Sensor structure

Abstract

The application discloses a sensor structure, comprising: a shell, at least including a main shell, a side panel arranged on the main shell, the main shell and the side panel are detachably connected and a first receiving cavity is formed by surrounding; a tactile component arranged on the side panel, the side panel is provided with a mounting port, the mounting port is communicated with the first receiving cavity, the tactile component includes a hard transparent plate covering the mounting port, a flexible touch piece covering the hard transparent plate; a visual component arranged in the first receiving cavity; wherein the surface of the hard transparent plate extending along the through direction of the mounting port is the peripheral surface, the side panel assembly is further provided with a light source assembly acting on the peripheral surface, the light source assembly includes a light source arranged on the side panel and an optical material layer arranged on the peripheral surface, the space where the light source is located is independent of the first receiving cavity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of sensors, and particularly relates to a visual-tactile sensor. BACKGROUND

[0002] When a robot perceives an external object, it needs to rely on a visual-tactile sensor. The visual-tactile sensor is a sensor capable of converting visual images into tactile information, which can perceive information such as the shape and texture of the surface of an object, and measure the contact force in interaction.

[0003] A silica gel block and a transparent plate for supporting the silica gel block are arranged on the shell of the visual-tactile sensor, and a light source and a camera are further arranged in the interior of the shell. The light source is used to provide light conditions for the camera to ensure the shooting effect of the visual image. In the prior art, the commonly used lighting mode is to illuminate through a lamp strip of red, green and blue colors. However, due to the inconsistent brightness or non-uniform light color of each lamp bead on the lamp strip, the light emission is uneven, thereby affecting the shooting effect of the visual image. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the prior art to overcome the above-mentioned defects. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a sensor structure capable of effectively improving the shooting effect of visual images.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a sensor structure, comprising: a shell, at least including a main shell, a side panel arranged on the main shell, the main shell and the side panel being detachably connected and surrounding to form a first receiving cavity; a tactile component arranged on the side panel, the side panel being provided with a mounting port, the mounting port being in communication with the first receiving cavity, the tactile component including a hard transparent plate covering the mounting port and a flexible touch piece covering the hard transparent plate, the flexible touch piece being exposed outside the shell, the side panel and the tactile component forming a side panel assembly; a visual component arranged in the first receiving cavity and used for collecting images of deformation of the flexible touch piece; wherein a surface of the hard transparent plate extending along the penetration direction of the mounting port is a circumferential surface, the side panel assembly is further provided with a light source assembly acting on the circumferential surface, the light source assembly including a light source arranged on the side panel and an optical material layer arranged on the circumferential surface, the optical material layer being configured to convert the received light of the light source into light with a preset color, the preset color being the color of the optical material layer itself, and the space where the light source is located being independent of the first receiving cavity.

[0006] Preferably, the main housing has a side opening and a top opening, the side panel is located at the side opening, the housing also includes a top plate, the top plate is detachably disposed at the top opening and located above the main housing and the side panel, wherein the top surface of the top plate is provided with a plurality of mounting holes.

[0007] Preferably, the light source is located on one side of one of the circumferential surfaces of the rigid transparent plate, such that the circumferential surface becomes the only light-incident surface of the rigid transparent plate;

[0008] The optical material layer is provided on at least one of the remaining circumferential surfaces of the rigid transparent plate; all circumferential surfaces except the light-incident surface abut against the wall of the mounting opening.

[0009] Preferably, the rigid transparent plate has three circumferential surfaces on which the optical material layer is provided, wherein the optical material layer on each circumferential surface has a different color, and the optical material layer on each circumferential surface has only one color, and the color of the optical material layer includes at least red, green and blue.

[0010] Preferably, the optical material layer is a fluorescent material layer fixed on the circumferential surface.

[0011] Preferably, the circumferential surface is provided with a limiting flange protruding outward in a direction perpendicular to the through direction, and the outer wall of the side panel is recessed along the through direction to form a groove that cooperates with the limiting flange; wherein, the surface of the rigid transparent plate that abuts against the flexible touch component is flush with the outer wall of the side panel.

