WO1993004348A1 - Convertisseur de force et de couple - Google Patents

Convertisseur de force et de couple Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1993004348A1
WO1993004348A1 PCT/US1992/006961 US9206961W WO9304348A1 WO 1993004348 A1 WO1993004348 A1 WO 1993004348A1 US 9206961 W US9206961 W US 9206961W WO 9304348 A1 WO9304348 A1 WO 9304348A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
curve
region
derivative
set forth
force
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1992/006961
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
John A. Hilton
Original Assignee
Spaceball Technologies, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US07/427,931 external-priority patent/US5222400A/en
Application filed by Spaceball Technologies, Inc. filed Critical Spaceball Technologies, Inc.
Publication of WO1993004348A1 publication Critical patent/WO1993004348A1/fr
Priority to US08/052,377 priority Critical patent/US5591924A/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/038—Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L1/00—Measuring force or stress, in general
    • G01L1/24—Measuring force or stress, in general by measuring variations of optical properties of material when it is stressed, e.g. by photoelastic stress analysis using infrared, visible light, ultraviolet
    • G01L1/248—Measuring force or stress, in general by measuring variations of optical properties of material when it is stressed, e.g. by photoelastic stress analysis using infrared, visible light, ultraviolet using infrared
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L5/00—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
    • G01L5/16—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring several components of force
    • G01L5/161—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring several components of force using variations in ohmic resistance
    • G01L5/1627—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring several components of force using variations in ohmic resistance of strain gauges
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L5/00—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
    • G01L5/16—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring several components of force
    • G01L5/166—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring several components of force using photoelectric means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L5/00—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
    • G01L5/22—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring the force applied to control members, e.g. control members of vehicles, triggers
    • G01L5/223—Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes for measuring the force applied to control members, e.g. control members of vehicles, triggers to joystick controls
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0354—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
    • G06F3/03543—Mice or pucks

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a force and torque converter that is useful in a wide field of activities, particularly those in which a manual motion is to be converted into an electronic representation for use as a control signal.
  • the manipulator includes a wrist.
  • Sensing means are provided for sensing the magnitude and direction of applied forces and torques.
  • the applied force is decomposed into components corresponding to three mutually orthogonal axes intersecting at the wrist.
  • the sensing means include a series of sensors extending around the longitudinal axis of the manipulator.
  • Patent No. 4,811,608 issued March 14, 1989, Force and Torque Converter is hereby incorporated by reference.
  • Joysticks, track balls, and mice are commonly used to convert a manual motion into an electronic representation to be used by the computer system. Frequently, these devices are employed as pointing instruments, to move a cursor or otherwise manipulate a graphical image on the computer screen.
  • mice There are two major types of prior art mice: the mechanical mouse, and the optical mouse. Both types are displacement sensing devices. Both types have the disadvantage in that in most situations they must frequently be lifted and reoriented to a starting point to allow further movement. For example, the user's range of comfortable motion is often reached before the user wishes to terminate the mouse operation, e.g., "dragging" an object across the screen. Consequently, the user must stop the operation and lift and reorient the mouse, before resuming the desired task. Likewise, further displacement of a mouse is often prohibited by the mouse's reaching the edge of a desk or similar work surface. These interruptions in mouse operation are inconvenient and may annoy or aggravate the user.
  • mice Besides the ergono ic disadvantages, mechanical mice require regular cleaning and can slip during operation. This results in inconsistent operation. In addition, most optical mice require an optical pad to operate.
  • mouse-functionality as a de facto standard.
  • popular windowing packages exploit mouse-functionality in the well-known "click and drag" feature.
  • the user moves the pointer to a desired menu; the user then depresses a button attached to the mouse to display/select the menu; the user, while still depressing the button, then moves the mouse to move a pointer on the computer screen, until the desired menu option is highlighted; the user then releases the button to activate the option.
  • a mouse implements this in an ergonomically-acceptable fashion: The user needs only one hand to perform the operation, and he can use his ergonomically-preferred fingers (e.gs., index and middle fingers) to move and operate the device.
  • a track ball and joystick require the user to use two hands, one to move the pointer and one to hit a select button, or to use the ergonomically-disfavored fingers or thumb to operate the device or the buttons. Similar difficulties are experienced with popular editing packages and other software.
