Elastic body and force sensor

Abstract

The invention provides an elastic body and a force sensor, the elastic body comprises at least two elastic body parts which are stacked along the gravity direction, and a separation groove is arranged between every two adjacent elastic body parts; wherein each elastic body part is provided with a groove, and a plurality of elastic beams are formed in the positions, corresponding to the elastic body parts, of the inner walls of the corresponding grooves; the elastic body at least comprises six elastic beams, the elastic beams extend in at least three directions, and the three extending directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions. According to the invention, measurement of six-dimensional force can be realized, the structure is simple, and the accuracy of the output result of the force sensor can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of automobile technology, and in particular to an elastomer and a force sensor. Background Art

[0002] In today's society, cars have become an indispensable means of transportation in people's daily lives. With the continuous development of automobile technology, how to improve the force sensor used in automobiles to improve the accuracy of its output results has become a key issue for those skilled in the art.

[0003] Strain type force sensor is the most common force sensor. In the prior art, the elastic body structure used in the strain type force sensor is usually a single elastic body part with multiple elastic beams arranged on it. If this structure is to achieve multi-dimensional force measurement, a more complex elastic beam layout is required, the structure is complex, and the sensing accuracy is limited. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides an elastic body and a force sensor, which can realize six-dimensional force measurement, have a simple structure, and can improve the accuracy of the output results of the force sensor.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an elastomer, which includes at least two elastomer parts stacked along the direction of gravity, and a separation groove is provided between each adjacent two elastomer parts; wherein each elastomer part is provided with a groove, and the corresponding elastomer parts form a plurality of elastic beams at the inner walls of the corresponding grooves; the elastomer includes at least six elastic beams, and the extension directions of the elastic beams include at least three, and the three extension directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions.

[0006] Wherein, each elastic body part is separately arranged, and the separation groove is the installation gap between each two adjacent elastic body parts; or, the separation groove is a dividing groove arranged on the elastic body, and the dividing groove divides the elastic body into at least two elastic body parts.

[0007] The cross-sections of the elastic parts are all in a "mouth" shape; and the extension directions of the grooves of at least two elastic parts are cross-arranged.

[0008] The elastic body includes three elastic body parts; the extension directions of the grooves of each two adjacent elastic body parts are cross-arranged.

[0009] The cross sections of the elastic body parts are all in an "I" shape; viewed along the cross section direction, the cross sections of at least two elastic body parts are cross-arranged.

[0010] The cross-sections of the elastic body parts are all U-shaped; when viewed along the cross-sectional direction, the cross-sections of at least two elastic body parts are cross-arranged.

[0011] Among them, the cross-sections of at least two elastic parts are any two of "U" shape, "U" shape and "I" shape.

[0012] The elastic body includes at least three elastic body parts, and the elastic body parts are respectively in a "mouth" shape, a U shape, and an "I" shape.

[0013] The extending direction of the groove is a straight line or a curve.

[0014] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application further provides a force sensor, which includes the elastomer of any of the above embodiments.

[0015] The force sensor further comprises an upper flange, a lower flange and a shell; the upper flange and the lower flange are respectively fixed at two opposite ends of the elastic body; and the shell is fixedly sleeved outside the elastic body.

[0016] A separation groove is also provided between at least any one of the two elastic body parts located at the opposite ends of the elastic body and the corresponding upper flange platform or lower flange platform.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present application are: the elastomer of the present application includes at least two elastomer parts stacked along the direction of gravity, and a separation groove is provided between each two adjacent elastomer parts; wherein each elastomer part is provided with a groove, and corresponding elastomer parts form multiple elastic beams at the inner walls of the corresponding grooves; the elastomer includes at least six elastic beams, and the extension directions of the elastic beams include at least three, and the three extension directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions. At least six elastic beams are arranged on the elastic body, and the extension directions of the elastic beams include at least three, and the three extension directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions, which can realize the measurement of forces and corresponding stress moments in the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction that intersect each other, that is, the measurement of six-dimensional forces in three-dimensional coordinates is realized; further, the elastic body includes at least two elastic body parts stacked and arranged along the gravity direction, which changes the traditional lateral distribution method and is convenient for arranging upper flanges and lower flanges on the upper and lower end faces of the elastic body along the gravity direction, thereby reducing the size of the force sensor; and because the elastic body includes at least two elastic body parts stacked and arranged along the gravity direction, it is only necessary to arrange grooves on the corresponding elastic body parts to form at least six elastic beams using the inner walls of the grooves to realize the measurement of at least six-dimensional forces, the structure is simple, and the production cost can be reduced; further, a separation groove is arranged between each two adjacent elastic body parts of the elastic body, which can reduce the deformation interference between the two adjacent elastic body parts, improve the accuracy of stress sensing, and improve the accuracy of the output result of the force sensor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. Among them: Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a force sensor of the present application; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the embodiment; Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the elastic body of the present application; Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the elastic body of the present application; Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the elastic body of the present application; Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the elastic body of the present application; Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the elastic body of the present application; Figure 8 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an embodiment of the elastic body portion of the present application; Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of another embodiment of the elastic body portion of the present application; Fig.10 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of yet another embodiment of the elastic body portion of the present application; Fig.11 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the elastomer of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures, technologies, etc. are provided for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the present application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to prevent unnecessary details from obstructing the description of the present application.

