Compliant Material Gaps for Force Sensor Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Compliant materials, such as silicone and elastomers, tend to expand in unintended directions when compressed, leading to discontinuous force measurements in applications like force sensors, as the compression of one portion causes corresponding expansion in another, potentially resulting in contact with surrounding components and inaccurate force determination.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating compliant materials with defined gaps on their external or internal surfaces that allow them to expand into these spaces upon compression, maintaining their maximum uncompressed dimensions and preventing contact with surrounding components, thereby ensuring continuous and accurate force measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If compliant material is compressed in one direction, then compression force is transmitted, but the material expands in perpendicular directions causing measurement discontinuity
Solution Approach 1:
The compliant material incorporates void spaces or porous structures that allow internal material to expand into these spaces during compression, preventing external expansion that would cause measurement discontinuity while maintaining force transmission capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent redirects the expansion that normally occurs in perpendicular directions by providing void spaces in three-dimensional space, allowing the material to accommodate volume changes without expanding beyond its external boundaries in the measurement direction
2Stability of the object's composition
If compliant material expands in perpendicular directions during compression, then volume is conserved, but contact with surrounding components occurs causing measurement inaccuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or removes material from the compliant structure to create void spaces, allowing the remaining material to expand internally into these spaces rather than externally contacting surrounding components, thereby maintaining measurement precision
3Reliability
If gaps are defined in compliant material to allow expansion, then measurement continuity is maintained, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compliant material is manufactured with porous or cellular structures that inherently provide void spaces, allowing expansion during compression without requiring complex post-processing or assembly of separate components, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration allows for continuous and accurate force measurement without exceeding the maximum uncompressed dimensions, preventing contact with surrounding components and maintaining the integrity of the force sensor's operation, even under maximum compressive forces.
Implementation Method 1
if force is applied to a top surface of a compliant material to compress the compliant material in a vertical direction, the compression may cause the compliant material to correspondingly expand in a horizontal direction
Implementation Method 2
The compressible material may stay within the maximum uncompressed dimension when compressed by expanding into one or more gaps defined in the compliant material
Data Source
AI summary
A force sensor includes compliant material that is configured to stay within a maximum uncompressed dimension in a first direction when compressed in a second direction. The first direction may be perpendicular to the second direction. The compliant material may stay within the maximum uncompressed dimension when compressed by expanding into one or more gaps defined in the compliant material. Such gaps may be defined on an external surface of the compliant material and/or internal to the compliant material. The gaps may be formed using a variety of different processes during or after formation of the compliant material.