  • the alternative input devices are ergonomically-disadvantageous to use, regardless of the de facto standard. Users prefer to use one hand when performing graphical input operations.
  • Track balls require the user to either use two hands, as previously discussed, or to use one hand in an ergonomically-disfavored fashion. If the user depresses buttons with his ergonomically-preferred fingers, he would need to use his thumb to roll the ball. It has been found that user's dislike to use their thumbs for such precise operations. Alternatively, if the user utilizes his ergonomically-preferred fingers to roll the ball, he would need his thumb or ergonomically-disfavored fingers to engage the buttons. Further, joysticks have an inherent difficulty in placing the buttons sufficiently proximate for use. In addition, most joysticks are "pure" displacement sensing devices and therefore cannot easily implement desirable sensitivity curves.
  • mice, track balls, and joysticks provide limited information to the computer systems.
  • the planar translational movement of the device is usually decomposed into an X component and a Y component (X and Y being orthogonal axes within the sensed plane) .
  • Track balls perform an analogous decomposition of the angular movement of the ball.
  • the decomposed information is then used by the computer system to manipulate a pointer or similar graphical object. Consequently, only two basic pieces of information are generally provided, the X component and the Y component, thus offering only two degrees of programming freedom for the applications developer. If the device could sense a rotational component about an axis, in addition to sensing the planar components, a third degree of programming freedom could be offered to applications developers. This additional degree of freedom could then be utilized to add functionality to their applications.
  • a force and torque converter which is substantially stationary with respect to a mounting surface which may be part of a computer with which the converter is used.
  • the mounting surface may be independent of the computer.
  • the apparatus transforms applied forces and torques into trans1ational components along three mutually orthogonal axes and torque components about these axes.
  • This embodiment includes a body, which receives the applied force and torque.
  • Three connection members are attached to the body and extend away therefrom. Remote connection points on the respective connection members lie along respective, mutually orthogonal reference axes, which extend from a central point of the body. Legs are pivotally connected to the respective connection members at respective connection points through universal joints of limited range and motion. Biasing mechanisms bias the connecting members towards a central position.
  • Sensor mechanisms sense displacement of each connecting member and each connecting leg thereby determining the nature of the applied forces. Rotation of the body about an axis is sensed by sensors mounted by connection members having reference axes orthogonal to the axis about which rotation takes place.
  • TE SHEET In one embodiment of the invention, a small displacement results from the application of the translational force and torque.
  • alternative embodiments may be constructed in which no displacement occurs.
  • an alternative embodiment may include automatic control to input energy to resist displacement. The input of energy would have a corresponding indicative signal of the applied force, which could then be used by a computer or control system.
  • signal processing mechanisms are included for processing the signals generated by the respective sensors into output signals that are representative of the applied torque and translational force.
  • a lower cost embodiment of the above-described invention may be preferred in some cases.
  • mouse-type or joystick-type general computer applications have utilized only planar sensing (i.e., two degrees of freedom, one for each orthogonal axis of the plane) .
  • sensing one rotational component is possible, as well.
  • These embodiments provide a third degree of freedom for programming. It is recognized, though, that more sophisticated applications may need and therefore desire the above-described embodiments, which provide up to six degrees of programming freedom (three degrees of freedom from sensing the three orthogonal directional components of the applied force and three more degrees of freedom from sensing the three rotational components possible from applied torques. ) .
  • the lower cost embodiments sense the force and torque applied to the body.
  • the construction is simpler since only force in one plane and at most one orthogonal torque needs to be detected.
  • This embodiment retains the essential features of providing an electronic representation of the applied torque and force, and substantially restoring the body to a starting position upon releasing the apparatus.
  • Different embodiments of the present invention implement a desirable sensitivity curve through appropriate design of the resilient means, the sensing mechanisms, the signal processing mechanisms, or through combinations of the above.
  • the sensitivity curve is such that the device provides a
  • a sensitivity curve relates applied torques to the output.
  • the sensitivity curve includes a null region, in which the device essentially ignores applied forces and torques falling within the range of forces and torques corresponding to the null region. Thus, slight jiggles by the user, and similar "noise", are ignored.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the invention
  • Fig. 2 is a plan view of the first embodiment in practical form with the top of the spherical hand grip removed;
  • Fig. 3 is a partially broken away side-view of the first embodiment with the top of the hand grip removed and the front portion of the arm structure in the middle region just above the central plane ommited;
  • Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention that senses planarly applied force.
