Sensors and Actuators 77 1999. 209220 www.elsevier.

nlrlocatersna

Design and fabrication of a six-component forcermoment sensor

Gab-Soon Kim
a

a,)

, Dae-Im Kang a , Se-Hun Rhee

Diision of Mechanical Metrology, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science P.O. Box 102, Yusong Taejon, 305-600, South Korea b Department of Precision Engineering, Hanyang Uniersity, Seoul, 133-791, South Korea Received 28 September 1998; received in revised form 25 March 1999; accepted 29 March 1999

Abstract This paper describes the development of a six-component forcermoment sensor with the plate-beams which may be used in industry for measuring forces Fx , Fy , Fz and moments M x , M y , M z simultaneously. In order to device the six-component forcermoment sensor, the procedures are performed as follows: first, the equations to predict the bending strains on the surfaces of the plate-beams under the forces or the moments are derived, second, the sizes of the sensing elements of the forcermoment sensor are determined by using the derived equations, third, the Finite Element Method FEM. analysis for confirming the strains from the theoretical analysis is performed, next, the attachment locations of the strain gages of each sensor are selected, then, the six-component forcermoment sensor is fabricated, and lastly, a characteristic test of the six-component forcermoment sensor is performed. It reveals that the rated strains calculated from the derived equations are in agreement with the results from the FEM analysis and the experiments. The interference errors of each sensor are less than 2.0%. q 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Six-component forcermoment sensor; Plate-beam; Strain; Rated strain; Interference error

1. Introduction The multi-component forcermoment sensor, which is a body that has more than two force sensors Fx , Fy , Fz sensor. or moment sensors M x , M y , M z sensor., measures forces Fx , Fy , Fz and moments M x , M y , M z which are applied to it simultaneously. The forcermoment sensor is used for controlling the force of the robots and machine tools, and also for measuring forces and moments in the automobile industry, the shipbuilding industry, the electronics industry etc. The accuracy of the sensor signifies the interference error because the interference errors are much higher than the nonlinearity or the repeatability. In order to construct the multi-component forcermoment sensor accurately, the sensing element of the sensor should be designed to minimize interference errors, and the strain distribution on the sensing element should also be analyzed w13x. The parallel plates w13x and the radial plates w2,3x are widely used as sensing elements of the multi-component forcermoment sensor. Yabuki w1x devel-

) Corresponding gskim@kriss.re.kr

author.

Fax:

q 82-42-868-5249;

E-mail:

oped the six-component forcermoment sensor using parallel plates for controlling the robots. Hatamura et al. w2x developed the six-component forcermoment sensor using radial plates for measuring the forces and the moments in industry. The interference errors of the above sensors are between 3 and 37%. Especially, when Fx is applied to M y , and Fy is applied to M x , the interference errors of sensors M x and M y occur over 5%. The interference errors of the forcermoment sensor can be reduced by a new design of the sensing element of the forcermoment sensor. In this study, a six-component forcermoment sensor is designed and fabricated with the plate-beams that may be used to measure the forces Fx , Fy , Fz and the moments M x , M y , M z simultaneously. The procedures for making the six-component forcermoment sensor are performed as follows: first, the equations to predict the bending strains on the surfaces of the plate-beams under the forces or the moments are derived, second, the size of the sensing element of the forcermoment sensor are determined by using the derived equations, third, the Finite Element Method FEM. analysis using ANSYS software is performed for confirming the strains from the theoretical analysis, next, the attachment locations of the strain gages

0924-4247r99r$ - see front matter q 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 9 2 4 - 4 2 4 7 9 9 . 0 0 2 0 8 - 3

210

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

of each sensor are selected, then, the six-component forcermoment sensor is fabricated, Finally, the characteristic test of the six-component forcermoment sensor is performed.

2. Theoretical analysis 2.1. