Robot Guard Potential Eliminates Capacitive Self-Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Capacitive detection electrodes on robots often detect the robot's own parts, leading to self-detection issues that limit operational range and can cause safety concerns by masking the presence of objects or persons, resulting in degraded or frozen robot operation.
Innovation Solution
The robot is equipped with capacitive detection electrodes that are electrically isolated from conductive outer walls, which are polarized at a guard potential identical to the detection potential, preventing leakage capacitance and allowing the robot to detect nearby objects without interfering with its own parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If capacitive detection electrodes are placed on the robot's outer wall, then the robot can detect nearby objects and persons, but the electrodes detect the robot's own parts causing self-detection
Solution Approach 1:
The outer wall of the robot is electrically connected to the measurement electrode through a conductor, making them equipotential. This eliminates the potential difference between the wall and electrode, preventing the electrode from detecting the wall as a separate object. The wall and electrode share the same electrical potential, rendering the wall electrically invisible to the detection system.
Solution Approach 2:
A conductor acts as an intermediary element between the measurement electrode and the robot's outer wall. This conductor establishes an electrical connection that equalizes the potential between the electrode and wall, mediating the interaction to prevent self-detection while maintaining detection capability for external objects.
2Reliability
If the robot uses capacitive detection to ensure safety, then it can detect objects and persons, but self-detection masks the presence of approaching objects
Solution Approach 1:
By connecting the outer wall to the measurement electrode through a conductor, the system creates an equipotential relationship that eliminates false self-detection signals. This allows the detection system to maintain high sensitivity for external objects without being masked by signals from the robot's own structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connection through the conductor creates a pathway that allows the detection field to penetrate through the wall structure without being reflected or blocked by the wall itself, enabling the electrode to sense external objects while ignoring the wall.
3Measurement precision
If the robot is equipped with capacitive detection electrodes, then it can detect nearby objects, but the detection range is limited by self-detection of robot parts
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor creates an equipotential zone between the measurement electrode and the outer wall, extending the effective detection range. By making the wall electrically continuous with the electrode, the detection field can extend beyond the physical boundary of the electrode without being interrupted by the wall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connection adds a dimensional aspect to the detection system, allowing the detection field to extend through the wall structure in an additional electrical dimension, effectively increasing the detection range without expanding the physical size of the electrode.
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 solution enhances detection efficiency, prevents self-detection, and maintains the operational range of the robot, ensuring safer and more reliable operation by making the robot's conductive outer walls electrically invisible to its own detection electrodes.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a signal relative to a coupling capacitance, called electrode-object capacitance, between the at least one measurement electrode and a nearby object
Implementation Method 2
at least one means of electrical polarization for polarizing said at least one measurement electrode at a first alternating electrical potential (VG) different from a general ground potential
Implementation Method 3
The fact of polarizing elements at the guard potential makes it possible to avoid the occurrence of leakage or stray capacitances between the capacitive detection electrodes and these elements at the guard potential
Data Source
AI summary
A robot including:for at least one sub-part, at least one measurement electrode,at least one type of electrical polarization for polarizing the at least one measurement electrode at a first alternating electrical potential, and the at least one polarization type is also arranged in order to polarize at least one electrically conductive part of the outer wall of at least one sub-part, at an alternating electrical potential (VG), called guard potential, identical or substantially identical to the first potential, at a working frequency.