  • Fig. 5 is a plan view of the sensing mechanism of one embodiment of the invention that sense planarly applied force by photo-optical detection.
  • Fig. 6 is a side view of the sensing mechanism of one embodiment of the invention that sense planarly applied force by photo-optical detection.
  • Fig. 7 is a plan view of the sensing mechanism of an embodiment of the invention that senses by photo-optical detection planarly applied force and torque applied about an axis that is orthogonal to the sensed plane.
  • Fig. 8 is a plan view of the sensing mechanism of an alternative embodiment of the invention that senses by photo-optical detection planarly applied force and torque applied about an axis that is orthogonal to the sensed plane.
  • Fig. 9 is a logic-block diagram of an embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 10 is a graph of a sensitivity curve relating sensed input magnitude to a scale factor
  • Fig. 11 is a front-view of a resilient mechanism for one embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 12 is a side-view of a resilient mechanism for one embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 13 is a view of a shadow mask for one embodiment of the invention.
  • leaf-spring elements 10A, 10B, and IOC are attached to a metal base 8 and extend in three mutually perpendicular planes.
  • the center lines of the leaf-spring elements intersect at the center of the
  • each leaf-spring element 10A, 10B, and IOC are substantially of the same length and each leaf-spring element has at the end furthest from the base 8, a ball-like tip 11A, 11B, and 11C which lies within a respective slot 12A, 12B, and 12C in hand grip 9 (represented by a frame for clarity sake) .
  • Each slot 12A, 12B, and 12C provides constraint of the corresponding tip 11A, 11B, and 11C against movement relative to the grip 9 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the corresponding leaf spring.
  • a force applied to the grip 9 along the Z axis causes bending of the leaf-springs 10B only.
  • Strain gauges or similar sensing means (not shown) measure the bending or displacement, so that a signal representative of the applied force can be produced.
  • Each tip 11A, 11B, and 11C has a freedom of motion relative to the grip 9 in the plane of the corresponding leaf-spring.
  • a displacement force at an angle is resolved into corresponding couples about the respective X, Y, and Z axes.
  • torque about the Z axis causes equal and opposite bending of the leaf-springs 10A as the respective tips are deflected.
  • a torque applied to the hand grip is resolved into corresponding couples about the respective X, Y, and Z axes.
  • torque about the Z axis. causes equal and opposite bending of the leaf-springs 10A as the respective tips are deflected.
  • FIG. 2 and 3 In practice an apparatus as shown in Figures 2 and 3 is used to implement the principles shown by the schematic diagram of Figure 1. Like parts have been given like reference numerals.
  • the sensing apparatus is supported by a fixed supporting rod 3 above a ground plane.
  • the rod 3 connects to a central mounting block 8.
  • a force or torque applied by an operator's hand placed on a spherical hand grip 9 is converted into mutually perpendicular components by means of an optical detector.
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET and Z leaf-spring elements consists of a pair of flat resilient metal strips spaced apart and secured by screws 7 to opposite faces of the central mounting block 8. At their remote ends, the strips are interconnected by a connector 13 having screws which also attaches an end fitting 14.
  • the end fitting 14 has an axially extending shaft terminating in the ball like tip 11A, 11B, or lie
  • the optical detector associated with each leaf-spring preferably includes a light emitting diode (LED) 2 and a photodiode 3 fixedly mounted on a bracket 4.
  • LED light emitting diode
  • Each bracket 4 is mounted on a respective mounting bar 6 secured by screws 7 to the central block 8.
  • a packing block 6A and the central part of the leaf-spring element are sandwiched between the mounting bar 6 and the central block 8.
  • a shutter 5 is attached to the end fitting 14. Thus, movement of the shutter 5 alters the amount of radiation from LED 2 that can be detected by photodiode 3.
  • the current in the electrical circuitry is representative of the displacement and, consequently, the force.
  • Patent entitled TORQUE AND FORCE CONVERTER Patent No. 4,811,608 to Hilton is hereby incorporated by reference to avoid duplicating the disclosure of for the numerous embodiments and their description.
  • the grip 100 and base 101 are connected by three flat resilient metal flexure elements 102.
  • the metal flexures 102 are mounted with their axes parallel to the Z axis and have a 90° twist about each of their midpoints.