[0020] The terms "first", "second" and the like in this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "including" indicates the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their collections. It should also be understood that the terms used in this specification of the application are only for the purpose of describing a specific embodiment and are not intended to limit the application. As used in this specification of the application and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms of "one", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms. It should also be further understood that the term "and / or" used in this specification of the application and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the items listed in association and all possible combinations, and includes these combinations.

[0021] It should be noted that when a certain element is fixed to another element, it includes directly fixing the element to the other element, or fixing the element to the other element through at least one other element in the middle. When an element is connected to another element, it includes directly connecting the element to the other element, or connecting the element to the other element through at least one other element in the middle.

[0022] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] A force sensor is a device that can convert the force applied to an object into an electrical signal. It can sense and measure the magnitude of the force by measuring the deformation or output voltage change caused by the force. Strain-type force sensors use the deformation of strain gauges to measure the magnitude of the force. The resistance value of the strain gauge will change with the force. By measuring the change in resistance value, the force applied to the object can be indirectly measured. Strain-type force sensors usually include an elastomer and a strain gauge. The strain gauge is set on the elastomer. The elastomer is deformed by force, which can drive the strain gauge to deform.

[0024] In the prior art, the elastic body structure used in the strain type force sensor is usually a single elastic body part with multiple elastic beams arranged on it. If this structure is to achieve multi-dimensional force measurement, a more complex elastic beam layout is required, the structure is complex, and the sensing accuracy is limited.

[0025] The present application first proposes an elastic body 10 of a force sensor, such as Figures 1 to 11 The elastic body 10 includes at least two elastic body parts 11 stacked along the gravity direction x, and a separation groove 101 is provided between each two adjacent elastic body parts 11; wherein each elastic body part 11 is provided with a groove 102, and the corresponding elastic body part 11 forms a plurality of elastic beams at the inner wall of the corresponding groove 102; the elastic body 10 includes at least six elastic beams, and the extension directions of the elastic beams include at least three, and the three extension directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions.

[0026] The elastic body 10 can be deformed under the action of external force, and can recover the deformation after the external force is removed.

[0027] Specifically, the elastic body 10 includes at least six elastic beams, and the six elastic beams are formed by different elastic body parts 11 on the elastic body 10. In the force sensor, the strain gauge is set on the elastic beam of the elastic body 10 to realize stress sensing. The attached strain gauge can be connected through the flexible circuit output circuit board 15 to form a Wheatstone bridge. At the same time, the signal is output through the flexible circuit output circuit board 15 to form the output result of the force sensor. It should be noted that the elastic beam in the present application is the strain beam, that is, the elastic beam with the strain gauge can be called a strain beam.

[0028] At least six elastic beams are arranged on the elastic body 10 of the present embodiment, and the extension directions of the elastic beams include at least three, and the three extension directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions, which can realize the measurement of the forces and corresponding moments in the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction that intersect each other, that is, the measurement of the six-dimensional force in the three-dimensional coordinates is realized; further, the elastic body 10 includes at least two elastic body parts 11 stacked and arranged along the gravity direction x, which changes the traditional lateral distribution mode, and facilitates the upper flange platform 12 and the lower flange platform 13 to be arranged on the upper and lower end surfaces of the elastic body 10 along the gravity direction x, thereby reducing the size of the force sensor. Inch; and since the elastomer 10 includes at least two elastomer parts 11 stacked along the gravity direction x, it is only necessary to set a groove 102 on the corresponding elastomer part 11 to form at least six elastic beams (i.e., strain beams) using the inner wall of the groove 102 to achieve the measurement of at least six-dimensional forces. The structure is simple and the production cost can be reduced; further, a separating groove 101 is set between each two adjacent elastomer parts 11 of the elastomer 10, which can reduce the deformation interference between the two adjacent elastomer parts 11, improve the accuracy of stress sensing, and improve the accuracy of the output result of the force sensor.

[0029] In other embodiments (not shown), a separate elastic beam may be provided on the inner wall of the groove 102 and fixed to the inner wall of the groove 102 , which is not specifically limited.

[0030] In some embodiments (not shown), each elastic body portion 11 is a separate independent part, that is, the elastic body portion 11 is provided separately. These elastic body portions 1111 are stacked together along the gravity direction x to form a spliced ​​elastic body 10; the separation groove 101 is the installation gap between each two adjacent elastic body portions 11.

