Elastic composition

Abstract

To provide an elastic composition which can detect displacement of a target object, by a simple structure.SOLUTION: A rubber composition as an elastic composition includes: a base part; and a protruding part protruded from the surface of the base part, the protruding part being magnetized, being distributed in a direction along the surface, and elastically deformed by external force.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology of the present disclosure relates to an elastic composition.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a learning model learned using, as learning data, a plurality of at least three physical quantities including a target physical quantity associated with time series information, which are at least three physical quantities that change according to deformation. In this learning model, at least two physical quantities other than the target physical quantity are used as inputs, and the model is learned to output the target physical quantity. The learning model includes an estimation unit that inputs two physical quantities to be estimated corresponding to at least two physical quantities other than the target physical quantity and estimates the target physical quantity corresponding to the object to be estimated.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 1 describes that a member has an electrical property that changes according to deformation, includes a first physical quantity for deforming the member, a second physical quantity representing the electrical specification, and a target physical quantity representing the amount of deformation of the member, and the learning model inputs the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity and outputs the target physical quantity.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The electrical properties described in Patent Document 1 include electrical resistance, and as another example, capacitance. However, wiring is required to measure these electrical properties and capacitance, resulting in a complex structure.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to obtain an elastic composition with a simple structure that can detect the displacement of an object.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] In the elastic composition of the first aspect, it has a base portion, and raised portions that protrude from the surface of the base portion, are distributed in a direction along the surface, have magnetism, and are elastically deformed by an external force.

[0008] In this elastic composition, the raised portions that protrude from the surface of the base portion are distributed in a direction along the surface of the base portion and have magnetism. As a result, a magnetic field is generated around the elastic composition. When the raised portions are elastically deformed by receiving an external force from an object, the surrounding magnetic field also changes. Therefore, the displacement of the object can be detected by this change in the magnetic field. Wiring is not required for the base portion and the raised portions, and the structure is simple.

[0009] In the second aspect, in the elastic composition of the first aspect, the raised portions have a constant cross-sectional shape in a direction parallel to the surface.

[0010] Since the cross-sectional shape of the raised portions is constant (circular) in a direction orthogonal to the protruding direction, the deformed shape of the raised portions is stabilized.

[0011] In the third aspect, in the elastic composition of the first aspect, the raised portions have a shape including a portion where the cross-sectional area in a direction parallel to the surface becomes smaller toward the tip side in the protruding direction.

[0012] Therefore, even when the external force acting on the raised portions from the object is small, a change in the magnetic field due to the deformation of the raised portions can be caused.

[0013] In the fourth aspect, in the elastic composition of any one of the first to third aspects, the raised portions include a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals in a direction along the surface.

[0014] Since there are a plurality of protrusions included in the raised portions and they are arranged at intervals in a direction along the surface, the displacement of the object can be detected in the region where the protrusions are arranged.

[0015] In the fifth aspect, in the elastic composition according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the base is formed of a non-magnetic rubber.

[0016] Due to the configuration in which the base is not magnetized, the displacement of the object can be detected with high precision.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] With the technology of the present disclosure, the displacement of an object can be detected with a simple structure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

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[0019] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an elastic composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Components denoted by the same reference numerals in each drawing mean the same components. However, unless otherwise specified in the specification, each component is not limited to one, and a plurality of them may exist.

[0020] Also, descriptions of overlapping configurations and reference numerals in each drawing may be omitted. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and appropriate changes such as omitting configurations or replacing them with different configurations can be made and implemented within the scope of the object of the present invention.

[0021] In FIG. 1, a rubber composition 12 of the first embodiment is shown. The rubber composition 12 is an example of an elastic composition. In the drawing, the width direction, depth direction, and thickness direction of the rubber composition 12 are indicated by arrow X, arrow Y, and arrow Z, respectively.

[0022] The rubber composition 12 has a base portion 14. The base portion 14 is made of rubber. In the illustrated example, the base portion 14 is plate-shaped or sheet-shaped and is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in the thickness direction. One surface of the base portion 14 in the thickness direction is the front surface 14A, and the opposite surface is the back surface 14B.

