A sensor array based haptic sensing glove

Abstract

This invention relates to a tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array, belonging to the field of human-computer interaction technology. It comprises two layers of ultra-thin flexible circuitry, 14 finger joint tactile sensors, 6 palm tactile sensors, and a silicone protective layer. This invention solves the problems of complex wiring, easily damaged exposed electronic components, and high cost and poor reliability of existing tactile gloves. The tactile sensing elements and circuitry are constructed using two layers of flexible circuitry and 20 piezoresistive sensitive elements. These elements are embedded within flexible silicone through silicone curing and then sewn into the glove. The resulting circuitry, after signal post-processing, connects to a microcontroller or other microcontroller system. It can accurately measure the position and magnitude of force applied to the glove based on the resistance changes of the sensitive elements. This glove can accurately sense hand movements and recognize different gestures, and can be applied to various fields such as human-computer interaction, teleoperation, rehabilitation monitoring, and robot perception.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of human-computer interaction equipment technology, and in particular to a tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, virtual reality and artificial intelligence technologies have developed rapidly, and tactile perception, as a key technology in this field, has received widespread attention. Tactile sensing devices have broad application prospects. In the industrial manufacturing sector, managers can remotely control mechanical production equipment through virtual reality devices, thereby improving production efficiency. Engineers can use interactive devices for industrial design and modeling. In the medical field, intelligent medical prostheses can help people with disabilities regain their sense of touch, enabling them to experience normal life. Doctors can perform remote precision surgery through teleoperation. In some extreme conditions, such as nuclear reactors and disaster areas, intelligent devices can also be remotely controlled to ensure the safety of workers. Since the hand enables people to interact effectively and intuitively with their environment, tactile gloves are an important tactile sensing device in these applications. By embedding sensors on the glove surface or fingers, tactile gloves can sense the posture of the hand and fingers, thereby achieving the perception of features such as the shape, hardness, and texture of objects, and thus realizing a more natural and intuitive human-computer interaction.

[0003] Currently, some tactile gloves have appeared on the market, such as those with strain gauges and their circuitry sewn inside the glove or those directly attached to the hand using artificial skin. However, these products still have limitations and shortcomings in terms of sensing effect, reliability, and ease of use. On the one hand, these products have a limited number and accuracy of sensors, making it impossible to achieve high-precision object sensing; on the other hand, most gloves have complex mechanical structures and circuitry, making them inconvenient to wear and sometimes restricting hand movements. Therefore, designing a tactile glove capable of accurate sensing has significant research and application value. A high-precision, high-reliability tactile glove can be widely used in fields such as human-computer interaction, virtual reality, medical rehabilitation, and robot control, while also having significant economic and social benefits. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the problems existing in the prior art by proposing a tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array that can fully fit the hand without restricting hand movement and accurately detect the movement state of each joint of the hand.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is a tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array, comprising a piezoresistive sensing element, a flexible circuit, a post-processing circuit, and a microcontroller system. The flexible circuit is characterized by having upper and lower layers; multiple mounting areas are provided on both the upper and lower layers of the flexible circuit, and the mounting areas have open windows for copper exposure.

[0006] Multiple piezoresistive sensitive elements are evenly distributed on the palm surface of the tactile glove and installed in the mounting area; the upper and lower flexible circuits are combined with the piezoresistive sensitive elements to form a conductive circuit;

[0007] The flexible circuit and piezoresistive sensing element are assembled as a whole and have a silicone protective layer on the outside.

[0008] Piezoresistive sensing elements are all connected to the post-processing circuit signal to sense the location and magnitude of the force.

[0009] The microcontroller system performs signal processing on the piezoresistive sensing element and post-processing circuit.

[0010] The upper flexible circuit has horizontal row wiring, while the lower flexible circuit has vertical column wiring.

[0011] Alternatively, the internal wiring of the upper flexible circuit may be a vertical column circuit, while the internal wiring of the lower flexible circuit may be a horizontal row circuit.

[0012] Piezoresistive sensing elements are piezoresistive conductive sheets whose resistance changes when subjected to force.

[0013] Preferably, 20 pressure-sensitive conductive sheets are provided, including 14 finger joint tactile sensors and 6 palm tactile sensors; wherein the finger joint tactile sensors include 9 interphalangeal joints and 5 metacarpophalangeal joints.

[0014] Preferably, the pressure-sensitive conductive sheet is attached to the mounting area of ​​the flexible circuit using plain conductive tape.

