A tactile skin system
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 宁波时识科技有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-16
Smart Images
Figure CN121777181B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of visual-tactile perception, and more specifically to a tactile skin system. Background Technology
[0002] Existing visual-tactile perception systems for robotic dexterous hands (such as vision-based tactile sensors) are mainly deployed in localized areas of the fingertips, failing to cover the finger joints and palm area. Although prior art 1 describes achieving full hand coverage by deploying distributed tactile sensors on the surface of a bionic robotic hand, this approach suffers from the following fatal flaw:
[0003] (1) The maintenance difficulties caused by modular defects: because the sensor and the circuit board are fixed integrated structures, it is impossible to replace the faulty unit separately. This results in the problem that if a single sensor fails, the entire module needs to be replaced, which leads to high maintenance costs.
[0004] (2) The coverage is limited and the location depends on the scalability limitation. Because the sensor nodes need to communicate through a centralized controller, the wiring complexity is increased and hot-swapping is not supported, so it is impossible to extend to non-planar areas such as the palm / knuckles at low cost.
[0005] (3) Since the sensor identity is bound to the physical location, swapping the locations will cause data corruption, thereby increasing the category management cost and mass production cost.
[0006] Prior art 1: Zhao, Z., Li, W., Li, Y. et al. Embedding high-resolutiontouch across robotic hands enables adaptive human-like grasping. NatureMachine Intelligence, 889–900 (20250609). Summary of the Invention
[0007] To alleviate or partially alleviate the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a tactile skin system to solve the problems that the prior art cannot achieve, such as supporting arbitrary position interchange, plug-and-play, and easy maintenance, and to achieve the technical effect of sensor module position self-adaptation (decoupling of physical position and logical identity).
[0008] The overall inventive concept of the tactile skin system of the present invention is that, in the structure of the robotic hand, the tactile sensors located at the fingertips, middle of the fingers, and base of the fingers all adopt the same tactile sensor design scheme. The tactile sensor consists of the following parts: a visual sensor module, an access detection module, and a data routing module.
[0009] The access detection module includes an input and an output module. The access detection module is used to identify the current installation position of the tactile sensor, such as whether it is located at the fingertip, middle of the finger, or base of the finger.
[0010] The input and output modules of the access detection module are respectively provided with input and output detection ports for detecting input and output signals. When the tactile sensor is placed in the corresponding position, the specific location of the tactile sensor can be distinguished by logic circuitry by identifying whether there is a signal at the input and output detection ports.
[0011] The access detection module specifically identifies the connection status through the following process: if the tactile sensor is at the fingertip, there is no input signal and a signal output; if the tactile sensor is at the middle of the finger, there is both input and output signals; if the tactile sensor is at the base of the finger, there is both input and output signals.
[0012] The input and output detection ports can be powered by detecting whether the corresponding port is powered, or they can be detected by other physical signals.
[0013] The data routing module can route the data from the visual sensor to the corresponding interface based on the location of the tactile sensor to achieve system interconnection. Tactile sensor data at the fingertip is sent through the data port of visual sensor module 1; tactile sensor data in the middle of the finger is sent through the data port of access detection module 2; the tactile sensor in the middle of the finger forwards the tactile sensor data from the fingertip through the data port of visual sensor module 1; tactile sensor data at the base of the finger is sent through the data port of data routing module 3; the tactile sensor at the base of the finger forwards the tactile sensor data from the middle of the finger through the data port of access detection module 2; and the tactile sensor at the base of the finger forwards the tactile sensor data from the fingertip through the data port of visual sensor module 1.
[0014] Ultimately, the output interface of the tactile sensor at the base of the finger directly outputs signals through three signal lines in parallel, thereby realizing the parallel output of data from the tactile sensors at the fingertip, middle, and base of the finger.
[0015] It is understood that the data routing module can utilize switching devices to achieve multiple-choice selection, such as the CD4053 analog switch chip.
[0016] Furthermore, the data routing module adopts a location-adaptive routing mechanism, that is, each of the tactile sensors has a built-in connection status detection circuit, which automatically identifies the specific position of the tactile sensor in the fingertip, middle of the finger, or base of the finger based on the connection status.
[0017] In the above embodiment, the fingertip exclusively uses the data port of the visual sensor module 1, the middle of the finger exclusively uses the data port of the access detection module 2, and the base of the finger exclusively uses the data port of the data routing module 3. This built-in detection structure is used for connection status detection, realizing a pure hardware parallel data bus.