[0023] On the surface 14A of the base 14, a plurality of protrusions 16 are provided. The protrusions 16 protrude from the surface 14A of the base 14 and are an example of a raised portion. In the first embodiment, the protrusions 16 have a cylindrical shape and are rectangular in a front view or a side view as shown in FIG. 2. When the protrusion 16 is cut by a plane orthogonal to the protruding direction (a plane parallel to the surface 14A), the cross section is circular, and the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion 16 is constant regardless of the cross-sectional position. Also, all the protrusions 16 have substantially the same shape.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of protrusions 16 are distributed in the direction along the surface 14A by being arranged at regular intervals in the direction along the surface 14A (in-plane direction). Specifically, the protrusions 16 are arranged at a regular interval D1 in the width direction and at a regular interval D2 in the depth direction. In the example shown in FIG. 4, each row of the protrusions 16 in the depth direction is arranged at a position shifted by half of the interval D1 in the width direction alternately, which is a so-called staggered arrangement. Also, when focusing on any one of the protrusions 16, the protrusions 16 located around it are positioned at any of the vertices of a regular hexagon centered on the protrusion 16 being focused on.

[0025] Each of the protrusions 16 is made of the same rubber as the base 14. The protrusion 16 may be formed separately from the base 14 and fixed to the base 14 by means such as welding or adhesion, but in this embodiment, it is integral with the base 14 and continuous from the base 14. As shown in FIG. 2, when an external force acts on the protrusion 16 from the object BJ on the tip 16T side of the protrusion 16, the protrusion 16 deforms elastically, and the tip 16T is displaced in the width direction and the depth direction.

[0026] Each of the protrusions 16 has magnetism. For example, a predetermined amount of a magnetic material (ferrite powder as an example) is blended with the rubber, and the protrusion 16 is magnetized. The direction of the polarity of the protrusion 16 is not limited, and as in the example shown in FIG. 2, the base end 16R side of the protrusion 16 may be the N pole and the tip 16T side may be the S pole, or vice versa. Also, the protrusion 16 and the base 14 may be magnetized as a whole. In this case, the tip 16T of the protrusion 16 becomes one magnetic pole (for example, the S pole), and the base 14 becomes the other magnetic pole (for example, the N pole).

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, since the protrusion 16 has magnetism, a magnetic field is generated around the rubber composition 12, and magnetic field lines ML are generated. Along with the deformation of the protrusion 16, the spatial distribution of the magnetic field strength changes. The lower figure of FIG. 2 shows this as a change in the shape of the magnetic field lines ML. For example, among the plurality of protrusions 16 arranged at intervals in the width direction and the depth direction, the magnetic field shows different changes according to the position of the deformed protrusion 16. When the degree of deformation varies according to the position of the protrusion 16, a corresponding change (spatial change) in the magnetic field occurs. Further, when the deformation of the protrusion 16 is accompanied by a temporal change, that is, when the shape of the protrusion 16 is not constant over time but changes with the passage of time, a change (temporal change) in the magnetic field occurs along with this passage of time. In particular, when the position of the deformed protrusion 16 vibrates temporally in the in-plane direction of the surface 14A, the change in the magnetic field also vibrates temporally. Thus, in the technology of the present disclosure, it is possible to grasp not only the position where the protrusion 16 is deformed, but also the distribution and temporal change in the in-plane direction of the deformed position.

[0028] On the other hand, the base 14 may or may not be magnetized. For example, in a configuration where a magnetic material is blended into the rubber of the base 14, the base 14 is magnetized together with the protrusion 16. In a configuration where a magnetic material is not blended into the rubber of the base 14, even if the protrusion 16 is magnetized, the base 14 is not magnetized.

[0029] In the present embodiment, further, by a shear force estimation method using the shear force estimation device 20 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shear force acting on the plurality of protrusions 16 is associated with the change in the magnetic field. The shear force acting on the protrusion 16 is correlated with the displacement amount of the tip 16T of the protrusion 16.

[0030] The shear force estimation device 20 has a support base 22 and a shear force sensor 24. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the shear force sensor 24 is disposed on the support base 22, and the rubber composition 12 is disposed on the shear force sensor 24. A magnetic force sensor 26 is disposed below the support base 22. The shear force sensor 24 detects the shear force of the protrusion 16 acting from the object BJ.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, the shear force estimation device 20 further includes an estimation unit 28. The estimation unit 28 receives first input data 30 indicating the shear force obtained by the shear force sensor 24 and second input data 32 indicating the magnetic force obtained by the magnetic force sensor 26. Further, the estimation unit 28 outputs output data 34 indicating the magnitude of the deformation of the protrusion 16 of the rubber composition 12 as an estimation result. This output data 34 includes a spatial distribution in the in-plane direction, that is, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and a temporal distribution at the measurement time.

