Electronic skin modules, robotic arms and devices based on self-capacitance detection

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electronic skin module, a mechanical arm and a device based on self-capacitance detection, wherein the electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection includes: a flexible electrode layer, which can form a capacitor with a nearby conductor; a detection circuit board, which is electrically connected to the flexible electrode layer and is used to generate an electrical signal representing the capacitance value of the capacitor or its change; a flexible protective layer, which covers the flexible electrode layer and the detection circuit board; and a connection structure, which is arranged on the flexible protective layer and is used to be detachably fixedly connected with an external device. The electronic skin module proposed by the present invention is flexible and can be arranged in any shape, and can be applied to mechanical arms of different shapes and various parts of the mechanical arms, and has high versatility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of mechanical arms, and in particular to an electronic skin module, a mechanical arm and a device based on self-capacitance detection. Background Art

[0002] Electronic skin is a sensor device used to detect approaching conductors. It can be applied to robotic arms to determine whether there are obstacles in front through the electronic skin, thereby achieving the purpose of obstacle avoidance.

[0003] The existing patent with application number CN202011525037.8 discloses an electronic skin main module, sub-module, system, robotic arm and robot. The electronic skin main module and sub-module are arranged around the end effector of the robotic arm, such as grippers, suction cups and other end effectors, to detect external conductors close to the end effector.

[0004] However, since the shapes of robotic arms vary in actual applications, and the shape of the electronic skin is fixed as a box, it is difficult to adapt to robotic arms of different shapes or other parts of the robotic arms, and its versatility is poor. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to propose an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection, aiming to solve the technical problem that the existing electronic skin modules have poor versatility.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention proposes an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection, and the electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection includes:

[0007] A flexible electrode layer, the flexible electrode layer can form a capacitor with a nearby conductor;

[0008] A detection circuit board, electrically connected to the flexible electrode layer, for generating an electrical signal representing a capacitance value or a change in capacitance;

[0009] A flexible protective layer, wherein the flexible protective layer covers the flexible electrode layer and the detection circuit board;

[0010] The connection structure is arranged on the flexible protective layer and is used for detachably fixing the connection with the external device.

[0011] The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection also includes: a main control circuit,

[0012] The main control circuit is electrically connected to the detection circuit board and is disposed on the same board as the detection circuit board, and is used to calculate the proximity between the flexible electrode layer and the adjacent conductor according to the electrical signal; or

[0013] The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection also includes: a main control circuit board, on which a main control circuit is arranged.

[0014] The main control circuit board is electrically connected to the detection circuit board and is used to calculate the proximity between the flexible electrode layer and the adjacent conductor according to the electrical signal.

[0015] Among them, the electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection also includes:

[0016] A port, the port is electrically connected to the detection circuit board and is used for communication and / or transmission of electric energy, and an output end of the port is exposed from the flexible protective layer; or

[0017] The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection also includes:

[0018] The port is electrically connected to the main control circuit and is used for communication and / or transmission of electric energy, and the output end of the port is exposed from the flexible protective layer.

[0019] Among them, the detection circuit board and / or the main control circuit board are FPC flexible circuit boards

[0020] The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection further includes: a wireless communication module and a battery module;

[0021] The wireless communication module and the battery module are electrically connected to the main control circuit or the main control circuit board respectively.

[0022] The flexible electrode layer includes a plurality of flexible electrode sheets arranged in an array, and the flexible electrode sheets are electrically connected to different detection channels of the detection circuit board respectively.

[0023] Wherein, the connection structure is an adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer is used to adhere the electronic skin module to an external device; or

[0024] The connection structure is a magnetic structure, which is used to adsorb the electronic skin module onto an external device.

[0025] Among them, the connection structure is a strap structure, and the strap structure is used to bind the electronic skin module to an external device.

[0026] The present invention also provides a mechanical arm, comprising:

[0027] control circuits, and;

[0028] A plurality of electronic skin modules based on self-capacitance detection, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to each electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection.

[0029] The present invention further proposes a device, comprising:

[0030] control circuits, and;

[0031] A plurality of electronic skin modules based on self-capacitance detection, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to each electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the embodiments of the present invention are:

[0033] The electronic skin module proposed in the present invention is flexible, can be set in any shape, can be applied to robotic arms of different shapes and various parts of the robotic arms, and has high versatility. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, but are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] The embodiments of this invention generally relate to an electronic skin that uses the self-capacitance sensing principle (the mutual capacitance sensing principle can also be applied to the solution provided by the invention) to sense the proximity of an object that is close to or in contact with it, and its further applications, such as: a robotic arm provided with the electronic skin, and a robot provided with a robotic arm provided with the electronic skin. In the present invention, the electronic skin is mainly used to be provided on the robotic arm as a sensing element for objects that are close to or in contact with it.