[0015] Preferably, the flexible circuit is made of 1 ounce single-sided adhesive electrolytic copper and a yellow cover film; the total thickness of the upper and lower flexible circuit boards is 0.13 mm; the mounting area of ​​the flexible circuit is 3 mm × 3 mm; the end of the line is set at the wrist, and a copper-exposed mounting area is also provided, with a copper-exposed area size of 1 mm × 2.5 mm.

[0016] The post-processing circuit is a voltage divider circuit; the resistance transformation of the piezoresistive sensing element is converted into voltage change, and the voltage change value across the voltage divider resistor is measured to sense the location and magnitude of the force.

[0017] Preferably, the microcontroller system is an Arm, single-chip microcomputer, or DSP control chip;

[0018] The tactile glove's circuit wires are connected to the digital I / O port, and the output of the post-processing circuit is connected to the analog I / O port to collect changes in the electrical signals of the glove's sensitive elements; then the microcontroller system is connected to the central processing unit for signal processing.

[0019] Preferably, the silicone protective layer uses two raw materials of liquid PDMS silicone in a 1:1 ratio, which are poured into a measuring cup, thoroughly mixed, and then placed in a vacuum pump to remove internal air bubbles. The flexible circuit is then placed on a smooth surface, and the liquid silicone is applied to the surface of the circuit with a fine brush. After the silicone solidifies, it is removed and cut according to the shape of the glove edge. The total thickness of the silicone protective layer is 2mm.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0021] 1. The invention adopts a double-layer circuit structure with high integration and scalability. The innovation of this tactile glove is that the double-layer structure automatically forms a path for the sensor in two directions. When it is necessary to change the number and position of the sensor, it is only necessary to change the window position of the flexible circuit and then change the circuit wiring, which will not affect the structure. The position and number of the sensor can be changed according to the target measurement accuracy without affecting the complexity of the circuit.

[0022] 2. The wiring of this invention adopts an array-type wiring, which can reduce the number of signal lines and facilitate the use of scanning methods to obtain sensor status.

[0023] 3. The main functions of using flexible circuitry and a silicone protective sleeve in this invention are: ① To increase the flexibility and wearing comfort of the tactile glove, making it lighter. ② To ensure a perfect fit to the hand without affecting finger movement. ③ To protect the internal flexible circuitry from creases caused by hand movement, thus extending the product's lifespan. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the tactile sensing glove proposed in this invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of the tactile glove of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the tactile sensing glove of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible circuit of the present invention.

[0028] Reference numerals: 1. Piezoresistive sensing element; 2. Flexible circuit; 3. Silicone protective layer. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Example 1

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to the present invention specifically includes:

[0031] Twenty piezoresistive sensing elements are used to measure the pressure on the finger joints and sense the hand movement. The sensing elements are pressure-sensitive conductive sheets, arranged at 14 finger joints and the palm, totaling 20 arrayed sensors.

[0032] Two ultra-thin flexible circuits are used for wiring to connect 20 sensors in series in both row and column directions to form an array for signal transmission.

[0033] The silicone protective layer 3 is used to protect the flexible circuit 2. The flexible circuit 2 and the pressure-sensitive conductive sheet are embedded in the flexible silicone by silicone curing, which solves the problem of exposed electronic components being easily damaged.

[0034] The post-processing circuit is used to convert the resistance change of the sensitive element into a voltage change, which facilitates signal acquisition.

[0035] The microcontroller system is used to collect point signal changes from the pressure-sensitive conductive sheet, accurately measuring the location and magnitude of the force applied to the glove. This signal is then connected to a central processing unit for signal processing, enabling the sensing of hand movements.

[0036] Figure 2 The circuit diagram for the tactile glove of this invention is shown. The ultra-thin flexible circuit 2 is made of 1 ounce single-sided adhesive electrolytic copper and a yellow cover film, manufactured using an immersion gold process. The total thickness of the two flexible circuits 2 is 0.13 mm. The two circuits are identical in shape; one circuit has horizontal row circuitry, while the other has vertical column circuitry. Both circuits have exposed copper windows at the sensitive element mounting locations, measuring 3 mm × 3 mm. The ends of the lines are located at the wrist, also with exposed copper windows. The exposed copper area for each line is 1 mm × 2.5 mm, facilitating subsequent wire soldering.

[0037] Figure 3-4 This is a schematic diagram of the tactile sensing glove of the present invention. The 20 piezoresistive sensitive elements 1 are pressure-sensitive conductive sheets whose resistance changes upon application of force. These 20 conductive sheets consist of 14 finger joint tactile sensors and 6 palm tactile sensors. The finger joints include 9 interphalangeal joints and 5 metacarpophalangeal joints. The conductive sheets are installed at the corresponding joint positions and evenly distributed across the palm. The pressure-sensitive conductive sheets are adhered to the exposed copper area of ​​the flexible circuit 2 using plain-weave conductive tape, enabling conductivity between the two circuits.