[0032] The estimation unit 28 includes a learned learning model 36. The learning model 36 is a model that has completed learning to derive the magnitude of the deformation of the protrusion 16 (output data 34) from the shear force of the protrusion of the rubber composition 12 (first input data 30) and the magnetic force around the rubber composition 12 (second input data 32). The learning model 36 is, for example, a model that defines a learned neural network, and is reproduced as a set of information on the connection weights (strengths) between nodes (neurons) constituting the neural network.

[0033] When the rubber composition 12 is actually installed at a predetermined target position to detect a change in the magnetic field, as shown in FIG. 4, a magnetic force sensor 26 is arranged at a position where this magnetic field change of the rubber composition 12 can be measured. In this case, the shear force sensor 24 is unnecessary. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, learning is performed to output, as output data 34, the magnitude of the deformation of the protrusion 16 from the first input data 30 indicating the shear force obtained by the shear force sensor 24 and the second input data 32 indicating the magnetic force obtained by the magnetic force sensor 26. Therefore, in the actual use state of the rubber composition 12, it is possible to obtain the magnitude of each deformation of the protrusion 16 from the magnetic force obtained by the magnetic force sensor 26.

[0034] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0035] In the rubber composition 12 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, when an object BJ comes into contact with some or all of the plurality of protrusions 16 and the protrusions 16 are deformed, the magnetic field around the rubber composition 12 also changes. By detecting the change in the magnetic field lines with the magnetic force sensor 26, it is possible to obtain various information regarding the object BJ that has come into contact with the rubber composition 12.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 6, it is the case where the rubber composition 12 is installed so that the thickness direction thereof coincides with the vertical direction. As also shown in FIG. 3, it shows a state where the object BJ is in contact with the central position when the rubber composition 12 is viewed in plan (viewed in the thickness direction). When the object BJ comes into contact, the protrusion 16 is deformed, and from the change in the magnetic field generated along with the deformation of this protrusion 16, the position where the object BJ has come into contact can be known.

[0037] Particularly in the example shown in FIG. 6, it is the case where the deformation of the two protrusions 16A located at the center when the base 14 is viewed from the front is large and the deformation of the surrounding protrusions 16B is small. Thus, when the plurality of protrusions 16 are deformed and it can be seen from the spatial distribution of the change in the magnetic field that the amount of deformation is different for each protrusion 16, it is also possible to estimate the shape of the object BJ (the shape of the surface facing the rubber composition 12).

[0038] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the object BJ moves in the in-plane direction of the base 14 in the direction of arrow M1. In this case, the deforming protrusions 16 are interchanged as the object BJ moves. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion 16C is pushed by the object BJ and greatly deformed in the direction of arrow M1, and the protrusion 16D adjacent to the protrusion 16C is deformed by being pushed by the protrusion 16C. However, the amount of deformation of the protrusion 16D is smaller than the amount of deformation of the protrusion 16C. As the object BJ moves in the direction of arrow M1, the amount of deformation of the protrusion 16C gradually increases, and the amount of deformation of the protrusion 16D also gradually increases. When the amount of movement of the object BJ in the direction of arrow M1 further increases, as shown in FIG. 8, the object BJ moves away from the protrusions 16C and 16D, so the deformation of the protrusions 16C and 16D is eliminated. Further, the object BJ pushes the protrusion 16E on the arrow D1 direction side, and the protrusion 16E and the protrusion 16F pushed by this protrusion 16E are deformed. In this way, by knowing the spatial and temporal transitions of the deforming protrusions 16, it is possible to know the direction and speed of the movement of the object BJ.

[0039] Also, in the examples shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, even when the object BJ moves in the direction opposite to the arrow M1, it is possible to know the direction and speed of this movement. Further, when the object BJ alternately moves in the directions of arrow M1 and arrow M2, it can be estimated that the object BJ is vibrating.

[0040] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) of the rubber composition 12 is arranged in a horizontal direction, and the opposing wall 38 is arranged on the surface 14A of the base 14. And it is an example in which the rubber composition 12 sandwiches the object BJ with the opposing wall 38. In this case, a plurality of protrusions 16 are deformed, and the amount of deformation is different at the positions of the protrusions 16 according to the shape of the object BJ.