[0018] Alternatively, in applications where power consumption is less critical, the tactile sensor can be implemented using a microcontroller or other processor-based software routing solution and / or wireless communication to replace the wired serial connection. In certain specific applications, low-power, low-data-rate communication solutions such as Bluetooth can also be selected.
[0019] As a preferred technical solution, the tactile skin system provided by the present invention can be expanded to include the installation of the same tactile sensor in different mechanical parts. The tactile sensor has a built-in connection status detection circuit, which automatically identifies the position of the mechanical part by detecting the connection status of each tactile sensor.
[0020] Furthermore, the connection status detection circuit adopts a built-in detection structure to realize a pure hardware data parallel bus. Similarly, the tactile sensor consists of the following modules: a vision sensor module, an access detection module, and a data routing module.
[0021] Of course, as a preferred technical solution for specific applications on robotic arms, the same tactile sensor can be placed in three parts of the robotic arm: the fingertip, the middle of the finger, and the base of the finger. The tactile sensor still consists of the following parts: a vision sensor module, an access detection module, and a data routing module.
[0022] Furthermore, the access detection module includes input and output modules, each with input and output detection ports for detecting input and output signals, respectively. By detecting whether the input and output detection ports are powered, the access detection module can identify the current installation position of the tactile sensor. The data routing module routes the data from the visual sensor to the corresponding interface based on the location of the tactile sensor, thus achieving system interconnection.
[0023] Furthermore, the access detection module includes a data port for a visual sensor module 1, a data port for an access detection module 2, and a data port for a data routing module 3. The data port for the visual sensor module 1 is exclusively used by the fingertip, the data port for the access detection module 2 is exclusively used by the middle of the finger, and the data port for the data routing module 3 is exclusively used by the base of the finger.
[0024] Furthermore, three signal lines are directly connected in parallel to the output interface of the tactile sensor located at the base of the finger, so as to realize the parallel output of data from the three tactile sensors.
[0025] Alternatively, the tactile sensor can use a microcontroller and / or wireless communication for data transmission.
[0026] One or more technical solutions of the present invention have the following beneficial effects and advantages:
[0027] (1) The location-based adaptive routing scheme can achieve the technical effect that the data logic will not be changed even if the tactile sensors are interchanged. The advantage of this is that it can significantly improve the maintenance efficiency and scalability of the robotic arm.
[0028] (2) The tactile sensor adopts a parallel bus design, which can achieve synchronous data output and no series delay (delay <1ms), and has the advantage of realizing millisecond-level tactile feedback;
[0029] (3) The tactile sensor adopts a modular expansion scheme, achieving the technical effect of supporting the cascading expansion of more than 3 modules, and has the advantage of covering the entire hand and fingers. In addition, other beneficial effects of the present invention will be mentioned in specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the tactile skin system structure in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the data flow of the tactile skin system in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the tactile sensor in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] The meanings of the labels in the figure are as follows: 1. Vision sensor module; 2. Access detection module; 3. Data routing module; 4. Input module; 5. Output module; 6. Output detection port; 7. Input detection port. Detailed Implementation
[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.
[0035] See Figure 1The tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) located at the fingertips, middle, and base of the fingers of the robotic arm all adopt the same tactile sensor design. The tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) are composed of the following parts: vision sensor module 1 (hereinafter referred to as module 1), access detection module 2 (hereinafter referred to as module 2), and data routing module 3 (hereinafter referred to as module 3).
[0036] The access detection module 2 includes an input module 4 and an output module 5. The access detection module is used to identify the current installation position of the tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3), such as whether it is located at the fingertip, middle of the finger, or base of the finger.
[0037] Furthermore, the input module 4 of the access detection module 2 is provided with an input detection port 7 for detecting input signals, and the output module 5 of the access detection module 2 is provided with an output detection port 6 for detecting output signals. When the tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) are placed in their corresponding positions, the presence of signals at the input detection port 7 and the output detection port 6 can be identified, thereby allowing the logic circuit to distinguish the specific position of the tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3).
[0038] Furthermore, the specific connection state recognition process is as follows: if the fingertip is in the position, there is no input signal and the output signal is present; if the middle of the finger is in the position, there is both input and output signals; if the base of the finger is in the position, there is both input and output signals.
