Skin-Type Proximity Sensor by Using the Change of Electromagnetic Field

TLDR

The study introduces a skin‑type dual proximity sensor (STPS) that delivers pre‑collision distance information via impedance and proposes a resonant‑frequency selection method to optimize this measurement. The STPS employs a combined inductive‑capacitive sensing principle, is fabricated in various sizes and shapes for easy attachment to robot surfaces, and is supported by system modeling, simulation, fabrication, and signal‑processing techniques. Experimental results show that a 100 × 100 × 2.75 mm STPS can detect a human body up to 300 mm away, with performance validated and analyzed across parameters in human‑robot collaboration scenarios.

Abstract

This article presents a sensor, called a skin-type dual proximity sensor (STPS) that can provide distance information in the form of impedance between a sensor and an approaching object before the collision. Meanwhile, a new method regarding the selection of the resonant frequency range for optimizing the measured distance is validated. The sensor adopts the combined sensing principle of inductive-capacitive proximity sensing. STPS can be fabricated with various dimensions and shapes, and easily attached to robot surfaces. Represented by the series of sensors studied with the dimensions of 100 × 100 × 2.75 mm, the proposed sensor can detect an approaching human body up to 300 mm away. In this article, sensor system modeling and simulation are conducted, followed by fabrication and signal processing methods. Finally, the performances of the sensor are experimentally validated, thoroughly analyzed concerning various parameters, and demonstrated with the collaboration between human and robots.