[0012] Preferably, the rigid transparent plate is a square plate, and the limiting protrusions are distributed on the top and both sides of the rigid transparent plate.

[0013] Preferably, a groove is recessed in the side panel, the groove is connected to the mounting opening in a direction perpendicular to the through direction, the light source is disposed in the groove, wherein the groove forms an opening on the inner wall of the side panel, and a light-shielding strip is provided at the opening, the light-shielding strip is configured to prevent the light from the light source from entering the first receiving cavity.

[0014] Preferably, the vision component includes a camera module and a reflector disposed below the camera module and facing the rigid transparent plate, wherein the reflector and the rigid transparent plate are distributed at an acute angle.

[0015] The camera module is positioned facing the reflector and at an acute angle to the horizontal plane.

[0016] Preferably, the flexible touch piece comprises a transparent elastomer layer close to the hard transparent plate, a mark layer laid on the transparent elastomer layer, a reflective layer arranged on the mark layer, and a protective layer arranged on the reflective layer; wherein the mark layer comprises a plurality of MARK points, and the plurality of MARK points are black dot arrays, and the reflective layer is white.

[0017] The technical scheme provided by the application has the following advantages:

[0018] The optical material layer is uniformly distributed on the entire circumferential surface, which can make the light more uniform, avoid the problem that the light is uneven due to the influence of the external environment, and effectively improve the visual image shooting effect. In addition, the side panel does not need to be provided with color lamp beads, so that the structure is more compact, and the area of the hard transparent plate and the flexible touch piece can be increased in the case of limited space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the application or the technical scheme in the prior art, the drawings needed in the specific embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the application, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings according to these drawings without creative labor.

[0020] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sensor structure provided by the application under a first viewing angle.

[0021] Figure 2 The figure is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sensor structure provided by the application under a second viewing angle.

[0022] Figure 3 The figure is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the sensor structure provided by the application. Figure 1

[0023] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the sensor structure provided by the application.

[0024] Figure 5 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the side panel under a first viewing angle.

[0025] Figure 6 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the side panel under a second viewing angle.

[0026] Figure 7 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the side panel under a third viewing angle.

[0027] Figure 8 The figure is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the flexible touch piece.

[0028] Figure 9 ​a schematic view of a hard transparent plate at a first viewing angle;

[0029] Figure 10 a schematic view of a hard transparent plate at a second viewing angle;

[0030] Figure 11 a schematic view of an internal structure of the shell;

[0031] Figure 12 a schematic view of an exploded structure between the camera module and the main shell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solutions of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0033] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily describe a specific order or sequence.

[0034] In the present application, the orientation words such as "up", "down", "top", "bottom" used without the opposite description are generally directed to the direction shown in the drawings, or to the vertical, perpendicular or gravity direction of the components themselves; similarly, for the convenience of understanding and description, "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the contour of the components themselves, but the above orientation words are not used to limit the present application.

[0035] As shown in Figures 1 to 4 The present application provides a sensor structure, which is a visual-tactile sensor, comprising a shell 100, a tactile component 200 and a visual component 300, the visual component 300 is arranged in the shell 100, and the tactile component 200 is arranged on the shell wall of the shell 100.

[0036] The shell 100 comprises a main shell 110, a side panel 120 and a top plate 130. The main shell 110 is open at the side and top, that is, the main shell 110 has a side opening and a top opening. The side panel 120 is arranged at the side opening of the main shell 110 and detachably connected with the main shell 110 to form a first receiving cavity 140. The top plate 130 is detachably arranged at the top opening and above the main shell 110 and the side panel 120. The top plate 130 makes the first receiving cavity 140 a closed chamber, and the visual component 300 is arranged in the first receiving cavity 140. The top end surface of the top plate 130 is provided with a plurality of mounting holes 131 for connecting with an external mechanical hand.