[0041] Each of the protrusions 16 has a correlation (which may be linear or non-linear) between the amount of deformation and the elastic force. That is, the greater the deformation of the protrusion 16, the greater the elastic force exerted. Therefore, by knowing the total elastic force of the deformed protrusions 16 from the change in the magnetic field generated by the protrusions 16, it is possible to estimate the weight acting on the object BJ, that is, the mass of the object BJ.

[0042] Note that, for example, even when the thickness direction of the rubber composition 12 is arranged to coincide with the vertical direction, the greater the mass of the object BJ, the greater the amount of deformation of the protrusion 16. Therefore, it is possible to know the mass of the object BJ. In the example shown in FIG. 9, for example, compared with the example shown in FIG. 6, by sandwiching the object BJ between the opposing walls 38, it is possible to know the mass of the object BJ with high precision.

[0043] In the first embodiment, in the above example, the case where the protrusion 16 has a cylindrical shape is shown. In the cylindrical protrusion 16, the cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the protruding direction is constant (circular), so the deformed shape of the protrusion 16 is stable. As an example where the cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the protruding direction is constant like this, in addition to the cylindrical shape, a polygonal prism shape may also be used. However, the shape of the protrusion according to the disclosed technology is not limited to the cylindrical shape, and the shapes of the protrusions in the following various embodiments can be exemplified. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given to the same elements, members, etc. as in the first embodiment.

[0044] In the rubber composition 42 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the protrusion 46 has a conical shape and is an isosceles triangle in a front view or a side view. The cross-section when cut in a plane orthogonal to the protruding direction is circular, but the cross-sectional area of the protrusion 46 decreases as it moves away from the base 14. That is, the protrusion 46 (raised portion) according to the second embodiment is an example of a shape having a portion where the cross-sectional area in the direction orthogonal to the protruding direction (raising direction) becomes smaller toward the tip 46T side.

[0045] Since the protrusion 46 has a shape that tapers (the cross-sectional area decreases) toward the tip 46T side, even when the external force acting from the object BJ (see Fig. 6 etc.) is small, the tip 46T side is more likely to deform compared to the cylindrical protrusion 16. That is, even when the external force acting from the object BJ is small, a change in the magnetic field due to the deformation of the protrusion 46 can be caused, and it can be said that it is highly sensitive in this regard.

[0046] Also, the base end 46R of the protrusion 46 has a shape that is thicker than the tip 46T. In other words, since the cross-sectional area increases from the tip 46T toward the base end 46R, when the external force acting from the object BJ is large, the base end 46R side is less likely to deform. That is, it can be said that it has a shape capable of supporting the external force in response to a large external force acting from the object BJ.

[0047] In the rubber composition 52 of the third embodiment shown in Fig. 11, the protrusion 56 is hemispherical on its tip 56T side, and in a front view or a side view, a semi-circular shape on the tip 56T side and a rectangular shape of the portion other than the tip 56T appear. The cross-section when cut by a plane orthogonal to the protruding direction is circular, and in the hemispherical portion on the tip 56T side, the cross-sectional area of the protrusion 56 decreases as it moves away from the base 14. That is, the protrusion 56 (raised portion) according to the third embodiment is also an example of a shape having a portion where the cross-sectional area in a direction orthogonal to the protruding direction (raising direction) becomes smaller toward the tip 56T side. The protrusion 56 according to the third embodiment has a shape in which the tip 56T side is more likely to deform compared to the cylindrical protrusion 16.

[0048] Also, in the protrusion 56 according to the third embodiment, the tip 56T side is curved and has no sharp part compared to the protrusion 46 according to the second embodiment. For this reason, the durability of the protrusion 56 is high, and there is little wear or damage to the tip 16T even when repeated deformation occurs many times.

[0049] Note that the "shape having a portion where the cross-sectional area in the direction orthogonal to the bulging direction decreases as it goes toward the tip side in the bulging direction" in the disclosed technology is not limited to the shapes of these second and third embodiments. For example, a shape in which the cross-sectional area changes stepwise at an intermediate position of the protruding height of the protrusion may be used.

[0050] In the rubber composition 62 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of types of protrusions 16 having different protruding heights from the base 14 are provided. Specifically, it is a two-stage cylindrical shape including a cylindrical protrusion 16A having a relatively high protruding height and a cylindrical protrusion 16B having a low protruding height. In the example shown in FIG. 12, in the depth direction (arrow Y direction), the protrusions 16A and 16B are arranged alternately.