[0031] Specifically, when two elastic body parts 11 are stacked on each other, there is an installation gap between the two elastic body parts 11, and the installation gap is the separation groove 101. For example, in an application scenario (not shown), the elastic body 10 is used for a force sensor, and the force sensor at least includes a housing 14, and each elastic body part 11 is connected to the housing 14 to achieve the definition of the installation position, but the two adjacent elastic body parts 11 are directly stacked along the gravity direction x, and there is no connection structure between them.

[0032] Since each elastic body portion 11 is a single body and there is a mounting gap between two adjacent elastic body portions 11 , the deformation interference between the two adjacent elastic body portions 11 can be further reduced, thereby improving the accuracy of stress sensing.

[0033] In other embodiments, the separation groove 101 may be provided in other ways. Figures 3 to 7 , at least two elastic body parts 11 are formed by cutting on an elastic body 10 along the gravity direction x according to a preset method. Among them, the separation groove 101 is a cutting groove on the elastic body 10 for dividing to form multiple elastic body parts 11, and the cutting groove divides the elastic body 10 into at least two elastic body parts 11. Specifically, along the height direction of the elastic body 10, according to the preset size requirements, a plurality of cutting grooves are cut to form on the circumference of the elastic body 10 to divide the elastic body 10 into multiple sections along the height direction, and each section corresponds to an elastic body part 11, and these elastic body parts 11 are not cut off but remain connected to each other. Among them, the cutting groove is the separation groove 101.

[0034] By directly setting a cutting groove on the elastomer 10 to divide the elastomer 10 into at least two elastomer parts 11, the production cost can be reduced and the structural simplicity and production convenience can be improved; and by setting the cutting groove, the multiple elastomer parts 11 formed by cutting can be kept connected, which can reduce the risk of displacement of the elastomer part 11 when subjected to force and improve the positional stability of the elastomer part 11.

[0035] In some embodiments, Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 As shown, the cross-sections of the elastic body parts 11 are all in a "mouth" shape; the extension directions of the grooves 102 of at least two elastic body parts 11 are cross-arranged.

[0036] It should be noted that the cross-sections of the elastic body parts 11 are all in a “mouth” shape, which means that the cross-sections of each elastic body part 11 are all in a mouth shape.

[0037] The specific structure of the "mouth"-shaped elastic body portion 11 can be found in Figure 4 , Figure 4 The elastic body 10 in the embodiment includes three "mouth"-shaped elastic body parts 11. Each "mouth"-shaped elastic body part 11 includes a top wall part 111 and a bottom wall part 112 which are parallel to the horizontal plane and arranged along the gravity direction x, and two side wall parts 113 which are arranged opposite to each other and connect the top wall part 111 and the bottom wall part 112. The top wall part 111, the bottom wall part 112, and the two side wall parts 113 serve as the inner walls of the groove 102 to form the groove 102, wherein the side wall part 113 is arranged perpendicular to the top wall part 111 and the bottom wall part 112, and the two side wall parts 113 belonging to the same elastic body part 11 are arranged in parallel. The extension directions of the grooves 102 of at least two elastic body parts 11 are arranged in a cross-arrangement, which means that the planes where the side wall parts 113 of at least two elastic body parts 11 are located intersect with each other to form a plurality of side wall parts 113 with different extension directions, thereby being able to form a plurality of elastic beams with different extension directions.

[0038] In an application scenario, such as Figure 8 As shown, strain gauges can be provided on the top wall 111, the two side walls 113, and the bottom wall 112 of the "mouth"-shaped elastic body portion 11, so that the top wall 111, the two side walls 113, and the bottom wall 112 of the "mouth"-shaped elastic body portion 11 can be used as elastic beams (i.e., strain beams).

[0039] like Figure 6 As shown, in one application scenario, the elastic body 10 includes two elastic body parts 11, and the two "mouth"-shaped elastic body parts 11 are stacked and arranged along the gravity direction x, and the planes where the side wall parts 113 of the two elastic body parts 11 are located are arranged vertically at 90 degrees, that is, the extension directions of the grooves 102 of the two elastic body parts 11 are arranged crosswise. In other embodiments, other intersection angles and arrangement sequences can also be set, which are not specifically limited. In another application scenario, such as Figure 4 As shown, the elastomer 10 includes three elastomer parts 11. The three "mouth"-shaped elastomer parts 11 are stacked and arranged along the gravity direction x. The plane where the side wall parts 113 of two adjacent elastomer parts 11 are located is arranged vertically at 90 degrees, that is, the extension direction of the grooves 102 of at least two of the elastomer parts 11 is cross-arranged.