  • a masking post 103 extends from the grip 100 parallel to the Z axis.
  • Sensor sets 104 are positioned to detect movement of masking post 103 ( Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment only, further sensor arrangements are discussed below) .
  • lines 98 transmit an analog signal to an external processing mechanism (discussed below) .
  • the resilient mechanisms employed in the above-described embodiments exhibit a set of characteristics important to the operation of the device. These characteristics are isolation of planar effort from non-planar effort, negligible material hysteresis, negligible friction, and high reliability.
  • the physical hysteresis of the device is determined by the range of physical displacements the device returns to when released. For example, pushing the grip 100 to the limit in one direction and releasing will result in a specific position. Pushing to the limit in another direction and releasing will result in a slightly different position. The difference between these two positions defines the physical hysteresis along the tested direction.
  • the embodiments described above exhibit negligible physical hysteresis due to the use of metal flexure elements.
  • spring steels have extremely low hysteresis properties. Friction in any form introduces hysteresis into the design, since friction dissipates energy.
  • the flexure arrangement described earlier is designed to avoid friction.
  • Figure 5 is a plan view and Figure 6 is a side-view of the sensor mechanism of the two-axis embodiment.
  • Sensor sets 104 are located about the masking post 103: one sensor set detects displacement along the X axis; the other sensor set detects displacement along the Y axis. Since the displacement is in direct relation to the applied force and torque, as a result of the resilient mechanisms, the output of the sensors is representative of the applied force and torque.
  • the orthogonal arrangement shown in Figure 5 significantly facilitates later processing of the analog signals provided by the sensors.
  • the two sensor sets in fact, need not be orthogonal.
  • the sensor sets could be non-orthogonally arranged. All that is required is that the sets be angularly displaced about the center point. Displacement of the masking post could then be decomposed into its orthogonal components during the signal processing phase.
  • the sensors 104 detect translational displacement along the X and Y axes. Translational displacement along the Z axis and rotational displacement about any axis in the X-Y plane are mostly resisted by the resilient flexure elements 102. Likewise, other inhibiting means, (not shown), may be employed to resist these and other movements to protect the resilient means from unwanted, over-extension. In the two-axis embodiment, rotational displacement about the Z axis is mostly ignored by the sensors, though the resilient means can allow such displacement.
  • the sensor set 104 comprises an infrared light emitting diode (LED) 105, an infrared photodiode 106 and mask 103.
  • LED infrared light emitting diode
  • the amount of light received by the photodiode 106 corresponds to the displacement of the mask 103 perpendicular to the direction of the light beam. Displacement of the mask parallel to the light beam or rotation of the rod about its axis has negligible affect on the amount of light received by the photodiode 106.
  • Figure 7 is a plan view of the sensor arrangement for a three-axis embodiment . This embodiment can utilize the other elements from the two-axis embodiment, e.g., resilient mechanism.
  • This sensor arrangement detects rotation about the Z axis (the Z axis being perpendicular to the plane of the page) .
  • Sensor set 109 detects the translational component along the Y axis.
  • Either of sensor sets 107 and 108 can detect the translational component along the X axis.
  • the combination of sensor sets 107 and 108 detect the rotational component about the Z axis.
  • sensor set 107 When the grip is rotated about the Z axis, sensor set 107 will detect a displacement opposite in a direction to the displacement detected by sensor set 108.
  • the sensor sets may be arranged differently, e.g., as shown in Figure 8, or non-orthogonally as discussed for the two-axis embodiment.
  • the sensor sets 104 may be substituted with sensors that employ capacitive, inductive, electromagnetic, resistive, piezo-electric or optical sensing. Further, the sensor mechanism may sense the applied force and torque by sensing the resilient mechanisms themselves (e.g., by strain gauges), rather than by sensing components such as masking posts.
  • Sensed dynamic range is defined as the ratio as the largest sensed displacement to the smallest sensed displacement
  • FIG 9 is a logic-block diagram of a signal processing mechanism utilized in one embodiment of the invention.
  • Analog output from sensors 104 is converted to a digital value by a dual-slope A/D circuit 120 controlled by a microprocessor 121 and firmware 122.
  • the A/D conversion rate desirably matches or exceeds human response rates for suitable operation. Conversion rates of the order of 100 sets per second are suitable.
  • the dual-slope technique provides a suitable conversion rate at very low cost. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other conversion techniques can be employed.
