Accuracy Analysis and Experimental Study of a Six-Dimensional Force Sensor with Circular Flexible Spherical Joints

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Robotics
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Traditional spherical joints present manufacturing challenges and high costs.
• Existing six-dimensional force sensors may lack optimal accuracy due to structural limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a circular flexible spherical joint to reduce processing difficulty and manufacturing cost.
• To design and analyze a six-dimensional force sensor utilizing this novel joint.
• To investigate the impact of structural parameters on sensor accuracy.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of the stiffness matrix for the circular flexible spherical joint.
• Analysis of the force mapping matrix and its relation to structural parameters.
• Comparison with ideal spherical joints using finite element analysis and experimental validation.

Main Results:

• The circular flexible spherical joint significantly reduces processing difficulty and manufacturing cost.
• Structural parameters of the flexible joint influence the accuracy of the six-dimensional force sensor.
• The developed sensor prototype demonstrated good accuracy through finite element analysis and experiments.

Conclusions:

• The circular flexible spherical joint is a viable approach for developing cost-effective and accurate six-dimensional force sensors.
• The study provides valuable insights into optimizing sensor design through parameter selection.
• This research offers guidance for the design and analysis of similar force sensing systems.