[0040] The above arrangement can form multiple elastic beams with different extension directions through the inner wall of the U-shaped groove 102, and is convenient for forming at least three elastic beams extending in three directions that intersect with each other or are perpendicular to each other, which is convenient for measuring six-dimensional forces, has a simple structure, and is easy to produce.

[0041] In some embodiments, the extending directions of the grooves 102 of at least two elastic parts 11 may be arranged to cross each other at 90 degrees. This arrangement is more convenient for measuring six-dimensional forces under three-dimensional coordinates.

[0042] In some embodiments (not shown), the extension directions of the grooves 102 of all elastic body parts 11 may be arranged to be cross-arranged. That is, the planes where the side wall parts 113 of each elastic body part 11 are located are arranged to intersect. This arrangement can make the formed multiple side wall parts 113 have more different extension directions, and then make the formed multiple elastic beams have more different extension directions, so as to improve the convenience of six-dimensional force measurement.

[0043] In some embodiments, the elastic body 10 includes three elastic body parts 11 ; the extension directions of the grooves 102 of every two adjacent elastic body parts 11 are cross-arranged.

[0044] The extending directions of the grooves 102 of two adjacent elastic parts are cross-arranged, so that more side wall parts 113 with different extending directions can be formed, and further more elastic beams with different extending directions can be formed.

[0045] In some embodiments, see Fig. 9 The cross-sections of the elastic body parts 11 are all in an "I" shape; viewed along the cross-sectional direction, the cross-sections of at least two elastic body parts 11 are cross-arranged.

[0046] It should be noted that the cross-section of the elastic body portion 11 is all in an “I” shape, which means that the cross-section of each elastic body portion 11 is in an I-shape.

[0047] The specific structure of the “I”-shaped elastic body portion 11 can be found in Figure 3 , Figure 3The elastic body 10 in the embodiment includes two “I”-shaped elastic body parts 11. Specifically, the groove 102 of the “I”-shaped elastic body part 11 includes a first sub-groove 103 and a second sub-groove 104 parallel to each other; the first sub-groove 103 and the second sub-groove 104 are respectively configured to be formed by the opposite side wall parts 113 of the corresponding elastic body 10 being recessed toward each other to form a side wall part 113, that is, the elastic body part 11 includes a top wall part 111 and a bottom wall part 112 which are parallel to the horizontal plane and arranged along the gravity direction x, and a connecting and perpendicular to the top wall part 111 and the bottom wall part 112. The side wall portion 113 of 112; the cross section corresponding to each elastic body portion 11 is perpendicular to the side wall portion 113 of the elastic body portion 11, so it can be determined that the planes where the side wall portions 113 of at least two elastic body portions 11 are located are intersectingly arranged; wherein, the top wall portion 111, the bottom wall portion 112, and the side wall portion 113 of the elastic body portion 11 together enclose the first sub-groove 103 and the second sub-groove 104, and the two end surfaces of the side wall portion 113 respectively serve as the side wall surface of the first sub-groove 103 and the side wall surface of the second sub-groove 104. The extension directions of at least two first sub-grooves 103 belonging to different elastic body portions 11 are cross-arranged, that is, the planes where the side wall portions 113 of at least two elastic body portions 11 are located are intersectingly arranged, that is, they are not parallel, so as to form a plurality of side wall portions 113 with different extension directions, and thus a plurality of elastic beams with different extension directions can be formed.

[0048] In an application scenario, such as Fig. 9 As shown, strain gauges may be provided on the top wall 111, the side wall 113, and the bottom wall 112 of the “I”-shaped elastic body portion 11, so that the top wall 111, the side wall 113, and the bottom wall 112 of the “I”-shaped elastic body portion 11 may be used as elastic beams (i.e., strain beams).

[0049] The above arrangement can form multiple elastic beams with different extension directions through the inner walls of the first sub-groove 103 and the second sub-groove 104, and is convenient for forming at least three elastic beams extending in three directions that intersect with each other or are perpendicular to each other, which is convenient for measuring six-dimensional forces, has a simple structure, and is easy to produce.

[0050] In some embodiments, it can be arranged that the cross sections of at least two elastic body parts 11 are arranged to cross at 90 degrees when viewed along the cross section direction. This arrangement is more convenient for measuring six-dimensional forces under three-dimensional coordinates.

[0051] In some embodiments (not shown), the cross-sections of the elastic body parts 11 may be arranged to be in an "I" shape, and the cross-sections of all the elastic body parts 11 may be arranged crosswise. That is, the planes where the side wall parts 113 of each elastic body part 11 are located are arranged to intersect, that is, they are not parallel. This arrangement enables the formed multiple side wall parts 113 to have more different extension directions, and further enables the formed multiple elastic beams to have more different extension directions, so as to improve the convenience of six-dimensional force measurement.

