A Study of Vibratory Tactile Sensor Using A Horn-Type Longitudinal Bar Resonator

Piezoelectric vibratory tactile sensors have been studied for measuring the softness and hardness of an object. In this research, a novel piezoelectric vibratory tactile sensor with a horn-type longitudinal bar resonator was investigated. For improving the sensitivity of the vibratory tactile sensor, the shape of the longitudinal bar resonator was calculated by the finite element method. The sensitivity of these tactile sensors with modified resonators was experimentally shown. It was clarified that the sensitivity of the tactile sensor was increased by modifying the shape of a resonator. Then, in order to reduce the vibration displacement at the supporting point on the tactile sensor, vibration displacement analysis was performed. The dimensions of the resonator, which were not affected by the conditions of the supporting points, were determined. This horn-type longitudinal bar resonator is expected as a novel tactile sensor with high performance.