[0051] In the rubber composition 62 of the fourth embodiment, in the initial stage of contact where the object BJ (see FIG. 6) contacts the protrusions 16, a state is realized in which the object BJ contacts the protrusion 16A but does not contact the protrusion 16B. That is, even when the object BJ is in contact with the protrusion 16A, since the protrusions 16B on both sides thereof have a low protruding height, a state where the object BJ is not in contact is realized. In this case, compared with a rubber composition composed only of protrusions having the same protruding height, the external force from the object BJ is supported by the deformation of fewer protrusions 16A at the initial stage of contact. Then, as the object BJ moves toward the base 14 side, in addition to the protrusion 16A, the protrusion 16B also comes into contact, and the protrusions 16A and 16B are deformed. Thereby, according to the position of the object BJ, a change in the magnetic field can be generated stepwise.

[0052] FIG. 14 shows an example of the evaluation result of estimating the shear force in the rubber composition having the above-described various protrusion shapes and the rubber composition 92 of the comparative example. In the rubber composition 12 of the first embodiment, there are two types: a configuration in which the base 14 is magnetized and a configuration in which the base 14 is not magnetized in Example 2. As shown in FIG. 13, the rubber composition 92 of the comparative example does not include the protrusions 16, and the surface 14A of the base 14 is flat.

[0053] In each graph of FIG. 14, the shear force acting on the surface 14A side of the base 14 is shown as a function of the position in the width direction or the depth direction. The horizontal axis of the graph is the position in the width direction or the depth direction (unit: mm: millimeter), and the vertical axis is the shear force (unit: N: Newton). The solid line is the actual measured value of the shear force sensor 24 (see FIG. 4) in the measuring device shown in FIG. 14, and the two-dot chain line is the estimated value from the value detected by the magnetic force sensor 26 (see FIG. 4). The closer the two-dot chain line is to the shape of the solid line, the more accurately the shear force can be estimated. Also, the value of NMSE (Normalized Mean Square Error) shown in FIG. 14 is the normalized mean square error between the actual measured value and the estimated value, and the smaller this numerical value is, the smaller the deviation between the actual measured value and the estimated value can be said to be.

[0054] In the rubber composition 92 of the comparative example, the estimated value of the shear force is greatly deviated from the actual measured value, and the numerical value of NMSE is also large.

[0055] On the other hand, the rubber composition 12 of the first embodiment has a columnar protrusion 16. And regarding the shear force, the deviation of the estimated value from the actual measured value is smaller than that in the case of the comparative example. And the numerical value of NMSE is also smaller than that of the comparative example. In particular, in the case of the configuration where the base 14 is not magnetized, the value of NMSE is smaller than that in the case where the base 14 is magnetized.

[0056] Also in the rubber composition 42 of the second embodiment, the deviation of the estimated value from the actual measured value regarding the shear force is smaller than that in the case of the comparative example. In particular, in the case of the second embodiment, the value of NMSE is small even when compared with other embodiments.

[0057] Also in the rubber composition 52 of the third embodiment and the rubber composition 62 of the fourth embodiment, the deviation of the estimated value from the actual measured value regarding the shear force is smaller than that in the case of the comparative example, and the value of NMSE is also small.

[0058] Thus, it can be seen that for any shape of the protrusion, an estimated value close to the actual measured value is obtained for the shear force acting on the rubber composition.

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. 14, only the first embodiment is given as an example where the base portion 14 is not magnetized. However, in the second to fourth embodiments, the base portion 14 may be configured not to be magnetized.

[0060] In each of the above embodiments, the protrusions 16, 46, 56, and 66 are exemplified as the raised portions. The raised portions according to the disclosed technology are not limited to the variously shaped protrusions 16, 46, 56, and 66 described above. For example, a protruding wall that protrudes from the surface 14A of the base portion 14 and has an extension in at least one of the width direction and the depth direction may be used. As an example of such a protruding wall, the configurations of the fifth and sixth embodiments shown below can be exemplified.

[0061] In the rubber composition 72 of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of circular protruding walls 76 are formed concentrically with respect to the center line CL when the base portion 14 is viewed in plan. Each of the protruding walls 76 is difficult to deform in the circumferential direction of the circle centered on the center line CL, but is easy to deform in the radial direction. In particular, the tip side of the protruding wall 76 is likely to collapse inward in the radial direction.

[0062] Therefore, in the rubber composition 72 of the fifth embodiment, it is easy to detect the shape and displacement of the object BJ in the vicinity of the center line CL.