[0043] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] In some embodiments, the present invention provides an electronic skin module based on self-capacitance, and the electronic skin module based on self-capacitance includes:

[0045] A flexible electrode layer 1, wherein the flexible electrode layer 1 can form a capacitor with a nearby conductor;

[0046] A detection circuit board 2, electrically connected to the flexible electrode layer 1, for generating an electrical signal representing the capacitance value or the change amount of the capacitance;

[0047] A flexible protective layer 3, wherein the flexible protective layer 3 covers the electrode sheet and the detection circuit board 2;

[0048] The connection structure is arranged on the flexible protective layer and is used for detachably fixing the connection with the external device.

[0049] In this embodiment, the flexible electrode layer 1 and the detection circuit board 2 are covered in a flexible protective layer 3, and the flexible protective layer 3 is used to isolate the flexible electrode layer 1 and the detection circuit board 2 from the external environment to prevent the external environment from affecting the flexible electrode layer 1 and the detection circuit board 2.

[0050] Both the flexible protective layer 3 and the flexible electrode layer 1 are flexible. The flexible electrode layer 1 can be made of a flexible circuit board or a metal sheet. The flexible protective layer 3 can be used for collision buffering to prevent external impact from causing damage to the flexible electrode layer 1 and the detection circuit board 2.

[0051] The surface area of ​​the flexible electrode layer 1 may be comparable to that of the flexible protective layer 3 , or the surface area of ​​the flexible electrode layer 1 may be smaller than or slightly smaller than that of the flexible protective layer 3 , that is, the flexible electrode layer 1 is always enclosed in the flexible protective layer 3 .

[0052] In addition, since the larger the surface area of ​​the flexible electrode layer 1, the greater the sensing distance, in some embodiments, the surface area of ​​the flexible electrode layer 1 can be made equivalent to the surface area of ​​the flexible protective layer 3 to maximize the use of the limited space of the flexible protective layer 3 and enhance the detection and perception capabilities of the electronic skin module.

[0053] The detection circuit board 2 can be made smaller, so that it will not affect the deformation of the flexible electrode layer 1 and the flexible protective layer 3, and will not be affected by the need to fit the surface of the robot arm during installation. It can be set in the middle area, corner area or the area between the flexible protective layer 3.

[0054] The detection circuit board 2 is electrically connected to the flexible electrode layer 1, and is used to generate an electrical signal representing the capacitance value or the change amount of the capacitor. When the approaching conductor enters the detection range of the flexible electrode layer 1, the capacitance value of the capacitor formed by the flexible electrode layer 1 and the approaching conductor will change with the distance between the two. The detection circuit board 2 can detect the electrical signal corresponding to the capacitance value or the change amount thereof.

[0055] The flexible protective layer 3 and the flexible electrode layer 1 are both flexible, and the detection circuit board 2 is small in size. The electronic skin module as a whole can be set in any shape, can adapt to the installation of robotic arms of different shapes and various parts of the robotic arms, and can fit more completely with the installation surface of the electronic skin module.

[0056] The electronic skin module proposed in the present invention can be applied to various mechanical arms and robots. The mechanical arm mainly refers to a structure mainly composed of articulated arms, such as scara mechanical arms, collaborative mechanical arms, etc. The robot mainly refers to a machine with a humanoid structure on the whole machine, such as a household robot, a transporter, etc., or some movable intelligent devices used for life services, such as sweeping robots, express robots, lobby service robots, etc. In short, the present invention can be used in various fields such as industry, life, and commerce, and in robot equipment of different forms, so that the mechanical arm and the robot can sense the objects around them, thereby generating corresponding motion control strategies. Taking the mechanical arm as an example, the electronic skin module can be fixed to any one or more of the joints, articulated arms, ends, and end effectors of the mechanical arm by various methods such as attachment and binding. After installing the electronic skin module, the mechanical arm can detect the approach of objects through the electronic skin module.

[0057] The flexible electrode layer 1 can be formed on the flexible protective layer 3 by electrodeposition or vapor deposition or printing or pasting a conductive sheet, that is, the flexible electrode layer 1 can be formed on the flexible protective layer 3 by physical or chemical means, or a prefabricated conductive sheet can be arranged on the flexible protective layer 3 to form the flexible electrode layer 1. The flexible electrode layer 1 can be made of metal or non-metallic conductive materials such as copper and gold. The second protective layer 3 can be arranged on the flexible electrode layer 1 by pasting or the like.

