to the fixing part to accommodate the insertion module and the substrate part therein.

Here, the insertion module is fixed to the fixing part, the insertion module is accommodated therein or is disposed on the insertion module, and may further include a cover part to which the substrate part is fixed to the inner surface.

Here, the insertion module and the substrate portion may be formed on both sides of the buckle portion, and the force may be measured from both sides.

In addition, the above object, according to the present invention, the strap is fixed and the buckle portion elastically movable by the tension of the strap from the fixing portion; a cover part fixed to the buckle part and having an insertion module protruding toward the buckle part or the fixing part in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the buckle part elastically moves on an inner surface thereof; a substrate part fixed to the fixing part as a plate-shaped substrate, a hole into which the insertion module can be inserted is formed, and an electrode is formed on an inner surface of the hole to form a capacitance with the insertion module; And it can be achieved by a buckle-type force sensor comprising a force measuring unit for measuring the force acting on the buckle portion using a change in the capacitance according to the elastic movement of the buckle portion.

In addition, the above object, according to the present invention, the strap is fixed and the buckle portion elastically movable by the tension of the strap from the fixing portion; an insertion module protruding in a direction orthogonal to the elastic movement direction of the buckle part and having a fixed position; a substrate part fixed to the buckle part in a flat plate shape, a hole into which the insertion module can be inserted is formed, and an electrode is formed on an inner surface of the hole to form a capacitance with the insertion module; And it can be achieved by a buckle-type force sensor comprising a force measuring unit for measuring the force acting on the buckle portion using a change in the capacitance according to the elastic movement of the buckle portion.

Here, the insertion module may be formed in the fixing part.

Here, it may further include a cover portion fixed to the fixing portion and the insertion module is formed on the inner surface.

According to the buckle-type force sensor of the present invention as described above, there is an advantage that the tensile force of the strap coupled to the buckle can be measured as an integral buckle without a separate additional sensor by coupling the sensor to the buckle used in the wearable robot or device.

In addition, since the sensor is combined with the existing buckle, the volume is small and the weight is light, so the sensor does not limit the mobility of the wearer or the robot.

1 shows an example of a wearable robot having a harness structure in which a buckle-type force sensor according to the present invention can be used.
2 is a perspective view of a buckle-type force sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 .
5 is an enlarged view illustrating an insertion module inserted into a hole in the substrate unit.
6 is a diagram showing the principle of measuring force by measuring capacitance according to the present invention.
7 is a first modified example of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 .
FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 7 .
9 is a second modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 .
FIG. 10 is a plan view of FIG. 9 .
11 is a third modified example of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 .
12 is a plan view of FIG. 11 .
13 is a fourth modified example of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 .
FIG. 14 is a plan view of FIG. 13 .

The specific details of the embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings for explaining a buckle-type force sensor according to embodiments of the present invention.

1 shows an example of a wearable robot having a harness structure in which a buckle-type force sensor according to the present invention can be used.

1 shows an example of a wearable robot having a harness structure in which a buckle-type force sensor of the present invention can be used. The wearable robot may be a robot for assisting the strength of a worker at a construction site or a robot for assisting rehabilitation of a rehabilitation patient.

The wearable robot is inserted into the wearer's body, such as arms, legs, and body, and a strap for fixing it, and a plurality of buckles 100 for connecting and fixing the straps may be formed. The buckle-type force sensor according to the present invention is formed in the buckle 100 and measures the tension of the strap 200 connected to the buckle 100 . Therefore, by measuring the force acting on the buckle 100, the intention of the user can be grasped, and accordingly, the movement of the wearable robot can be controlled.

As described above, the buckle-type force sensor according to the present invention can be easily applied to a soft-type wearable robot or device driven in close contact with a person's body. This is because the wearable robot or device is fixed to the human body using a plurality of straps 200 and buckles 100 . However, the buckle-type force sensor according to the present invention may also be used in other devices to which the strap is connected.

Hereinafter, the structure of the buckle-type force sensor according to the present invention will be described in detail.

The buckle-type force sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a buckle part 110 , a substrate part 120 , and a force measuring part. In addition, the cover 130 may be further included.