[0063] In the rubber composition 72 of the fifth embodiment, the number, thickness, protruding height, distance (radius) from the center line CL, etc. of the protruding wall 76 are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set in consideration of the deformed shape of the protruding wall 76 due to the assumed external force.

[0064] In the rubber composition 82 of the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 16, a plurality of protruding walls 86 having a corrugated shape are formed at regular intervals in the depth direction along the width direction when the base 14 is viewed in plan. In the example shown in FIG. 16, in one protruding wall 86, the corrugated shape has a constant amplitude and wavelength and has a length corresponding to three wavelengths in the width direction. Also, the number of the protruding walls 86 is six. However, the specific shape, number, etc. of the amplitude, wavelength, etc. of the protruding wall 86, and further the interval and number of the protruding walls 86 arranged in the depth direction are not particularly limited. Also, the base 14 may or may not be magnetized.

[0065] In the rubber composition 82 of the sixth embodiment, each of the protruding walls 86 has a structure that is relatively difficult to deform in the extending direction of the corrugated shape (in FIG. 16, the width direction of the base 14, arrow X direction) and is easy to deform in the direction orthogonal thereto (in FIG. 16, the depth direction of the base 14, arrow Y direction).

[0066] Therefore, in the rubber composition 82 of the sixth embodiment, for example, in the depth direction when the base 14 is viewed in plan, the protruding wall 86 deforms greatly even with a relatively small external force, and it is difficult to deform with a relatively small external force in the width direction. Thus, it is possible to vary the sensitivity of detection to an external force according to the orientation of the base 14.

[0067] Even when the rubber composition 82 of the sixth embodiment is used to sandwich the object BJ between it and the opposing wall 38 to estimate the mass of the object BJ in the same manner as shown in FIG. 9, the orientation in which the rubber composition 82 is arranged (which of the width direction and the depth direction of the base 14 is the vertical direction) is not limited. For example, by arranging the rubber composition 82 in such a way that the arrangement direction of the protruding walls 86 (the depth direction of the base 14) coincides with the vertical direction, the mass of the object BJ can be estimated with high sensitivity. Also, by arranging the rubber composition 82 in such a way that the extending direction of the corrugated shape of the protruding walls 86 (the width direction of the base 14) coincides with the vertical direction, the range of the mass of the object BJ that can be estimated becomes wider.

[0068] The members and devices to which the rubber composition of the technology of the present disclosure is applied are not particularly limited. That is, in the members and devices that come into contact with the object BJ (see FIG. 6 etc.), it can be applied to a configuration that detects the force acting from the object BJ and detects the displacement of the object. As an example, it can be applied to the surface of an airbag-type elastic shrinkage body called a rubber actuator. In this case, the magnetic force sensor 26 (see FIG. 4) that detects the change in the magnetic field may be arranged inside the elastic shrinkage body or outside the elastic shrinkage body.

[0069] In the above, the base 14 was exemplified as being plate-shaped or sheet-shaped, but the shape of the base 14 is not limited to these, and for example, it may be block-shaped.

[0070] In the above, the configuration in which the base 14, the protrusions 16, 46, 56, 66, the protruding walls 76, 86 are made of rubber was exemplified, but each of these elements is not limited to being made of rubber. For example, it may be made of a resin (elastomer) having elasticity.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0071] 12 Rubber composition (an example of an elastic composition), 14 Base 14A Surface of the base, 14B Back surface of the base 16 Protrusion, 20 Shearing force estimation device 42 Rubber composition (an example of an elastic composition), 46 Protrusion 52 Rubber composition (an example of an elastic composition), 56 Protrusion 62 Rubber composition (an example of an elastic composition), 66 Protrusion 72 Rubber composition (an example of an elastic composition), 76 Protruding wall 82 Rubber composition (an example of an elastic composition), 86 Protruding wall

Claims

1. A base, protrusions that protrude from the surface of the base, are distributed in a direction along the surface, have magnetism, and are elastically deformed by an external force, and an elastic composition having the same.

2. The elastic composition according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions have a constant cross-sectional shape in a direction parallel to the surface.

3. The elastic composition according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions have a shape including a portion where the cross-sectional area in a direction parallel to the surface decreases toward the tip side in the protruding direction.

4. The elastic composition according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions include a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals in a direction along the surface.

5. The elastic composition according to claim 1, wherein the base is formed of non-magnetic rubber.

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