[0058] The electronic skin module is detachably connected to an external device via a connection structure, the external device being a robotic arm or a robot, and the connection structure is disposed on the flexible protective layer 3 .

[0059] In some embodiments, the connection structure proposed by the present invention is an adhesive layer, which is used to adhere the electronic skin module to an external device; or the connection structure is a magnetic structure, which is used to adsorb the electronic skin module to an external device.

[0060] In this embodiment, the electronic skin module can be connected to the external device by pasting or magnetic attraction, and the connection structure is an adhesive layer or a soft magnetic strip, which is arranged on the outside of the flexible protective layer 3. The connection structure is set as an adhesive layer, which is especially applicable to some devices with irregular surfaces that are difficult to fix by other means, or the area of ​​the device to be attached is large, or the area is too small to use a connection structure with a certain volume, such as a toy robot, the surface of a large robot, or the surface of the end finger. The pasting method enables the electronic skin module to basically adapt to all robot device structures, so that it can be fixed to the surface of the device in a shape-fitting manner. When the connection structure is a soft magnetic strip, the electronic skin module can be directly aligned with the metal surface of the device to fit it, so that it can be fixed by magnetic attraction between the soft magnetic strip and the metal surface of the device.

[0061] In some embodiments, the connection structure proposed by the present invention is a strap structure, and the strap structure is used to bind the electronic skin module to an external device.

[0062] In this embodiment, the electronic skin module is bound to the surface of the device by a strap, and the number of straps may be one or more. When the number of straps is one, one end of the strap is connected to one side of the flexible protective layer 3, and the other end is connected to the other side of the flexible protective layer 3 when the electronic skin module is installed on the surface of the device. When the number of straps is multiple, one of the multiple straps is connected to one side of the flexible protective layer 3, and the other is connected to the other side of the flexible protective layer 3. When the electronic skin module is fixed to the surface of the device, the other ends of the two straps are connected to each other. The strapping method can make the disassembly and assembly of the electronic skin module more convenient, especially on a robotic arm or some devices with a smaller circumference.

[0063] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] In some embodiments, the self-capacitance-based electronic skin module proposed in the embodiments of the present invention also includes a main control circuit 4, which is electrically connected to the detection circuit board 2 and is arranged on the same board as the detection circuit board 2, and is used to obtain the proximity degree between the flexible electrode layer 1 and the approaching conductor according to the electrical signal.

[0065] In this embodiment, the main control circuit 4 is electrically connected to the detection circuit board 2, and the detection circuit board 2 sends the electrical signal generated by it for representing the capacitance or its change amount to the main control circuit 4, and the main control circuit 4 processes the electrical signal to obtain the proximity between the flexible electrode layer 1 and the proximity conductor. In this way, there is no need to send the electrical signal generated by the detection circuit board 2 to the controller of the external device for processing to obtain the proximity between the flexible electrode layer 1 and the proximity conductor, thereby reducing the amount of calculation of the controller of the external device.

[0066] In some embodiments, the main control circuit 4 and the detection circuit board 2 are arranged on the same board, and the main control circuit 4 and the detection circuit board 2 share a circuit board, which can reduce the cost of the electronic skin module to a certain extent.

[0067] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] In some embodiments, the self-capacitance-based electronic skin module proposed in the present invention also includes a main control circuit board 5, on which a main control circuit board 4 is arranged. The main control circuit board 5 is electrically connected to the detection circuit board 2 and is used to calculate the proximity between the flexible electrode layer and the adjacent conductor based on the electrical signal.

[0069] In this embodiment, the main control circuit board 5 is provided with a main control circuit 4 and is electrically connected to the detection circuit board 2. The detection circuit board 2 sends the electrical signal generated by it for characterizing the capacitance or its change to the main control circuit 4, and the main control circuit 4 processes the electrical signal to obtain the proximity between the flexible electrode layer 1 and the proximity conductor. In this way, there is no need to send the electrical signal generated by the detection circuit board 2 to the controller of the external device for processing to obtain the proximity between the flexible electrode layer 1 and the proximity conductor, thereby reducing the amount of calculation of the controller of the external device.

