The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 23, 1984
Filed:
Jun. 29, 1982
Henry E Aviles, Pompano Beach, FL (US);
Jane A Gregory, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Hugo A Panissidi, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Henry E Wattenbarger, Lake Worth, FL (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A multi-degree of freedom force transducer is provided for measuring forces applied to gripper fingers in a manipulator when grasping an object therebetween. The transducer includes a pair of force sensor assemblies rigidly connected at a first end to a respective finger and at a second end to a drive member for the gripper. A plurality of parallel beam structures are contained in each of the force sensor assemblies, each consisting of a pair of flat parallel flexure members, each member bridging opposite sides of a gap in the structure. These parallel beam structures are oriented so that the axis perpendicular to the planar surfaces of the parallel flexure members are orthogonal to one another, providing the capability of measuring the force applied to an object held by the gripper in the X, Y and Z axial directions. A strain gage of a pair of strain gages is located at a predetermined opposite maximum flexure point of each flexure member of said parallel beam structures, so as to measure the flexure of the member at the predetermined flexure points, which flexure is indicative of the force vector along the axis perpendicular to the parallel flexure members. In another embodiment the junction between the flexure member and the wall of the strain gage assembly is radiused or curved so that the maximum flexure point is spread out, giving longer life and enhanced measurement accuracy.