[0037] The haptic component 200 is arranged on the side panel 120, and the side panel 120 and the haptic component 200 form a side panel assembly. In the embodiment, the main shell 110, the side panel 120 and the top plate 130 are detachably connected by fasteners. Therefore, when the haptic component 200 needs to be replaced, the side panel 120 can be simply detached from the main shell 110 and the top plate 130, which has the advantages of convenient disassembly and replacement.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the bottom corner of the inner wall of the side panel 120 is provided with a first mounting hole 125, and the bottom corner of the main shell 110 is provided with a first fastener 111 matched with the first mounting hole 125. As shown in Figure 3 , the top of the main shell 110 is provided with a second mounting hole 112, the top of the side panel 120 is provided with a third mounting hole 126, and the four corners of the top plate 130 are provided with a second fastener 132 matched with the second mounting hole 112 and the third mounting hole 126. The inner wall of the top of the main shell 110 is provided with a first protruding column, and the second mounting hole 112 is arranged on the first protruding column. The inner wall of the top of the side panel 120 is provided with a second protruding column, and the third mounting hole 126 is arranged on the second protruding column. When the side panel assembly needs to be disassembled, the second fastener 132 corresponding to the second mounting hole 112 and the first fastener 111 on the main shell 110 are simply loosened, and the side panel 120 and the haptic component 200 can be replaced.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the side panel 120 is provided with a mounting opening 121, which is in communication with the first receiving cavity 140. Specifically, the tactile component 200 includes a hard transparent plate 210 covering the mounting opening 121, and a flexible touch piece 220 covering the hard transparent plate 210, which is exposed outside the shell 100. Preferably, the hard transparent plate 210 can be a transparent acrylic plate, or a transparent glass, etc. The flexible touch piece 220 can be made of silicone, latex, or gel, etc. When the flexible touch piece 220 contacts an object to be grabbed (not shown), the flexible touch piece 220 can be elastically deformed. The visual component 300 is used to capture the image of the deformation of the flexible touch piece 220.

[0040] As shown in Figure 8 The flexible touch piece 220 includes a transparent elastomer layer 221 close to the hard transparent plate 210, a mark layer 222 laid on the transparent elastomer layer 221, a reflective layer 223 on the mark layer 222, and a protective layer 224 on the reflective layer 223. The mark layer 222 can be single-layered or multi-layered. The mark layer 222 includes a plurality of arrays of MARK points, which are black, and the reflective layer 223 is white. The contrast between the black and white can increase the image contrast, which is more conducive to the visual component 300 to capture a clear image.

[0041] The reflective layer 223 is a film attached to the transparent elastomer layer 221 and located on the side of the mark layer 222 away from the transparent elastomer layer 221. The reflective layer 223 is a mirror coating made of copper or aluminum paint, which can form a semi-mirror surface. When the light emitted by the optical material layer 212 encounters the reflective layer 223, the reflective layer 223 can brighten the brightness of the light. That is, the reflective layer 223 cooperates with the optical material layer 212 to improve the brightness of the light, and further improves the lighting effect. In addition, the mirror coating (reflective layer 223) is more sensitive to small changes in the surface, and can provide a higher contrast signal, thereby effectively improving the shooting effect of the visual component 300. The reflective layer 223 can use a spray bottle to spray paint on the surface of the transparent elastomer layer 221 in a high-pressure environment, or use a sputtering process to deposit a metal film on the surface of the transparent elastomer layer 221.

[0042] The protective layer 224 includes a silicone layer on the reflective layer 223, a fabric layer, and a medical adhesive tape layer. The fabric layer and the medical adhesive tape layer not only provide protection for the reflective layer 223, but also increase the signal strength.

[0043] Further, as shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, the surface body of the hard transparent plate 210 extending along the through direction of the mounting port 121 is the circumferential surface 211, and the side plate assembly is further provided with a light source assembly acting on the circumferential surface 211. The light source assembly includes a light source arranged on the side panel 120 and an optical material layer 212 arranged on the circumferential surface 211. The optical material layer 212 is used to convert the received light emitted by the light source into light with a preset color, and the above-mentioned preset color is the color of the optical material layer 212 itself.