[0070] Among them, the main control circuit board 5 and the detection circuit board 2 are independent of each other, which can reduce the mutual interference between the detection circuit board 2 and the main control circuit 4 and improve the accuracy of the detection result. Moreover, the volume of the main control circuit board 5 and the detection circuit board 2 separately set is significantly smaller than the volume of the integrated setting of the two, so that the overall deformation ability of the electronic skin module can be further guaranteed, and the electronic skin module can be prevented from being affected by the circuit board when deforming.

[0071] See also Figure 4-6 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] In some embodiments, the self-capacitance-based electronic skin module proposed by the present invention further includes:

[0073] Port 6 , which is electrically connected to the detection circuit board 2 and is used for communication and / or transmission of electric energy, and an output end of the port 6 is exposed from the flexible protective layer 3 .

[0074] In this embodiment, port 6 is electrically connected to the detection circuit board 2, and can be used for both the transmission of electrical signals and the transmission of electrical energy. The transmission of electrical signals mainly refers to the transmission of the electrical signal generated by the detection circuit board 2 for characterizing the capacitance or its change to the controller of the external device, and the transmission of electrical energy refers to the supply of external electrical energy to the entire electronic skin module so that the electronic skin module can be used normally.

[0075] At least a portion of the port 6 is exposed outside the flexible protective layer 3 , so that the detection circuit board 2 can transmit the detected electrical signal for characterizing the capacitance or its change to the controller of the external device through the port 6 .

[0076] In this embodiment, the port 6 and the external device can establish communication between the two by means of cables, touch, plugging, etc. For example, plugs are provided at both ends of the cable, wherein the plug at one end is used to electrically connect to the port 6, and the plug at the other end is used to electrically connect to the external device. After the electronic skin module is fixed on the external device, the plugs at both ends of the cable are respectively inserted into the external device and the port 6, so that the external device and the detection circuit board 2 can transmit electrical signals and realize communication between the two.

[0077] In some embodiments, the self-capacitance-based electronic skin module proposed in the embodiments of the present invention further includes:

[0078] Port 6 , which is electrically connected to the main control circuit 4 and is used for communication and / or transmission of electric energy, and an output end of the port 6 is exposed from the flexible protective layer 3 .

[0079] In this embodiment, port 6 is electrically connected to the main control circuit 4. The electrical signal generated by the detection circuit board 2 for characterizing the capacitance or its change is not directly sent to the controller of the external device through port 6, but is first sent to the main control circuit 4 electrically connected thereto, so that the electrical signal for characterizing the capacitance or its change is processed by the main control circuit 4 to obtain the proximity between the conductor and the electronic skin module, and then the proximity is sent to the controller of the external device through port 6.

[0080] Among them, port 6 can be used for both electrical signal transmission and power transmission. The transmission of electrical signals mainly refers to the transmission of the electrical signal generated by the detection circuit board 2 for characterizing the capacitance or its change to the controller of the external device, or refers to the sending of the proximity degree between the flexible electrode layer 1 and the proximity conductor obtained by the main control circuit 4 to the controller of the external device. Power transmission refers to the supply of external electrical energy to the entire electronic skin module so that the electronic skin module can be used normally.

[0081] At least a portion of the port 6 is exposed outside the flexible protective layer 3 , so that the main control circuit 4 can transmit the detected electrical signal for characterizing the capacitance or its change to the controller of the external device through the port 6 .

[0082] In this embodiment, the communication between the port 6 and the external device is mainly established through a cable, and plugs are provided at both ends of the cable, wherein the plug at one end is used to be electrically connected to the port 6, and the plug at the other end is used to be electrically connected to the external device. After the electronic skin module is fixed on the external device, the plugs at both ends of the cable are respectively inserted into the external device and the port 6, so that the external device and the main control circuit 4 can transmit electrical signals and realize communication between the two.

[0083] In some embodiments, the detection circuit board 2 and / or the main control circuit board 5 is an FPC flexible circuit board.

[0084] In this embodiment, at least one of the detection circuit board 2 and the main control circuit board 5 adopts a flexible circuit board, which can further ensure the overall deformation ability of the electronic skin module, so that the detection circuit board 2 and / or the main control circuit board 5 can be deformed together with the flexible electrode layer 1 and the flexible protective layer 3 to fit the installation surface of the robotic arm.

[0085] In a specific embodiment, the detection circuit board 2 is made of a flexible circuit board, on which is integrated a detection circuit for generating an electrical signal representing the capacitance or its change, while the main control circuit board 5 is made of a hard ordinary circuit board, on which is integrated a main control circuit 4 for processing the above electrical signal to obtain the proximity degree between the proximity conductor and the electronic skin module.