The buckle part 110 may be elastically movable with respect to the fixing part 115 by the tension of the strap 200 to which the strap 200 is fixed. A first bridge 1106 may be formed in a through hole penetrating up and down so that the strap 200 can be inserted and wrapped around it. Accordingly, the front through-hole 1103 and the first bridge 1106 formed between the front frame 1101 and the first bridge 1106 positioned in the extension direction of the strap 200 by the first bridge 1106 and the rear of the first bridge 1106 may be divided into a through hole 1104 of The strap 200 is inserted under the through-hole 1104 at the rear to wind the first bridge 1106 and is inserted again under the through-hole 1103 at the front to fix the strap 200 in a form extending forward. have. The strap 200 may be fixed in such a way that the strap 200 directly winds the front frame 1101 through the front through hole 1103 . Since the buckle unit 110 and the structure in which the strap 200 is connected to the buckle unit 110 are the same as those of the known buckles, various modifications may be made, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The fixing part 115 is formed on one side of the buckle part 110 and the position is fixed. The fixing unit 115 may be directly fixed to the wearable robot or device, but may be fixed to the wearable robot or device by a separate strap 210 as shown in FIG. 2 . The strap 200 may be fixed in such a way that the strap 200 passes through the through hole 1105 formed in the front of the rear frame 1102 to wind the rear frame 1102 . Similar to the buckle part 110, a separate bridge 1106 may be formed and fixed.

The buckle part 110 may elastically move around the fixing part 115 . When tension is applied to the strap 200 connected to the buckle part 110 , the buckle part 110 may move relative to the fixing part 115 while the position of the fixing part 115 is fixed. For example, the buckle part 110 and the fixing part 115 are integrally formed, and between the buckle part 110 and the fixing part 115, a cut groove such as a crack is formed in a flexure structure. ) can be formed. Therefore, when the strap 200 connected to the buckle part 110 is pulled, a minute deformation occurs in the flexure structure, so that the buckle part 110 can relatively move around the fixing part 115 .

The structure for elastically moving the buckle part 110 with respect to the fixing part 115 is not limited thereto. Although the buckle part 110 and the fixing part 115 are formed as separate members, it may be configured by a method of interposing an elastic part having strong elasticity between the buckle part 110 and the fixing part 115 .

An insertion module 112 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the buckle part 110 elastically moves may be formed in the buckle part 110 . The insertion module 112 is spaced apart and inserted into the hole 122 of the substrate 120 to be described later to form an electrode formed in the hole 122 and capacitance.

The insertion module 112 may be formed to protrude from the outer surface of the side frame 1109 of the buckle part 110 . In addition, in this embodiment, the insertion module 112 is formed to protrude from the side frames 1109 on both sides, respectively. The insertion module 112 may be formed in a cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto.

The substrate unit 120 is a flat substrate, for example, may be composed of a printed circuit board (PCB). In addition, a hole 122 is formed in the substrate part 120 , and the insertion module 112 of the buckle part 110 described above is inserted into the hole 122 . At this time, the cross-sectional area of the hole 122 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the insertion module 112 so that the inner surface of the hole 122 and the outer surface of the insertion module 112 are spaced apart from each other.

The position of the substrate part 120 is fixed. In this embodiment, the substrate part 120 may be fixed to the outer surface of the fixing part 115 using a fixing member such as a screw.

When the buckle part 110 is moved by the tension acting on the strap 200 connected to the buckle part 110, the position of the insertion module 112 of the buckle part 110 is changed and the position is fixed to the substrate part 120 ), the distance between the inner surface of the hole 122 and the outer surface of the insertion module 112 may be changed. It is preferable to do

As described above, when the insertion module 112 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the hole 122 is preferably formed as a circular hole 122 . In addition, it is preferable to match the center of the insertion module 112 with the center of the hole 122 so that the separation distance in the circumferential direction is constant.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5 , an electrode 125 may be formed on the inner surface of the hole 122 . The plating through hole for connecting the layers between the upper and lower layers without inserting components into the PCB board is called a via hole (Via_Hole). Even if the size of the hole 122 is small, the hole ( 122) The electrode 125 may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the edge and the inner surface of the hole 122 .

When the electrode 125 is formed using the via hole, the cross-section of the electrode 125 may have a 'C' shape surrounding the upper and lower surfaces of the edge of the hole 122 and the inner surface. However, the electrodes 125 are not necessarily formed on the upper and lower edges of the hole 122 .

When power is applied to the electrode 125 , a capacitance is formed between the electrode 125 and the spaced apart insertion module 112 . At this time, it is preferable that the buckle part 110 in which the insertion module 112 is formed is grounded to become a ground electrode.

A dielectric may be formed in the space between the hole 122 of the substrate 120 and the insertion module 112 of the buckle 110, and as the dielectric, any one of a polymer and air may be formed, It is not necessarily limited thereto.

When the buckle part 110 moves with respect to the fixing part 115 by the tension of the strap 200 connected to the buckle part 110 as shown in (b) of FIG. 6, the electrode 125 and the insertion The spacing between the modules 112 is changed. Since the value of the capacitance is inversely proportional to the distance between the two electrodes, the value of the capacitance changes according to the movement of the buckle part 110, so that the force acting on the buckle part 110 can be measured from the change in the value of the capacitance. .