  • the A/D circuit 120, microprocessor 121 and firmware 122 are placed in the space between grip 100 and base 99 (see Figure 4) . In another embodiment, however, the circuit, microprocessor and firmware is external to the apparatus.
  • the largest detectable effort is determined by the effort required to achieve the largest detectable displacement.
  • the smallest detectable effort is determined by summing the errors
  • TE SHEET due to the hysteresis of the device, the environmental effects on the sensors (temperature, humidity, ageing, etc.) and the accuracy and stability of the sensing electronics while taking account of any compensation made by the control algorithm to minimize any error inducing characteristic.
  • mice sense the velocity of a portion of the apparatus, e.g., a ball, to produce the image displacement.
  • the scale factor for displacement of the image is based upon the magnitude of the velocity.
  • the quality of the "feel" of an input device is dramatically impacted by the sensitivity curve relating the sensed input magnitude to the output.
  • Prior art mice employ a relatively coarse curve, which is typically described by an input/output graph consisting of several "stairs".
  • the sensitivity curve is implemented as a table look up function within the microprocessor 121 and firmware 122. In this fashion, greater flexibility is achieved, permitting a user to customize the operation of the input device to suit their particular taste.
  • this embodiment receives signals on lines 125 from A/D circuit 120. and creates a representative output trnsmitted on line 123 (see Fig. 9) with the desirable sensitivity characteristics.
  • a null region value and a set of 16 values is stored in a table within the firmware.
  • a table whose size is a power of two, such as 16 bits of the binary representation of the applied force and torque, received from the conversion hardware can index into the table. Linear interpolation is utilized for any received values falling between the 16 values.
  • the null region value defines the minimum sensed value which will result in a non-zero output. Any input of magnitude less than the null region is automatically zeroed. This prevents such effects as unwanted drifting from occurring due to hysteresis and other errors inherent in the device.
  • Figure 11 is a front-view and Figure 12 is a side-view of a resilient mechanism for one embodiment that attains a desirable sensitivity curve by utilizing resilient mechanisms with a non-linear response curve.
  • the resilient mechanism 202 is constructed to provide higher resilience for weaker applied forces than for stronger ones.
  • the apparatus provides more precision for smaller applied forces, and faster response for larger applied forces.
  • the mechanism 202 twists, much like that descibed for resilient mechanism 102.
  • the surfaces 214 and 215 contacting the mechanism 202 effectively change in length, i.e., as the apparatus is displaced more surface contacts the mechanism.
  • Figure 13 illustrates a shadow mask that can be used in a three-axis embodiment. Analogous structures can be built for two-axis embodiments. Shadow mask 203 is shown in at rest position. As the shadow mask is displaced in one direction, progressively less radiation is detected by photo-detector 206. As the mask is displaced in the other direction progressively more radiation is masked. Due to the non-linear curves 207 and 208, the amount of radiation detected has a non-linear relationship to the amount of displacement.
  • Figures 11-12 and 13 transmit signal to A/D circuit 120, so as to provide a digital representation.
  • the digital representation would retain the same desirable sensitivity characteristics inherent in the analog representation, i.e., microprocessor control would not be needed to create the desirable sensitivity curve. It is recognized, however, that some applications may be capable of directly utilizing the analog signal from sensors 104.
  • A/D circuit 120, microprocessor 121, and firmware 122 should not be thought of as limitations to the present invention.
  • Figure 10 displays a desirable sensitivity curve relating the sensed input magnitude to the scale factor.
  • the sensed input magnitude is the torque applied to the apparatus; in another embodiment, the sensed input magnitude is the force applied to the apparatus.
  • Image manipulation benefits from a very large control dynamic range.
  • a sensitivity curve of Figure 8 results in the sense dynamic range being transformed into a much larger control dynamic range than that resulting from velocity control (defined for velocity control as the ratio of the maximum velocity to the minimum velocity) with high resolution at the low end and low resolution at the high end.