[0052] In some embodiments (not shown), the elastomer 10 includes three elastomer parts 11; the cross-sections of the elastomer parts 11 are all in an I-shape, and the cross-sections of every two adjacent elastomer parts 11 are cross-arranged.

[0053] The cross sections of two adjacent elastic parts are arranged in a cross-arrangement, which can form more side wall parts 113 with different extension directions, and further form more elastic beams with different extension directions. Figure 7 As shown, the elastic body 10 includes a plurality of elastic body parts 11 , wherein the cross-sections of at least two elastic body parts 11 are U-shaped, and the planes where the side wall parts 113 of at least two elastic body parts 11 are located are intersectingly arranged.

[0054] The specific structure of the U-shaped elastic body portion 11 can be found in Figure 7 , Figure 7 The elastic body 10 in the embodiment includes two U-shaped elastic body parts 11. Specifically, the U-shaped elastic body part 11 includes a bottom wall part 112 and two side wall parts 113 which are arranged in parallel and connected to and perpendicular to the bottom wall part 112, and no top wall part 111 is provided, that is, the bottom wall part 112 and the two side wall parts 113 serve as the inner walls of the groove 102 to enclose the groove 102, and the two side wall parts 113 belonging to the same elastic body part 11 are arranged in parallel; the cross section corresponding to each elastic body part 11 is perpendicular to the side wall part 113 of the elastic body part 11, so it can be determined that the planes where the side wall parts 113 of at least two elastic body parts 11 are located are intersecting, that is, not parallel, so as to form a plurality of side wall parts 113 with different extension directions on the elastic body 10, and further a plurality of elastic beams with different extension directions can be formed.

[0055] In some embodiments (not shown), the cross-sections of all the elastic body parts 11 in the elastic body 10 may also be U-shaped; along the cross-sectional direction, the cross-sections of at least two elastic body parts 11 are arranged crosswise. This arrangement can unify the structural shape of the elastic body parts 11, and the structure is simple and easy to produce. For example, the elastic body 10 is formed by two U-shaped elastic body parts 11 stacked on each other. The bottom wall parts 112 of the two U-shaped elastic body parts 11 are arranged close to each other, and the openings of the two U-shaped elastic body parts 11 are arranged opposite to each other.

[0056] In an application scenario, such as Fig.10 As shown, strain gauges may be provided on both side walls 113 and bottom wall 112 of the U-shaped elastic body portion 11 to use both side walls 113 and bottom wall 112 of the U-shaped elastic body portion 11 as elastic beams (ie, strain beams).

[0057] In some embodiments, the elastomer 10 includes at least two elastomer parts 11, and the cross-sections of the at least two elastomer parts 11 are any two of a "mouth" shape, a U shape, and a "worker" shape. That is to say: In this embodiment, the shape of the elastomer part 11 that constitutes the elastomer 10 includes at least any two of a "mouth" shape, a U shape, and a "worker" shape. Of course, in the present application, the above "mouth" shape, U shape, and "worker" shape are not regular shapes, and also include a shape similar to the "mouth" shape, a shape similar to the U shape, and a shape similar to the "worker" shape.

[0058] For example, the elastomer 10 includes two elastomer parts 11, and the shapes of the two elastomer parts 11 are respectively a "mouth" shape and a U shape, or a "mouth" shape and a "worker" shape; or a "worker" shape and a shape similar to the "mouth" shape. Again, for example, as Figure 3 shown, the elastomer 10 includes three elastomer parts 11. Specifically, an elastomer part 11 in a "mouth" shape and two elastomer parts 11 in a "worker" shape are stacked in sequence along the gravity direction x. The planes where the side wall parts 113 of two adjacent "worker" - shaped elastomer parts 11 are located are set perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees, and the planes where the side wall parts 113 of the adjacent "worker" - shaped elastomer part 11 and the "mouth" - shaped elastomer part 11 are located are set perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees. In other embodiments, other intersection angles and arrangement orders can also be set, and specific details are not limited; Again, for example, in some embodiments, the elastomer part 11 includes three elastomer parts 11. An elastomer part 11 in a "worker" shape and two elastomer parts 11 in a "mouth" shape are stacked in sequence along the gravity direction x. The planes where the side wall parts 113 of two adjacent "mouth" - shaped elastomer parts 11 are located are set perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees, and the planes where the side wall parts 113 of the adjacent "worker" - shaped elastomer part 11 and the "mouth" - shaped elastomer part 11 are located are set perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees. In other embodiments, other intersection angles and arrangement orders can also be set, and specific details are not limited; Still again, for example, as Figure 5 shown, the elastomer part 11 includes three elastomer parts 11. A U - shaped elastomer part 11 and two "mouth" - shaped elastomer parts 11 are stacked in sequence along the gravity direction x. The planes where the side wall parts 113 of two adjacent "mouth" - shaped elastomer parts 11 are located are set perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees, and the planes where the side wall parts 113 of the adjacent U - shaped elastomer part 11 and the "mouth" - shaped elastomer part 11 are located are set perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees. In other embodiments, other intersection angles and arrangement orders can also be set, and specific details are not limited; Still again, for example, as Figure 7 shown, the elastomer part 11 includes three elastomer parts 11. A U - shaped elastomer part 11, a "mouth" - shaped elastomer part 11, and a U - shaped elastomer part 11 are stacked in sequence along the gravity direction x. The planes where the side wall parts 113 of the adjacent U - shaped elastomer part 11 and the "mouth" - shaped elastomer part 11 are located are set perpendicular to each other at 90 degrees. In other embodiments, other intersection angles and arrangement orders can also be set, and specific details are not limited.

