String‐Like Time of Flight Sensor Module for a Collaborative Robot

Abstract

Collaborative robots, that work alongside humans, will be an indispensable part of the future workforce. Proximity skin sensors on collaborative robots help them avoid collisions with people and other objects. Several skin sensors that fit the shape of the robot surface have been developed. As the shape of each robot varies, developing sensors for each of them is expensive and inefficient. In this study, we propose a string‐like time of flight (ToF) sensor module that can be easily mounted on the surface of a robot. The prototype sensor module consists of six ToF sensors, and each module can be interconnected. The module can detect the distance of an object and its position before making contact. Articulated string‐like modules are wrapped around the surface of the robot to detect objects at a given proximity range around the robot. The movement of the robot can be controlled based on the measurement data obtained by the sensor. Therefore, these proximity skin sensor modules can ensure safety and workability of the robot by preventing unwanted contact between the robot and objects. Thus, the sensor can be used as skin sensors in collaborative robots. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.