In the present invention, the insertion module 112 is formed on both sides of the buckle part 110 and the substrate part 120 corresponding to each insertion module 112 is formed, so that the force can be measured from both sides of the buckle part 110 . . In this embodiment, the force acting on the buckle part 110 can be more accurately measured by calculating the average of the values measured on both sides of the buckle part 110 .

In addition, the insertion module 112 and the substrate portion 120 may further include a cover portion 130 for accommodating therein. The cover 130 serves to protect the sensor from external contaminants, and prevents an error in the measurement value due to external noise.

The cover part 130 is formed in a form in which an inner space is formed so that the insertion module 112 and the substrate part 120 are accommodated therein, and is fixed to the buckle part 110 or fixed to the fixing part 115 . When the cover part 130 is fixed to both sides of the buckle part 110 and the fixing part 115 at the same time, since the cover part 130 restricts the relative movement of the buckle part 110 with respect to the fixing part 115, the cover The part 130 is preferably fixed to either the buckle part 110 or the fixing part 115 .

The force measuring unit is a calculation device, and when an external force is applied by the strap 200 connected to the buckle unit 110 , the capacitance formed between the insertion module 112 and the electrode 125 according to the movement of the buckle unit 110 . To obtain a change in the value of , the external force applied to the buckle unit 110 is obtained therefrom. The force measuring unit may be formed on the substrate unit 120 or may be formed on a separate substrate. A second bridge 1107 crossing the through hole between the integrally formed buckle part 110 and the fixing part 115 may be formed, and a separate substrate is mounted on the second bridge 1107 . can be A force measuring unit and a power supply unit for supplying power to the electrode 125 of the substrate unit 120 may be formed on the substrate 140 .

Hereinafter, a first modified example of the above-described buckle-type force sensor will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8 . In the following description, differences from the above-described embodiments will be mainly described.

7 is a first modified example of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 , and FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 7 .

In the above-described embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 , the substrate part 120 is fixed to the fixing part 115 and the position is fixed, but in this embodiment, the substrate part 120 is fixed to the inner surface of the cover part 130 . do. The cover unit 130 accommodates the insertion module 112 therein or is located above the insertion module 112 , and the substrate unit 120 is fixed to the inner surface thereof.

At this time, the cover part 130 is coupled to the fixing part 115 . Therefore, even when the buckle part 110 moves relative to the fixing part 115 , the fixing part 115 , the cover part 130 coupled to the fixing part 115 , and the substrate part fixed inside the cover part 130 . The position of 120 may be fixed. Therefore, when the buckle part 110 moves due to the tension of the strap 200 coupled to the buckle part 110, the position of the insertion module 112 located inside the hole 122 of the fixed substrate part 120 is can change the capacitance.

Hereinafter, a second modified example of the above-described buckle-type force sensor will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 10 . In the following description, differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described.

9 is a second modified example of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 , and FIG. 10 is a plan view of FIG. 9 .

In the present embodiment, the substrate part 120 is fixed to the fixing part 115 as in the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 . However, in the above-described embodiment, the insertion module 112 is formed on the outer surface of the buckle part 110 , but in this embodiment, the insertion module 132 is the buckle part 110 or the inner surface of the cover part 130 . It is formed to protrude toward the fixing part 115 .

At this time, the cover part 130 is coupled to the buckle part 110 . Accordingly, when the buckle part 110 moves relative to the fixing part 115 , the cover part 130 coupled to the buckle part 110 and the insert module 132 protruding inside the cover part 130 are formed. It moves together with this buckle part (110). Therefore, when the buckle part 110 moves due to the tension of the strap 200 coupled to the buckle part 110, the position inside the hole 122 of the substrate part 120 is fixed to the fixing part 115. The position of the insertion module 132 may be changed to change the capacitance.

Hereinafter, a third modified example of the above-described buckle-type force sensor will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 12 . In the following description, differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described.

11 is a third modified example of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 , and FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG. 11 .

In this embodiment, unlike in the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 , the substrate part 120 is fixed to the buckle part 110 . Accordingly, when the buckle part 110 is moved by an external force, the substrate part 120 moves together. In addition, in this embodiment, the insertion module 112 is formed on the outer surface of the fixing portion (115). Accordingly, when the buckle part 110 moves with the tension of the strap 200 coupled to the buckle part 110 in a fixed state, the position of the insertion module 112 is fixed to the substrate part 120 fixed to the buckle part 110 . ), the position of the hole 122 may be changed around the insertion module 112 to change the capacitance.

In all of the above embodiments, the position of the substrate part 120 is fixed and the positions of the insertion modules 112 and 132 are changed to change the capacitance, whereas in this embodiment, the position of the insertion module 132 is fixed while the position of the substrate The position of the hole 122 of the part 120 is changed so that the capacitance is changed according to a change in the distance between the hole 122 and the insertion module 132 .