[0059] The above setting facilitates the intersection of the planes where the side wall portions 113 of at least two elastomeric portions 11 are located, and facilitates the use of the side wall portions 113, top wall portions 111, and bottom wall portions 112 of the elastomeric portions 11 to provide a plurality of elastic beams with different extending directions, and at least three of the plurality of extending directions include extending directions that can form three-dimensional coordinate directions.

[0060] In other embodiments, other numbers of elastomeric portions 11 may also be provided, and the elastomeric portions 11 of different shapes are stacked and arranged in combination along the gravity direction x in other orders, and it can be set such that the planes where the side wall portions 113 of at least two elastomeric portions 11 are located intersect.

[0061] In some embodiments, the elastomer includes three or more elastomeric portions, and the elastomer at least includes an "open" - shaped elastomeric portion, a U - shaped elastomeric portion, and an "I" - shaped elastomeric portion.

[0062] In an application scenario, it can be set that the planes where the side wall portions 113 of adjacent elastomeric portions 11 are located are perpendicular by 90 degrees. In order to use the side wall portions 113, top wall portions 111, and bottom wall portions 112 of the elastomeric portions 11 to provide a plurality of elastic beams with different extending directions, and at least three of the plurality of extending directions include extending directions that can form three - dimensional coordinate directions.

[0063] In some embodiments, the extending direction of the groove 102 is linear or curved.

[0064] Refer to Figures 3 to 7 , setting the extending direction of the groove 102 to be linear is convenient for processing.

[0065] Setting the extending direction of the groove 102 to be curved (not shown in the figure), that is, the inner wall surface of the groove can be a curved surface. Since the groove is surrounded by the top wall portion, side wall portion, and bottom wall portion of the elastomeric portion, the above setting is to set the cross - section of the elastomeric portion to be in a shape similar to "open", "U", or "I". For example, it can be set that the side wall portion, top wall portion, and bottom wall portion of the elastomeric portion are formed by curve cutting, such as S - shaped cutting, so that the corresponding wall surfaces of the top wall portion, bottom wall portion, or side wall portion are curved surface structures.

[0066] It is also possible to set the cross - section of the elastomeric portion to be in a shape similar to "open", "U", or "I" in other ways. For example, it can be set that the two side wall portions belonging to the same elastomeric portion are not perpendicular to its top wall portion and bottom wall portion to form inclined elastic beams extending in an inclined direction intersecting with the gravity direction; or it can be set that the two side wall portions belonging to the same elastomeric portion are not parallel, etc. Other deformation structures can also be set to improve the shape of the elastic beam, and specific details are not limited. In other embodiments, similar improvements can also be made to the top wall portion, bottom wall portion, and side wall portion of the elastomeric portion, which will not be elaborated here.

[0067] In some embodiments, the top wall portion 111 and the bottom wall portion 112 of the elastomer 10 may also be formed by symmetric cutting, or the two side wall portions 113 may be formed by symmetric cutting. In other embodiments (not shown in the figures), asymmetric cutting may also be provided to form the inner wall of the above-mentioned groove.

