Yugang Zhang

Research of temperature field measurement using a flexible temperature sensor array for robot sensing skin

This paper presents a novel temperature sensor array by dispensing conductive composites on a flexible printed circuit board which is able to acquire the ambient temperature. The flexible temperature sensor array was fabricated by using carbon fiber-filled silicon rubber based composites on a flexible polyimide circuit board, which can both ensure their high flexibility. It found that CF with 12 wt% could be served as the best conductive filler for higher temperature sensitivity and better stability comparing with some other proportion for dynamic range from 30℃ to 90℃. The preparation of the temperature sensitive material has also been described in detail. Connecting the flexible sensor array with a data acquisition card and a personal computer (PC), some heat sources with different shapes were loaded on the sensor array; the detected results were shown in the interface by LabVIEW software. The measured temperature contours are in good agreement with the shapes and amplitudes of different heat sources. Furthermore, in consideration of the heat dissipation in the air, the relationship between the resistance and the distance of heat sources with sensor array was also detected to verify the accuracy of the sensor array, which is also a preparation for our future work. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the developed flexible sensor array, and it can be used as humanoid artificial skin for sensation system of robots.

A flexible tension-pressure tactile sensitive sensor array for the robot skin

In this paper, a flexible tension-pressure tactile sensitive sensor array is proposed for intelligent robot skin to detect external pressure in the case of tensile and bendability condition. Such flexible sensitive tension-pressure tactile sensor is fabricated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon black (CB) as conductive filler and silicone rubber as insulating matrix. Studying the extension-pressure resistance characteristic upon CNTs and CB as conductive filler to silicon rubber sensitive unit, the following conclusions are drawn: the CNTs-CB forms a solid conductive network structure “botryoid” in the system of conductive rubber filled with CNTs and CB, and the resistance of conductive rubber filled with CNTs and CB is quite sensitive with good linearity in the case where in tension and pressure process with filler mass fraction as 4% and the mass ratio of CNTs and CB as 2:3. In such kind of tension-pressure tactile sensor array based on conductive rubber filled by CNTs and CB, elastic electrodes overcome the disadvantage of the non-tension traditional sensor, therefore achieving the flexibility of sensor array. Such sensor array can detect pressure and tension in syncronization, and can be applied to robot flexible skin joints.