  • This type of sensitivity curve results in a significantly improved "feel" of operation compared with linear operation devices.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Position Input By Displaying (AREA)

Abstract

Le convertisseur de force et de couple fournit une représentation électronique d'une force appliquée suivant un plan et d'un couple appliqué autour d'un axe qui est orthogonal au plan. Le convertisseur comprend une base, un organe d'actionnement qui est déplacé de manière relative en réponse au couple et à la force appliqués, des mécanismes résilients pour fournir à l'organe d'actionnement une force et un couple de rétablissement, et des mécanismes de détection pour détecter le couple et la force appliqués et générer leur représentation électronique. La représentation électronique se caractérise par une courbe de sensibilité dans laquelle les forces et les couples appliqués relativement petits donnent comme résultat un facteur d'échelle relativement faible et, pour une plage de forces et de couples petits appliqués, la relation entre le facteur d'échelle et le couple et la force appliqués a une dérivée relativement faible. En outre, pour une plage de forces et de couples appliqués plus grands, la courbe de sensibilité possède un facteur d'échelle relativement grand et une dérivée relativement grande. Dans un mode de réalisation, la courbe de sensibilité est mise en ÷uvre par un mécanisme de traitement qui comprend un microprocesseur et une microprogrammation.
PCT/US1992/006961 1985-12-18 1992-08-21 Convertisseur de force et de couple WO1993004348A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/052,377 US5591924A (en) 1985-12-18 1993-04-23 Force and torque converter

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/427,931 US5222400A (en) 1985-12-18 1989-10-25 Force and torque converter
AUPK7992 1991-08-23
AUPK799291 1991-08-23

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WO1993004348A1 true WO1993004348A1 (fr) 1993-03-04

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GB2283080A (en) * 1993-10-22 1995-04-26 Central Research Lab Ltd Computer input mouse.
EP0706639A1 (fr) * 1993-07-22 1996-04-17 Spacetec Imc Corporation Convertisseur de force et de couple
WO1996039798A2 (fr) * 1995-06-07 1996-12-19 Spacetec Imc Corporation Convertisseur de force et de couple
GB2314910A (en) * 1996-06-26 1998-01-14 Daimler Benz Ag An operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements of a motor vehicle
DE19649573A1 (de) * 1996-11-29 1998-06-04 Harald Reiter Eingabegerät zur Übertragung von Bewegungen
US9081426B2 (en) 1992-03-05 2015-07-14 Anascape, Ltd. Image controller
FR3100887A1 (fr) * 2019-09-18 2021-03-19 Gema Poignée électronique pour la mesure d’une composante de force
WO2021126240A1 (fr) * 2019-12-20 2021-06-24 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Détection d'ensemble circuit imprimé

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Cited By (14)

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US9081426B2 (en) 1992-03-05 2015-07-14 Anascape, Ltd. Image controller
EP0706639A1 (fr) * 1993-07-22 1996-04-17 Spacetec Imc Corporation Convertisseur de force et de couple
EP0706639A4 (fr) * 1993-07-22 1997-01-29 Spacetec Imc Corp Convertisseur de force et de couple
GB2283080A (en) * 1993-10-22 1995-04-26 Central Research Lab Ltd Computer input mouse.
US5798748A (en) * 1995-06-07 1998-08-25 Spacetec Imc Corporation Force and torque converter with improved digital optical sensing circuitry
WO1996039798A2 (fr) * 1995-06-07 1996-12-19 Spacetec Imc Corporation Convertisseur de force et de couple
WO1996039798A3 (fr) * 1995-06-07 1997-08-14 Spacetec Imc Corp Convertisseur de force et de couple
GB2314910B (en) * 1996-06-26 1998-06-03 Daimler Benz Ag Operating element arrangement, incorporated in a motor vehicle for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements of the motor vehicle
GB2314910A (en) * 1996-06-26 1998-01-14 Daimler Benz Ag An operating element arrangement for controlling the longitudinal and transverse movements of a motor vehicle
DE19649573A1 (de) * 1996-11-29 1998-06-04 Harald Reiter Eingabegerät zur Übertragung von Bewegungen
DE19649573C2 (de) * 1996-11-29 1998-11-05 Harald Reiter Eingabegerät zur Übertragung von Bewegungen
FR3100887A1 (fr) * 2019-09-18 2021-03-19 Gema Poignée électronique pour la mesure d’une composante de force
WO2021053310A1 (fr) * 2019-09-18 2021-03-25 Gema Appareil d'assistance à la marche motorisé, et procédé de commande dudit appareil d'assistance par une poignée électronique
WO2021126240A1 (fr) * 2019-12-20 2021-06-24 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Détection d'ensemble circuit imprimé

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