[0038] The silicone protective layer 3 will be used to protect the flexible circuit 2. The two raw materials of liquid PDMS silicone are poured into a measuring cup in a 1:1 ratio, thoroughly mixed, and then placed in a vacuum pump to remove internal air bubbles. The flexible circuit 2 is then placed on a smooth surface, and the liquid silicone is applied to the surface of the circuit using a fine brush. After the silicone has solidified, it is removed and cut to the shape of the glove edge. The final thickness of the silicone protective layer 3 is 2mm.

[0039] In this embodiment, the pressure-sensitive conductive sheet is adhered to the exposed copper area of ​​the flexible circuit 2 using plain conductive tape to achieve conductivity between the two circuits. When the accuracy requirements of the measurement scenario increase, the number of sensors needed increases. In this case, simply change the window position of the flexible circuit 2 and connect the sensors in series in both the horizontal and vertical directions to form a sensor array. For example... Figure 4 The sensor array in the tactile glove can be designed in 8 rows and 4 columns, making it more sensitive to hand movements.

[0040] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes can be made within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array, comprising a piezoresistive sensing element (1), a flexible circuit (2), a post-processing circuit, and a microcontroller system, characterized in that, The flexible circuit (2) is set with upper and lower layers; multiple mounting areas are set on both the upper and lower flexible circuits (2), and the mounting areas have open windows to expose copper. Multiple piezoresistive sensitive elements (1) are set and evenly distributed on the palm surface of the tactile glove and installed in the installation area; the upper and lower flexible circuits (2) are combined with the piezoresistive sensitive elements (1) to form a conductive circuit; The flexible circuit (2) and the piezoresistive sensitive element (1) are assembled into a whole, and a silicone protective layer (3) is set on the outside. The piezoresistive sensing element (1) is connected to the post-processing circuit signal to sense the location and magnitude of the force. The microcontroller system performs signal processing on the piezoresistive sensing element (1) and the post-processing circuit.

2. The tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The internal wiring of the upper flexible circuit (2) is a horizontal row circuit, and the internal wiring of the lower flexible circuit (2) is a vertical column circuit.

3. The tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The internal wiring of the upper flexible circuit (2) is a vertical column circuit, and the internal wiring of the lower flexible circuit (2) is a horizontal row circuit.

4. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piezoresistive sensing element (1) is a piezoresistive conductive sheet whose resistance changes after being subjected to force.

5. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 4, characterized in that, The pressure-sensitive conductive sheet consists of 20 pieces, including 14 finger joint tactile sensors and 6 palm tactile sensors; among which the finger joint tactile sensors include 9 interphalangeal joints and 5 metacarpophalangeal joints.

6. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 4, characterized in that, The pressure-sensitive conductive sheet is attached to the mounting area of ​​the flexible circuit (2) using plain conductive tape.

7. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible circuit (2) is made of 1 ounce single-sided adhesive electrolytic copper and yellow cover film; the total thickness of the upper and lower flexible circuits (2) is 0.13 mm; the size of the mounting area of ​​the flexible circuit (2) is 3 mm × 3 mm; the end of the line is set at the wrist, and a copper leakage mounting area is also set, with a copper leakage area size of 1 mm × 2.5 mm.

8. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The post-processing circuit is a voltage divider circuit; the resistance transformation of the piezoresistive sensitive element (1) is converted into voltage change, and the voltage change value across the voltage divider resistor is measured to sense the position and magnitude of the force.

9. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microcontroller system uses Arm, single-chip microcomputer, or DSP control chips; The tactile glove's circuit wires are connected to the digital I / O port, and the output of the post-processing circuit is connected to the analog I / O port to collect changes in the electrical signals of the glove's sensitive elements; then the microcontroller system is connected to the central processing unit for signal processing.

10. A tactile sensing glove based on a sensor array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silicone protective layer (3) uses two raw materials of liquid PDMS silicone in a 1:1 ratio. They are poured into a measuring cup, stirred and mixed thoroughly, and then placed in a vacuum pump to remove internal air bubbles. The flexible circuit (2) is then placed on a smooth surface, and liquid silicone is applied to the surface of the circuit with a fine brush. After the silicone solidifies, it is removed and cut according to the shape of the glove edge. The total thickness of the silicone protective layer (3) is 2mm.

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