Deformable sensors and methods for modifying run-time membrane stiffness using magnetic attraction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023040504-A1
Application number	US-202117396062-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 6, 2021
Priority date	Aug 6, 2021
Publication date	Feb 9, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Deformable sensors and methods for modifying membrane stiffness through magnetic attraction are provided. A deformable sensor may include a membrane coupled to a housing to form a sensor cavity. The deformable sensor may further include magnetically-attractable particles located on or within the membrane. The deformable sensor may additionally include a magnetic object located at a base within the sensor cavity. The magnetic object may be configured to modifiably attract the magnetically-attractable particles and modify stiffness of the deformable sensor by modifying air pressure within the sensor cavity, based on modifiable strength of the magnetic object to attract the magnetically-attractable particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A deformable sensor comprising:
a membrane coupled to a housing to form a sensor cavity; and a magnetic object located at a base of the sensor cavity configured to modifiably attract magnetically-attractable particles located on or within the membrane to modify stiffness of the deformable sensor by modifying air pressure within the sensor cavity, based on modifiable strength of the magnetic object to attract the magnetically-attractable particles.

2 . The deformable sensor of claim 1 , further comprising a non-uniform distribution of the magnetically-attractable particles.

3 . The deformable sensor of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic object is a magnet.

4 . The deformable sensor of claim 3 , further comprising a base member located between the base of the sensor cavity and the magnet, wherein the base member is configured to elongate or contract to modify proximity of the magnet to the magnetically-attractable particles.

5 . The deformable sensor of claim 4 , further comprising a positional sensor configured to measure a position of the magnet relative to the magnetically-attractable particles.

6 . The deformable sensor of claim 4 , wherein the base member is configured to receive input from outside the deformable sensor to control positioning of the magnet relative to the magnetically-attractable particles.

7 . The deformable sensor of claim 4 , further comprising a floor sensor configured to:
observe deformation of the membrane; observe distance between the magnet and the magnetically-attractable particles; and control raising or lowering of the magnet based upon the deformation of the membrane and the distance between the magnet and the magnetically-attractable particles.

8 . The deformable sensor of claim 1 wherein the magnetic object is an electrified coil having a magnetic field configured to attract the magnetically-attractable particles.

9 . The deformable sensor of claim 8 , wherein the electrified coil is configured to:
modify attraction of the magnetically-attractable particles based upon modification of intensity of an electric current that generates the magnetic field of the electrified coil; and receive input from outside the deformable sensor to modify the intensity of the electric current of the electrified coil to modify the attraction.

10 . The deformable sensor of claim 9 further comprising a floor sensor configured to:
observe deformation of the membrane; and
increase or decrease the intensity of the electric current of the electrified coil based upon the deformation of the membrane.

11 . The deformable sensor of claim 10 further comprising the magnetically-attractable particles arranged in a grid pattern on an inner surface of the membrane, wherein the floor sensor is configured to determine an object type or a pose of an object in contact with the membrane based on the grid pattern and deformation of the membrane based on the contact.

12 . A method of magnetically modifying stiffness of a deformable sensor comprising:
modifying, within a sensor cavity formed by a membrane coupled to a housing, attraction between:
a magnetically-attractable particles located on or within the membrane; and
a magnetic object, located at a base within the sensor cavity; and
modifying stiffness of the deformable sensor based upon the modified attraction.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the magnetic object is a magnet.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising a base member located between the base of the sensor cavity and the magnet.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
elongating or contracting the base member located between the base of the sensor cavity and the magnet; and modifying proximity of the magnet to the magnetically-attractable particles based upon the elongating or contracting of the base member.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving input from outside the deformable sensor to control positioning of the magnet relative to the magnetically-attractable particles.

17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
observing, via a floor sensor, deformation of the membrane; observing, via the floor sensor, distance between the magnet and the magnetically-attractable particles; and raising or lowering of the magnet utilizing the base member based upon the deformation of the membrane and the distance between the magnet and the magnetically-attractable particles.

18 . The method of claim 12 , attracting the magnetically-attractable particles wherein the magnetic object is an electrified coil having a magnetic field that attracts the magnetically-attractable particles.

19 . The method of claim 18 further comprising:
modifying intensity of an electric current that generates the magnetic field of the electrified coil; and
modifying attraction intensity based upon modification of the electric current.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
receiving input from outside the deformable sensor to modify the electric current intensity of the electrified coil; and modifying the attraction based upon the received input.

Assignees

• Toyota Res Inst Inc

Inventors

• Kuehner Manuel L
• Kuppuswamy Naveen Suresh
• Yasuda Hiroshi

Classifications

• G01L5/009

  Force sensors associated with material gripping devices · CPC title

• G01L5/0061

  Force sensors associated with industrial machines or actuators (for the specific machine or actuator involved see relevant class, e.g. F01, F04, F16, B66, E21) · CPC title

• B25J13/081 Primary

  Touching devices, e.g. pressure-sensitive · CPC title

• B25J18/06

  flexible · CPC title

• G01B7/24 Primary

  using change in magnetic properties · CPC title