Flexible sensing system, proximity sensing method and apparatus, intelligent robot, and device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12085597-B2
Application number	US-202217672558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2022
Priority date	Jan 8, 2020
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

This application discloses a flexible sensing system and an associated proximity sensing method. The flexible sensing system includes: a first thin film encapsulation layer and a first electrode layer attached to the first thin film encapsulation layer; the first electrode layer includes a bipolar electrode configured for forming an arc-shaped electric field for determining whether a distance between a target object and the sensing system is within the first distance range; the first electrode layer further includes a unipolar electrode configured for forming a vertical electric field for determining whether a distance between the target object and the sensing system is within the second distance range; and the first distance range is less than the second distance range. By using different sensing solutions for the object at different distance positions, the sensing system avoids the issue that a single sensing solution has a relatively low sensing accuracy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible sensing system, comprising:
a first thin film encapsulation layer and a first electrode layer attached to the first thin film encapsulation layer;
the first electrode layer comprising a bipolar electrode having dual polarities, wherein the bipolar electrode is configured to, when a target object approaches the flexible sensing system, form an arc-shaped electric field for determining whether a distance between the target object and the flexible sensing system is within a first distance range;
the first electrode layer further comprising a unipolar electrode having a single polarity, wherein the unipolar electrode is configured to, when the target object approaches the flexible sensing system, form a vertical electric field for determining whether the distance between the target object and the flexible sensing system is within a second distance range; and
the first distance range being less than the second distance range.

2. The flexible sensing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first electrode layer comprises a bipolar electrode array comprising n bipolar electrodes, n being a positive integer; and
the unipolar electrode comprises a frame-shaped unipolar electrode defining a hollow region, and the bipolar electrode array being within the hollow region of the frame-shaped unipolar electrode.

3. The flexible sensing system according to claim 2 , wherein
the n bipolar electrodes comprise at least one interdigital bipolar electrode
or
the n bipolar electrodes comprise at least one concentric electrode.

4. The flexible sensing system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a dielectric layer, a second electrode layer, and a second thin film encapsulation layer, wherein
the second electrode layer is attached to the second thin film encapsulation layer, and the first thin film encapsulation layer, the first electrode layer, the dielectric layer, the second electrode layer, and the second thin film encapsulation layer are sequentially superimposed; and
the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are configured to, when the target object is in contact with the flexible sensing system, form a contact sensing electric field for determining a pressure between the target object and the flexible sensing system.

5. The flexible sensing system according to claim 4 , wherein
the second electrode layer comprises an electrode sheet, and the first electrode layer being within a sheet region of the electrode sheet.

6. The flexible sensing system according to claim 5 , wherein the electrode sheet is a copper foil sheet.

7. The flexible sensing system according to claim 4 , wherein
the dielectric layer adopts an ion gel sensing material comprising a microstructure, the ion gel sensing material comprises a polymer and an ionic liquid, and the ion gel sensing material has an ion sensing characteristic;
or
the dielectric layer adopts an insulating material comprising a microstructure.

8. The flexible sensing system according to claim 4 , wherein
the second thin film encapsulation layer comprises any one of a polymer thin film or a TPU thin film.

9. The flexible sensing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first electrode layer comprises conductive carbon cloth as an electrode material, and the conductive carbon cloth is attached to the first thin film encapsulation layer;
or
the first electrode layer comprises a conductive metal as an electrode material, and the conductive metal is evaporated on the first thin film encapsulation layer;
or
the first electrode layer comprises a silver nanowire as an electrode material, and the silver nanowire is sprayed on the first thin film encapsulation layer.

10. The flexible sensing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first thin film encapsulation layer comprises any one of a polymer thin film or a thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) thin film.

11. A proximity sensing method performed by a computer device in connection with the flexible sensing system according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
obtaining near-field channel data acquired through the bipolar electrode of the flexible sensing system;
obtaining, when the near-field channel data does not meet a near-field data requirement, far-field channel data acquired through the unipolar electrode of the flexible sensing system, the near-field data requirement being a data requirement determined according to the first distance range; and
determining a distance between the target object and the flexible sensing system by using the far-field channel data.

12. A computer device, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing at least one instruction, the at least one instruction, when being loaded and executed by the processor, causing the computer device to implement the proximity sensing method according to claim 11 .

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing at least one instruction, the at least one instruction, when being loaded and executed by a processor of a computer device, causing the computer device to implement the proximity sensing method according to claim 11 .

14. An intelligent robot, comprising the flexible sensing system according to claim 1 , the flexible sensing system being attached to a preset position on a surface of the intelligent robot.

Assignees

• Tencent Tech Shenzhen Co Ltd

Inventors

• Dai Yuan
• Lu Peng
• Liu Siyuan
• Chen Ke
• Zhang Zhengyou
• Guo Chuanfei

Classifications

• B25J13/086 Primary

  Proximity sensors · CPC title

• B25J19/027

  Electromagnetic sensing devices · CPC title

• B25J19/028

  Piezoresistive or piezoelectric sensing devices · CPC title

• B25J19/02

  Sensing devices · CPC title

• G01D5/2417

  by varying separation · CPC title