[0086] In another specific embodiment, the detection circuit board 2 is made of a hard ordinary circuit board, on which is integrated a detection circuit for generating an electrical signal representing the capacitance or its change, while the main control circuit board 5 is made of a flexible circuit board, on which is integrated a main control circuit 4 for processing the above electrical signal to obtain the proximity degree between the proximity conductor and the electronic skin module.

[0087] In another specific embodiment, the detection circuit board 2 and the main control circuit board 5 are both made of flexible circuit boards. The detection circuit board 2 is integrated with a detection circuit for generating an electrical signal representing the capacitance or its change, and the main control circuit board 5 is integrated with a main control circuit 4 for processing the above electrical signal to obtain the proximity degree between the proximity conductor and the electronic skin module.

[0088] In the above three specific embodiments, when the detection circuit board 2 and the main control circuit board 5 are both made of flexible circuit boards, the electronic skin module proposed in this embodiment has the best flexibility and can be deformed to the greatest extent, so that the electronic skin module can basically fit the installation surface of the external device.

[0089] In some embodiments, the electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection proposed in the present invention also includes a wireless communication module and a battery module, and the wireless communication module and the battery module are electrically connected to the main control circuit or the main control circuit board respectively.

[0090] In this embodiment, the electronic skin module can send the detected electrical signal to the controller of the external device by wireless communication, so there is no need to transmit it through cables. To achieve wireless communication, a wireless communication module and a battery module are integrated in the flexible protective layer 3, and the wireless communication module and the battery module are respectively electrically connected to the main control circuit 4 or the main control circuit board 5 to send the detected proximity between the flexible electrode layer 1 and the proximity conductor to the main controller of the robot arm.

[0091] Among them, the battery module is used to power the entire electronic skin module, including the detection circuit board 2, the main control circuit 4, the main control circuit board 5 and the wireless communication module. The wireless communication module can be a WIFI module, a Bluetooth module, a ZigBee module or a SIM card, including but not limited to these, and those skilled in the art can choose according to actual conditions. Further, the wireless communication module can also be a combination of any two or more of the above modules, such as a wireless communication module of a WIFI module and a Bluetooth module, a WIFI module and a ZigBee module, or a wireless communication module of a WIFI module, a Bluetooth module and a ZigBee module, etc.

[0092] See also Figure 7 , Figure 7 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic skin module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] In some embodiments, the flexible electrode layer 1 provided in the present invention includes a plurality of flexible electrode sheets 11 arranged in an array, and the flexible electrode sheets 11 are electrically connected to different detection channels of the detection circuit board 2 respectively.

[0094] In this embodiment, a plurality of array-arranged flexible electrode sheets 11 are formed into a plurality of sensing areas. By sensing the approaching conductors in different sensing areas, the specific position of the approaching conductors in space can be obtained, thereby improving the sensing accuracy of the electronic skin module. The detection circuit board 2 has a plurality of different detection channels, each of which is electrically connected to a flexible electrode sheet 11 to obtain sensing signals of the flexible electrode sheets 11 in different areas.

[0095] The detection circuit board 2 can be arranged in the middle area of ​​several array-distributed flexible electrode sheets 11, or in the corner area of ​​several array-distributed flexible electrode sheets 11. Those skilled in the art can design it according to the actual situation. Figure 7 As shown, the flexible electrode layer 1 includes four flexible electrode sheets 11, which are distributed in a matrix, and the detection circuit board is located in the middle area of ​​the four flexible electrode sheets 11 and is electrically connected to the four flexible electrode sheets 11 through four different detection channels.

[0096] Furthermore, the flexible electrode sheet 11 may be in a square, rectangular, fan-shaped, triangular or other shape, and there are two or more flexible electrode sheets 11, which are arranged according to actual conditions. When the proximity conductor approaches the electronic skin module proposed in this embodiment, the corresponding flexible electrode sheet 11 in the flexible electrode layer 1 will form a capacitor with the proximity conductor to detect the change in capacitance or capacity, thereby sensing the proximity of the proximity conductor.

[0097] In some embodiments, the flexible protective layer 3 is made of rubber, silicone or foam material.

[0098] The present invention further proposes a mechanical arm including a control circuit and a plurality of electronic skin modules based on self-capacitance detection. The specific structure of the electronic skin module refers to the above embodiment. Since the mechanical arm adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it at least has all the technical effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here. Among them, the control circuit is electrically connected to each electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection.