[0068] It can be understood that the shape of the elastomer portion 11 of the elastomer 10 is not limited to the shapes listed in the above embodiments; in addition to the above-mentioned "mouth" shape, U shape, "I" shape, quasi-"mouth" shape, quasi-U shape, quasi-"I" shape and combinations of these shapes, the cross-sectional shapes of all the elastomer portions 11 constituting the elastomer 10 may also include other shapes of elastomer portions 11. For example, reference may be made to Fig.11 , in some embodiments, the elastomer 10 with a combined shape includes an elastomer portion 11a and an elastomer portion 11b. Among them, the elastomer portion 11a is in the shape of a "mouth"; the elastomer portion 11b includes a first sub-elastomer portion 11c and a second sub-elastomer portion 11d connected to each other. Among them, a through groove 102c is provided on the first sub-elastomer portion 11c, and the groove wall of the through groove 102c serves as the side wall of the first sub-elastomer portion 11c, and the second sub-elastomer portion 11d is connected to one of the side walls of the first sub-elastomer portion 11c. As Fig.11 shown in, the outer shape of the elastomer portion 11b is in the shape of a T. For example, the first sub-elastomer portion 11c includes a top wall portion 111c, a bottom wall portion 112c and a peripheral wall 113c connecting the top wall portion 111c and the bottom wall portion 112c. The through groove 102c penetrates the peripheral wall. The second sub-elastomer portion 11d is strip-shaped and protrudes on the top wall portion 111c of the first sub-elastomer portion 11c. More preferably, the second sub-elastomer portion 11d is provided on the vertical bisector of the top wall portion 111c of the first sub-elastomer portion 11c. The bottom wall portion 112c of the first sub-elastomer portion 11c is connected to the elastomer portion 11a, and a separation groove 101 is provided between the bottom wall portion 112c of the first sub-elastomer portion 11c and the elastomer portion 11a. The elastomer portion 11a includes a top wall portion 111a, a bottom wall portion 112a and a peripheral wall connecting the top wall portion 111a and the bottom wall portion 112a. Preferably, the peripheral wall is two side wall portions 113a.

[0069] In an application scenario, strain gauges may be provided on the top wall portion 111a, the two side wall portions 113a, and the bottom wall portion 112a of the "mouth"-shaped elastomer portion 11a, so that the top wall portion 111a, the two side wall portions 113a, and the bottom wall portion 112a of the "mouth"-shaped elastomer portion 11 can all be used as elastic beams (i.e., strain beams); strain gauges may be provided on the groove wall of the through groove 102c, so that the top wall portion 111c, the bottom wall portion 112c, and the peripheral wall 113c connecting the top wall portion 111c and the bottom wall portion 112c of the first sub-elastomer portion 11c can all be used as elastic beams (i.e., strain beams); strain gauges may be provided on the second sub-elastomer portion 11d to use it as an elastic beam (i.e., a strain beam).

[0070] In one application scenario, the second sub-elastic body portion 11d can be strip-shaped and protruded on the top wall portion 111c of the first sub-elastic body portion 11c by setting cutting grooves on both sides of the second sub-elastic body portion 11d; further, the specific position of the second sub-elastic body portion 11d on the top wall portion 111c of the first sub-elastic body portion 11c can be adjusted by setting the depth of the cutting grooves on both sides, for example, it can be set on the mid-vertical line of the top wall portion 111c of the first sub-elastic body portion 11c.

[0071] In other embodiments, the elastic body portion 11 may further include four or more elastic body portions 11 , and similar improvements as in the above embodiments may be made to the specific shape of the elastic body portion 11 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0072] The present application further proposes a force sensor, such as Figures 1 to 11 As shown, the force sensor includes the elastic body 10 mentioned above.

[0073] The specific implementation and working principle of the elastic body 10 can be found in the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0074] The elastic body 10 of the above embodiment is used in a force sensor, which can realize the measurement of six-dimensional force, has a simple structure, and can improve the accuracy of the output result of the force sensor.

[0075] In some embodiments, the force sensor can be applied to the field of autonomous vehicles and used as a brake force test sensor.

[0076] In some embodiments, the force sensor further includes an upper flange 12 , a lower flange 13 and a housing 14 ; the upper flange 12 and the lower flange 13 are respectively fixed at opposite ends of the elastic body 10 ; and the housing 14 is fixedly sleeved outside the elastic body 10 .

[0077] The upper flange 12 and the lower flange 13 can be used to connect and fix the elastic body 10. They are important components of the force sensor and are responsible for transmitting the force to be measured to the elastic body 10. The elastic body 10 will deform according to the external force, and this deformation can be converted into an electrical signal by a strain gauge to achieve force measurement. The upper flange 12 and the lower flange 13 can be connected to the elastic body 10 by bolts or other mechanical connection methods to ensure that the force sensor can accurately withstand and transmit the force. At the same time, the installation interface of the force sensor can be set at the upper flange 12 or the lower flange 13, so that the force sensor can be easily integrated into various machines and structures.

[0078] By fixing the upper and lower flanges at the opposite ends of the elastomer 10, the inner and outer flange structures commonly used in the prior art are improved, so that the size of the force sensor can be further reduced and miniaturization can be achieved, so that the force sensor can be used in some small spaces, thereby improving the multi-scenario applicability of the force sensor; the setting of the outer shell 14 can improve the anti-interference ability of the force sensor.

[0079] In some embodiments, the force sensor also includes a flexible circuit output circuit board 15 and multiple strain gauges. The strain gauges are attached to elastic beams in different extension directions of the elastic member. The flexible circuit output circuit board 15 is used to connect with the strain gauges to form a Wheatstone bridge to output electrical signals.

