Performance tests characteristic of a pneumatic proximity tactile array sensing device

Abstract

This paper details the design principles of operation and performance characteristic of a pneumatic proximity-to-tactile sensing device which can be used in part handling, slip detection-monitoring and recognition within flexible manufacturing environments. This sensing device utilizes a densely packed line array of piezoresistive pressure sensors, providing continuous, variable output. The sensing plane of the device incorporates a corresponding line array of air jets which form an air cushion when striking a target of interest. The back pressure data obtained from the proposed tactile sensing device are used to reconstruct a two-dimensional image profile of a target of interest to form the basis for the task of target detection and recognition. In this paper various parameters that can affect the response behaviour of the tactile sensing device are also described and experimental results are presented. Results of the experiments show that the sensitivity measurement of the tactile sensing device decreases with the increase of the number of sensing elements (back pressure air jet) which also reduces the sensing range (distance between the sensing plane and the target). The tactile device presented is a research prototype and has been evaluated on a simple test rig: in this form it is not at a stage where it can be applied to slip detection and part identification of flat surfaces on the shop floor.