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A Current-Mode Analog Front-End for Capacitive Length Transducers in Pneumatic Muscle Actuators.

Guido Di Patrizio Stanchieri¹, Andrea De Marcellis¹, Marco Faccio¹

¹Electronic and Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems Laboratory (EPICS Lab), Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics (DISIM), University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.

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Summary

This study presents a novel current-mode analog front-end circuit for precise capacitance-to-voltage conversion. The circuit demonstrates high sensitivity and resolution, enabling accurate measurements in industrial and medical applications.

Keywords:

capacitive length transducers collaborative and soft robotics current-mode analog front-ends pneumatic muscle actuators

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Area of Science:

Electronics Engineering
Biomedical Instrumentation
Sensor Technology

Background:

Capacitive sensors are crucial for various applications, requiring efficient signal conditioning.
Existing capacitance-to-voltage conversion circuits often face limitations in sensitivity, resolution, or tunability.
Analog front-end circuits are essential for interfacing sensors with measurement systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To design, implement, and characterize a current-mode analog front-end circuit for capacitance-to-voltage conversion.
To achieve high sensitivity and resolution for accurate capacitance measurements.
To demonstrate the circuit's utility in industrial and rehabilitation medicine, specifically with pneumatic muscles.

Main Methods:

The circuit utilizes an oscillator, a passive low-pass filter, and a DC-DC amplifier.
A current-mode approach employing second-generation current conveyor circuits was used for design.
Commercial discrete components were utilized for circuit implementation.

Main Results:

The circuit achieved a sensitivity of 167.34 mV/pF with a capacitance resolution of 5 fF at a gain of 1000.
Tunable gain, offset compensation, and regulation capabilities were demonstrated.
When applied to a McKibben pneumatic muscle, the system achieved a sensitivity of 70 mV/mm with a muscle length variation error of 0.008 mm.

Conclusions:

The developed current-mode analog front-end circuit offers a robust and tunable solution for capacitance measurement.
Its high performance and versatility make it suitable for diverse sensor applications, including biomedical monitoring.
The successful application to pneumatic muscle length measurement highlights its potential in rehabilitation medicine and robotics.