[0044] The optical material layer 212 is continuously and uniformly distributed on the entire circumferential surface 211, which can make the light more uniform and will not be affected by the external environment to cause the problem of uneven light. In the traditional scheme of arranging lamp beads, the lamp beads are distributed at intervals, and even if the interval distance is controlled to be very small, there is still the above-mentioned interval distance between adjacent lamp beads, resulting in that the light brightness of some areas is relatively bright, while the light brightness of some areas is relatively dark, that is, there is a brightness difference, and there is a problem of uneven brightness. The uniform distribution characteristic of the optical material layer 212 can effectively avoid the problem of brightness difference and has the advantage of uniform light emission. In addition, since there is no need to arrange lamp beads with color, the structure is more compact, and in the case of limited space, the area of the hard transparent plate 210 and the flexible touch piece 220 can be increased.

[0045] As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7 The side panel 120 is recessed to form a groove 123, and the groove 123 is communicated with the mounting port 121 in the direction perpendicular to the through direction. The light source is arranged in the groove 123, and the groove 123 is formed with an open mouth on the inner wall of the side panel 120, and a light shielding strip 124 is arranged at the open mouth, which is used to prevent the light of the light source from entering the first receiving cavity 140.

[0046] It is worth noting that the space where the light source is located is independent of the first receiving cavity 140, thereby avoiding the influence of the light source on the visual assembly 300 in the first receiving cavity 140. The light source is used to light the circumferential surface 211 of the hard transparent plate 210, and the purpose of avoiding lighting the two end surfaces of the hard transparent plate 210 is to prevent the light of the light source from affecting the shooting of the visual assembly 300 and affecting the quality of the photographed image. The above-mentioned "two end surfaces" refer to the surface body parallel to the hard transparent plate 210.

[0047] The above-mentioned optical material layer 212 arranged on the circumferential surface 211 has the following several cases: the first kind is that only one circumferential surface 211 is provided with the optical material layer 212; the second kind is that at least one circumferential surface 211 is provided with the optical material layer 212, which can be two circumferential surfaces 211, three circumferential surfaces 211, four circumferential surfaces 211, etc.

[0048] Preferably, the light source is located at one side of one of the circumferential surfaces 211 of the hard transparent plate 210, so that the circumferential surface 211 is the only light-incident surface of the hard transparent plate 210, that is, the hard transparent plate 210 has only one light-incident surface. At least one of the remaining circumferential surfaces 211 of the hard transparent plate 210 is provided with an optical material layer 212, wherein all the circumferential surfaces 211 except the light-incident surface are in abutment with the wall of the mounting port 121.

[0049] Further, the hard transparent plate 210 is a square plate body, and the hard transparent plate 210 has four circumferential surfaces 211, one of which is a light-incident surface, and the remaining three circumferential surfaces 211 are each provided with an optical material layer 212. The colors of the optical material layers on each circumferential surface 211 are different, and each circumferential surface 211 has only one color of optical material layer 212, wherein the colors of the optical material layers 212 at least include red, green, and blue.

[0050] In an embodiment, one of the three circumferential surfaces 211 is provided with a red optical material layer 212, another is provided with a green optical material layer 212, and the other is provided with a blue optical material layer 212. Preferably, the top circumferential surface 211 of the hard transparent plate 210 is the light-incident surface, and the three circumferential surfaces 211 on the two sides and the bottom are provided with optical material layers 212, that is, the three circumferential surfaces 211 on the two sides and the bottom do not need to be provided with colored lamp beads, so that the circumferential surface 211 on the bottom can be closer to the bottom of the side panel 120, which is conducive to the grasping of small objects to be grasped.

