Vibratory Tactile Sensor Integrated a Longitudinal Resonator and a Force Sensor

Tactile sensors have been used for sensing the softness and the hardness of an object. They make use of changes in the resonance frequency and the Q-value of resonators, which are induced when their vibrating sections are brought into contact with an object. This study proposes a new vibratory tactile sensor integrated a longitudinal bar type resonator and a force sensor. The resonance frequencies and these vibration modes of the tactile sensor are calculated using the finite element method. The sensitivity of the force sensor with a double-ended tuning fork resonator is analyzed and designed. The sensitivity of this force sensor is clarified experimentally. Then, the characteristics of the tactile sensor are confirmed using test pieces with different hardnesses. This longitudinal bar resonator integrated with a double-ended tuning fork resonator as a force sensor has potential as a high performance tactile sensor.