In this embodiment, the cover unit 130 is preferably fixed to only one of the fixing unit 115 and the buckle unit 110 .

Hereinafter, a fourth modified example of the above-described buckle-type force sensor will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 14 . In the following description, differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described.

13 is a fourth modified example of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 , and FIG. 14 is a plan view of FIG. 13 .

In this embodiment, as in the previous embodiment, the substrate part 120 is fixed to the buckle part 110 . Furthermore, in this embodiment, as in the second modification, the insertion module 132 is formed to protrude toward the buckle part 110 or the fixing part 115 on the inner surface of the cover part 130 .

At this time, the cover part 130 is coupled to the fixing part 115 . Therefore, even when the buckle part 110 is relatively moved with respect to the fixing part 115 , the cover part 130 coupled to the fixing part 115 and the insertion module 132 protruding inside the cover part 130 are formed. position is fixed. Accordingly, when the buckle part 110 moves due to the tension of the strap 200 coupled to the buckle part 110 , the position of the hole 122 of the substrate part 120 fixed to the buckle part 110 is changed to the insertion module 132 . ), and the capacitance can change.

In this embodiment, while the position of the insertion module 132 is fixed, the position of the hole 122 of the substrate unit 120 is changed so that the capacitance is changed according to a change in the distance between the hole 122 and the insertion module 132 . do.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be implemented in various forms within the scope of the appended claims. Without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims, it is considered to be within the scope of the claims of the present invention to the extent that various modifications can be made by anyone skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

100: buckle
110: buckle part
1101: front frame
1102: rear frame
1103: through hole
1104: through hole
1105: through hole
1106: first bridge
1107: second bridge
1109: side frame
112: insert module
115: fixed part
120: substrate unit
125: electrode
122: Hall
130: cover part
132: insert module
200: strap
210: strap

Claims (11)

a buckle part including an insertion module to which the strap is fixed and elastically movable by the tension of the strap from the fixing part and protruding in a direction perpendicular to the elastic movement direction;
a substrate part having a fixed position with a flat substrate, a hole into which the insertion module can be inserted and spaced apart, and an electrode formed on an inner surface of the hole to form a capacitance with the insertion module; and
and a force measuring part measuring a force acting on the buckle part using a change in capacitance when the insertion module moves according to the elastic movement of the buckle part with respect to the hole at which the position is fixed. The method of claim 1,
The insertion module has a cylindrical shape, and the hole is a circular hole in a buckle type force sensor. The method of claim 1,
A buckle-type force sensor in which the fixing part and the buckle part are integrally formed, and a flexure structure is formed therebetween so that the buckle part elastically moves. The method of claim 1,
The substrate portion is a buckle-type force sensor fixed to the fixing portion. 5. The method of claim 4,
The buckle type force sensor further comprising a cover part fixed to the buckle part or fixed to the fixing part to accommodate the insertion module and the substrate part therein. The method of claim 1,
The buckle type force sensor further comprising a cover part fixed to the fixing part to accommodate the insertion module therein or disposed on the insertion module, the substrate part being fixed to the inner surface. The method of claim 1,
The insertion module and the substrate portion are formed on both sides of the buckle portion, a buckle-type force sensor for measuring the force from both sides. a buckle part to which the strap is fixed and elastically movable by the tension of the strap from the fixing part;
a cover part fixed to the buckle part and having an insertion module protruding toward the buckle part or the fixing part in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the buckle part elastically moves on an inner surface thereof;
a substrate part fixed to the fixing part as a plate-shaped substrate, a hole into which the insertion module can be inserted is formed, and an electrode is formed on an inner surface of the hole to form a capacitance with the insertion module; and
and a force measuring part measuring a force acting on the buckle part using a change in capacitance when the insertion module moves according to the elastic movement of the buckle part with respect to the hole at which the position is fixed. a buckle part to which the strap is fixed and elastically movable by the tension of the strap from the fixing part;
an insertion module protruding in a direction orthogonal to the elastic movement direction of the buckle part and having a fixed position;
a substrate part fixed to the buckle part in a flat plate shape, a hole into which the insertion module can be inserted is formed, and an electrode is formed on an inner surface of the hole to form a capacitance with the insertion module; and
and a force measuring part measuring a force acting on the buckle part using a change in capacitance when the hole moves according to the elastic movement of the buckle part with respect to the insertion module having a fixed position. 10. The method of claim 9,
The insertion module is a buckle-type force sensor formed in the fixing portion. 10. The method of claim 9,
The buckle-type force sensor further comprising a cover part fixed to the fixing part and having the insertion module formed on an inner surface thereof.

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