[0039] The input detection port 7 and the output detection port 6 can be powered by detecting whether the corresponding port is powered, or they can be detected by other physical signals.
[0040] The data routing module 3 can route the data from the visual sensor module 1 to the corresponding interface according to the location of the tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) to achieve system interconnection.
[0041] See Figure 2 When the tactile sensor s1 is located at the fingertip position, its data is transmitted through the data port of the visual sensor module 1 on the tactile sensor s1.
[0042] When the tactile sensor s2 is located in the middle of the finger, its data is sent through the data port of the access detection module 2 on the tactile sensor s2, and the data of the tactile sensor s1 is forwarded through the data port of the visual sensor module 1 on the tactile sensor s2.
[0043] When the tactile sensor s3 is located at the base of the finger, its data is sent through the data port of the data routing module 3 on the tactile sensor s3, and the data of the tactile sensor s2 is forwarded through the data port of the access detection module 2 on the tactile sensor s3, and the data of the tactile sensor s1 is forwarded through the data port of the vision sensor module 1 on the tactile sensor s3.
[0044] Furthermore, the output interface of the tactile sensor s3 end module directly outputs parallel signals via three signal lines, so that the data from the three tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) can be output in parallel.
[0045] See Figure 3 The data routing module 3 can utilize switching devices to achieve multiple-to-one selection, such as the CD4053 analog switch chip.
[0046] Furthermore, the data routing module 3 adopts a position adaptive routing mechanism, that is, each of the tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) has a built-in connection status detection circuit, which automatically identifies the specific position of the tactile sensor (s1, s2, s3) in the fingertip, middle of the finger, or base of the finger based on the connection status.
[0047] It is understood that in the above embodiment, the fingertip exclusively uses the data port of the visual sensor module 1 of the tactile sensor s1, the middle of the finger exclusively uses the data port of the access detection module 2 of the tactile sensor s2, and the base of the finger exclusively uses the data port of the data routing module 3 of the tactile sensor s3. This plug-in built-in detection structure is used for connection status detection, realizing a pure hardware data parallel bus.
[0048] Alternatively, in applications where power consumption is less critical, the tactile sensor s1 can be implemented using a microcontroller or other processor-based software routing solution and / or wireless communication to replace the wired serial connection. In certain specific applications, low-power, low-data-rate communication solutions such as Bluetooth can also be selected.
[0049] Preferably, the vision sensor module includes a dynamic vision sensor (DVS).
[0050] One or more technical solutions in the above embodiments have the following beneficial effects and advantages:
[0051] (1) The location-based adaptive routing scheme can achieve the technical effect that the data logic will not be changed even if the tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) are interchanged. The advantage of this is that it can significantly improve the maintenance efficiency and scalability of the robotic arm.
[0052] (2) The tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) adopt a parallel bus design, which can achieve synchronous data output and no series delay (delay <1ms), and has the advantage of realizing millisecond-level tactile feedback;
[0053] (3) The tactile sensors (s1, s2, s3) adopt a modular expansion scheme to achieve the technical effect of supporting the cascading expansion of more than 3 modules, and have the advantage of covering the whole hand and the whole finger.
[0054] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A tactile skin system, characterized in that, The same tactile sensor is placed at three parts of the robotic arm: the fingertip, the middle of the finger, and the base of the finger. The tactile sensor consists of the following parts: a vision sensor module, an access detection module, and a data routing module. The access detection module includes an input module and an output module. The input and output modules are respectively provided with input and output detection ports for detecting input signals and output signals. By detecting whether the input and output detection ports are powered, the access detection module can identify the current installation position of the tactile sensor. The data routing module routes the data from the visual sensor to the corresponding interface based on the location of the tactile sensor to achieve system interconnection. The access detection module includes a visual sensor module data port, an access detection module data port, and a data routing module data port. The visual sensor module data port is exclusively used by the fingertip, the access detection module data port is exclusively used by the middle of the finger, and the data routing module data port is exclusively used by the base of the finger.
2. The tactile skin system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Three signal lines are directly connected in parallel to the output interface of the tactile sensor located at the base of the finger, so as to realize the parallel output of data from the three tactile sensors.
3. The tactile skin system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tactile sensor uses a microcontroller and / or wireless communication to transmit data.