[0051] When the light emitted by the light source is incident on the three circumferential surfaces 211 in different directions, the optical material layers 212 on the three circumferential surfaces 211 change the light emitted by the light source into red, green, and blue light, which is then incident on the hard transparent plate 210 and the flexible touch piece 220. The red, green, and blue light can make the deformation image of the flexible touch piece 220 collected by the visual assembly 300 clearer. The colors of the optical material layers 212 can also be other colors in addition to the three colors of red, green, and blue, such as yellow, purple, cyan, etc.

[0052] Of course, the optical material layers 212 on each circumferential surface 211 can also have different colors, for example, the same circumferential surface 211 has red, green, and blue optical material layers 212, and the red, green, and blue optical material layers 212 are distributed alternately on the same circumferential surface 211. The colors of the optical material layers 212 and the arrangement of the colors are not limited, and can be determined according to actual use.

[0053] The optical material layer 212 is a fluorescent material layer fixed on the circumferential surface 211. The fluorescent material layer is fixed on the circumferential surface 211 by means of sticking, spraying or the like, so as to form an integral whole with the hard transparent plate 210, which can be conveniently mounted on the side panel 120, effectively simplifying the mounting steps.

[0054] In order to limit the installation of the hard transparent plate 210 on the side panel 120, as shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10 , the circumferential surface 211 of the hard transparent plate 210 is provided with a limiting protrusion 213 protruding outward along a direction perpendicular to the penetrating direction, and the outer wall of the side panel 120 is recessed along the penetrating direction to form a sink 122 matched with the limiting protrusion 213. When the hard transparent plate 210 is installed, the limiting protrusion 213 of the hard transparent plate 210 is located in the sink 122, thereby achieving the purpose of installation limiting. The limiting protrusions 213 are distributed on the top and both sides of the hard transparent plate 210.

[0055] The surface of the hard transparent plate 210 abutting against the flexible touch piece 220 is flush with the outer wall of the side panel 120. If the hard transparent plate 210 is lower than the outer wall of the side panel 120, when the deformation amount of the flexible touch piece 220 is large, the object to be grabbed is easy to interfere with the outer wall of the side panel 120. If the hard transparent plate 210 is higher than the outer wall of the side panel 120, that is, part of the hard transparent plate 210 is exposed to the external environment, the external environment will affect the hard transparent plate 210, thereby affecting the image acquisition effect of the visual assembly 300.

[0056] As shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12 , the visual assembly 300 comprises a camera module 310 and a reflector 320 disposed below the camera module 310 and facing the hard transparent plate 210. The reflector 320 and the hard transparent plate 210 are distributed at an acute angle. The camera module 310 is distributed towards the reflector 320 and is disposed at an acute angle with the horizontal plane. The camera module 310, the haptic assembly 200 and the reflector 320 are respectively located on the three sides of an obtuse triangle. Such an arrangement not only facilitates the camera module 310 to take images, but also makes the shell 100 more narrow and the structure more compact.

[0057] Further, the camera module 310 comprises a lens circuit board 312, a camera 311 disposed on the bottom end surface of the lens circuit board 312, and a power supply circuit board 313 disposed above the lens circuit board 312. The upper and lower distribution of the power supply circuit board 313 and the lens circuit board 312 makes the overall structure more compact.

[0058] As shown in Figure 12As shown, a pair of bosses 113 are symmetrically protruded on the inner wall of the main housing 110, the camera module 310 is arranged in the first receiving cavity 140 through the pair of bosses 113, and the reflector 320 is located below the pair of bosses 113. Above the bosses 113, a wire clamp 114 is further arranged, which is used to bundle the cables in the first receiving cavity 140 to avoid the cables being in disorder. The top of the main housing 110 is further concave downward to form a U-shaped wire slot, and a rubber sealing element 115 is arranged in the wire slot. The rubber sealing element 115 is provided with a wire hole 1151, and the bundled wire bundle extends to the outside of the shell 100 through the wire hole 1151.

