Decoupled Six-Axis Force-Moment Sensor with a Novel Strain Gauge Arrangement and Error Reduction Techniques

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Sensor Technology
• Instrumentation

Background:

• Six-axis force-moment (F/M) sensors are critical for measuring complex forces and torques.
• Minimizing crosstalk and maximizing sensitivity are persistent challenges in F/M sensor design.
• Existing sensor arrangements often struggle to achieve high accuracy and reduce interference simultaneously.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel strain gauge arrangement for decoupled six-axis F/M sensors.
• To implement advanced error reduction techniques for improved sensor performance.
• To enhance the sensitivity and minimize crosstalk readings of the F/M sensor.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel strain gauge arrangement using double parallel strain gauges.
• Implemented a calibration process incorporating the least squares method and error reduction techniques.
• Created a robust decoupling matrix to mitigate errors and crosstalk.

Main Results:

• Achieved a significant reduction in maximum calibration error to 3.91%.
• Reduced the F/M sensor measurement error to a maximum of 1.78%.
• Minimized crosstalk readings to a maximum of 4.78%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed novel strain gauge arrangement effectively increases sensitivity.
• The implemented error reduction techniques and calibration process yield a robust decoupling matrix.
• The study successfully minimized crosstalk and measurement errors in a decoupled six-axis F/M sensor.