[0080] In some embodiments, the elastic body 10 and the housing 14 may be connected by laser welding or screws. For example, the connection with the elastic body 10 may be achieved by connecting with the upper flange 12 and the lower flange 13 connected to the elastic body 10 .

[0081] In some embodiments, the upper flange 12, the lower flange 13 and the elastic body 10 are integrally formed, which can reduce the number of parts and components and reduce assembly complexity.

[0082] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 A separation groove 101 is also provided between at least any one of the two elastic body parts 11 located at the opposite ends of the elastic body 10 and the upper flange platform 12 or the lower flange platform 13.

[0083] For example, in one embodiment, the separation groove 101 is provided between the upper flange 12, the lower flange 13 and the two elastic body parts 11 at the opposite ends of the elastic body 10; in another embodiment, the separation groove 101 is provided only between the upper flange 12 and one of the two elastic body parts 11 at the opposite ends of the elastic body 10; in another embodiment, the separation groove 101 is provided only between the lower flange 13 and the other of the two elastic body parts 11 at the opposite ends of the elastic body 10. The arrangement of the separation groove 101 can refer to the above embodiment, and this arrangement can provide an escape space for the deformation of the elastic body 10.

[0084] Different from the prior art, at least six elastic beams are arranged on the elastic body of the present application, and the extension directions of the elastic beams include at least three, and the three extension directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions, which can realize the measurement of the forces and corresponding stress moments in the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction that intersect each other, that is, the measurement of six-dimensional forces in three-dimensional coordinates; further, the elastic body includes at least two elastic body parts stacked and arranged along the gravity direction, which changes the traditional lateral distribution method and facilitates the arrangement of upper flanges and lower flanges on the upper and lower end faces of the elastic body along the gravity direction, thereby reducing the size of the force sensor; and since the elastic body includes at least two elastic body parts stacked and arranged along the gravity direction, it is only necessary to arrange grooves on the corresponding elastic body parts to form at least six elastic beams using the inner walls of the grooves to realize the measurement of at least six-dimensional forces, which has a simple structure and can reduce production costs; further, a separation groove is arranged between each two adjacent elastic body parts of the elastic body, which can reduce the deformation interference between the two adjacent elastic body parts, improve the accuracy of stress sensing, and improve the accuracy of the output results of the force sensor.

[0085] It is worth noting that the drawings in this article are only intended to illustrate the structural relationship and connection relationship of the product of the present application, and do not limit the specific structural dimensions of the product of the present application.

[0086] The above description is only an implementation method of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An elastic body of a force sensor, characterized in that: The elastic body comprises at least two elastic body parts stacked and arranged along the gravity direction, and a separation groove is provided between each two adjacent elastic body parts; wherein, Each of the elastic body parts is provided with a groove, and a plurality of elastic beams are formed on the inner wall of the groove corresponding to the elastic body part; The elastic body includes at least six elastic beams, and the elastic beams extend in at least three directions, and the three extending directions are three-dimensional coordinate directions.

2. The elastic body according to claim 1, characterized in that Each of the elastic body parts is separately arranged, and the separation groove is the installation gap between each two adjacent elastic body parts; Alternatively, the partition groove is a dividing groove provided on the elastic body, and the dividing groove divides the elastic body into at least two elastic body parts.

3. The elastic body according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross-sections of the elastic body parts are all in a "mouth" shape; The extending directions of the grooves of at least two of the elastic parts are cross-arranged.

4. The elastic body according to claim 3, characterized in that The elastic body comprises three elastic body parts; The extending directions of the grooves of each two adjacent elastic parts are cross-arranged.

5. The elastic body according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross-sections of the elastic body parts are all in the shape of an "I"; Viewed along the cross-sectional direction, the cross-sections of at least two of the elastic body portions are cross-arranged.

6. The elastic body according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross-section of the elastic body parts is U-shaped; Viewed along the cross-sectional direction, the cross-sections of at least two of the elastic body portions are cross-arranged.

7. The elastic body according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross-sections of at least two of the elastic body parts are any two of a "mouth" shape, a U-shape, and an "I" shape.

8. The elastic body according to claim 1, characterized in that The elastomer includes at least three elastomer parts, and the elastomer parts are respectively in a "mouth" shape, a U-shape, and an "I" shape.

9. The elastomer according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The extending direction of the groove is a straight line or a curve.

10. A force sensor, characterized in that: The force sensor comprises the elastic body according to any one of claims 1-8.

11. The force sensor according to claim 10, characterized in that It also includes an upper flange, a lower flange and a housing; The upper flange and the lower flange are respectively fixed at two opposite ends of the elastic body; The shell is fixedly sleeved outside the elastic body.

12. The force sensor according to claim 11, characterized in that A separation groove is also provided between at least any one of the two elastic body parts located at opposite ends of the elastic body and the corresponding upper flange platform or the lower flange platform.

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