[0059] Obviously, the above-described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, other different forms of changes or variations can be made by those skilled in the art without creative labor, and all should belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A sensor structure, characterized by The shell (100) comprises at least a main shell (110), a side panel (120) arranged on the main shell (110), and a first receiving cavity (140) formed by detachable connection between the main shell (110) and the side panel (120). The tactile component (200) is arranged on the side panel (120), and the side panel (120) is provided with a mounting port (121) in communication with the first receiving cavity (140). The tactile component (200) comprises a hard transparent plate (210) covering the mounting port (121) and a flexible touch piece (220) covering the hard transparent plate (210). The flexible touch piece (220) is exposed outside the shell (100). The side panel (120) and the tactile component (200) constitute a side panel assembly. The visual component (300) is arranged in the first receiving cavity (140) and is used for collecting images of deformation of the flexible touch piece (220). The circumferential surface (211) of the hard transparent plate (210) extends along the through direction of the mounting port (121). The side panel assembly is further provided with a light source component acting on the circumferential surface (211). The light source component comprises a light source arranged on the side panel (120) and an optical material layer (212) arranged on the circumferential surface (211). The optical material layer (212) is configured to convert the received light of the light source into light with a preset color. The preset color is the color of the optical material layer (212) itself. The space where the light source is located is independent of the first receiving cavity (140). The main shell (110) has a side opening and a top opening. The side panel (120) is located at the side opening. The shell (100) further comprises a top plate (130) which is detachably arranged at the top opening and located above the main shell (110) and the side panel (120). The top end surface of the top plate (130) is provided with a plurality of mounting holes (131).

2. The sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, The light source is located at one side of one circumferential surface (211) of the hard transparent plate (210), so that the circumferential surface (211) becomes the only light-incident surface of the hard transparent plate (210).

3. The sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, At least one of the remaining circumferential surfaces (211) of the hard transparent plate (210) is provided with the optical material layer (212). All the circumferential surfaces (211) except the light-incident surface abut against the wall of the mounting port (121). The hard transparent plate (210) has three circumferential surfaces (211) provided with the optical material layer (212). The color of the optical material layer on each circumferential surface (211) is different, and the optical material layer on each circumferential surface (211) has only one color. The color of the optical material layer at least includes red, green, and blue.

4. The sensor structure of claim 3, wherein, ​ 5. The sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, The optical material layer is a fluorescent material layer fixed on the circumferential surface (211).

6. The sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, The circumferential surface (211) is provided with a limiting protruding edge (213) protruding outward along a direction perpendicular to the penetrating direction, and the outer wall of the side panel (120) is recessed to form a sink (122) matched with the limiting protruding edge (213) along the penetrating direction. The surface body of the hard transparent plate (210) abutting against the flexible touch piece (220) is flush with the outer wall of the side panel (120).

7. The sensor structure of claim 6, wherein, The hard transparent plate (210) is a square plate body, and the limiting protruding edges (213) are distributed on the top and two sides of the hard transparent plate (210).

8. The sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, The side panel (120) is recessed to form a groove (123), the groove (123) is communicated with the mounting port (121) in a direction perpendicular to the penetrating direction, and the light source is arranged in the groove (123), wherein the groove (123) is formed with an open mouth on the inner wall of the side panel (120), and a light shielding strip (124) is arranged at the open mouth, the light shielding strip (124) is configured to prevent light of the light source from entering the first receiving cavity (140).

9. The sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, The visual component (300) comprises a camera module (310) and a reflector (320) arranged below the camera module (310) and facing the hard transparent plate (210), and the reflector (320) and the hard transparent plate (210) are distributed at an acute angle. The camera module (310) faces the reflector (320) and is arranged at an acute angle with a horizontal plane.

10. The sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, The flexible touch piece (220) comprises a transparent elastomer layer (221) close to the hard transparent plate (210), a mark layer (222) laid on the transparent elastomer layer (221), a reflective layer (223) arranged on the mark layer (222), and a protective layer (224) arranged on the reflective layer (223). The mark layer (222) comprises a plurality of MARK points, and the MARK points are black dot arrays, and the reflective layer (223) is white.

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