[0099] In this embodiment, the robot arm has multiple joints, and two adjacent joints are connected by joint arms. The electronic skin module can be installed at the joint, or on the joint arm, or on both the joint and the joint arm, so that each part of the robot arm can sense the conductors around it, thereby preventing the robot arm from colliding with the conductor when moving. The capacitance value or its change signal detected by the electronic skin module, or its proximity to the conductor, will be sent to the control circuit, so that the control circuit can control the movement of the robot arm accordingly.

[0100] The electronic skin module includes a flexible electrode layer 1, a detection circuit board 2, a flexible protective layer 3 and a connection structure, and the connection structure is used to fix the electronic skin module on the joint and / or articulated arm of the robot arm. Since the electronic skin module proposed in this embodiment is flexible, it can fit with the joint and / or articulated arm of the robot arm, making the connection between the electronic skin module and the robot arm more stable, and at the same time can also increase the sensing range of the electronic skin module.

[0101] Furthermore, in order to improve the flexibility of the electronic skin module so that the electronic skin module can basically fit with the joints or articulated arms of the robotic arm, the detection circuit board 2 proposed in this embodiment is made of a flexible circuit board, so that the detection circuit board 2 can also be deformed accordingly without affecting the overall deformation of the electronic skin module.

[0102] When installing the electronic skin module, first fit the electronic skin module to the joint or joint arm of the robot arm, and then fix the electronic skin module to the robot arm through a connecting structure. The connecting structure includes an adhesive layer, a magnetic structure, a strap structure, etc., including but not limited to these, and those skilled in the art can design it according to actual conditions.

[0103] The present invention further proposes a device, which includes a control circuit and several electronic skin modules based on self-capacitance detection. The specific structure of the electronic skin module refers to the above embodiment. Since the present mechanical arm adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it at least has all the technical effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here. Among them, the control circuit is electrically connected to each electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection.

[0104] The above are only partial or preferred embodiments of the present invention. Neither the text nor the drawings can limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the overall concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection, characterized in that: include: A flexible electrode layer, wherein the flexible electrode layer can form a capacitor with a nearby conductor; a detection circuit board, electrically connected to the flexible electrode layer, and used to generate an electrical signal representing the capacitance value of the capacitor or the amount of change thereof, wherein the detection circuit board and the flexible electrode layer are arranged in the same layer, and the area of ​​the detection circuit board is smaller than the area of ​​the flexible electrode layer; a port, electrically connected to the detection circuit board, for transmitting the electrical signal to a controller of an external device; A flexible protective layer is provided, wherein the flexible protective layer covers the flexible electrode layer and the detection circuit board, and the output end of the port is exposed from the flexible protective layer.

2. The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device further comprises: a main control circuit, the main control circuit is electrically connected to the detection circuit board and is disposed on the same board as the detection circuit board, and is used to calculate the proximity between the flexible electrode layer and the proximate conductor according to the electrical signal, and the proximity is transmitted to the controller instead of the electrical signal; or It also includes: a main control circuit board, the flexible protective layer covers the main control circuit board, the main control circuit board is provided with a main control circuit, the main control circuit board is electrically connected to the detection circuit board, and is used to calculate the proximity between the flexible electrode layer and the adjacent conductor according to the electrical signal, and the proximity is transmitted to the controller instead of the electrical signal.

3. The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A connection structure is arranged on the flexible protective layer and is used for detachably fixing and connecting with an external device.

4. The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The detection circuit board and / or the main control circuit board is an FPC flexible circuit board.

5. The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: a wireless communication module, and a battery module; The wireless communication module and the battery module are electrically connected to the main control circuit or the main control circuit board respectively.

6. The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible electrode layer includes a plurality of flexible electrode sheets arranged in an array, and the flexible electrode sheets are electrically connected to different detection channels of the detection circuit board respectively.

7. The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connection structure is an adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer is used to adhere the electronic skin module to the external device; or The connection structure is a magnetic structure, and the magnetic structure is used to adsorb the electronic skin module onto the external device.

8. The electronic skin module based on self-capacitance detection according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connection structure is a strap structure, and the strap structure is used to bind the electronic skin module to the external device.

9. A robotic arm, characterized in that: include: control circuits, and; According to any one of claims 1 to 8, the control circuit is electrically connected to each of the electronic skin modules based on self-capacitance detection.

10. A device, characterized in that: include: control circuits, and; According to any one of claims 1 to 8, the control circuit is electrically connected to each of the electronic skin modules based on self-capacitance detection.

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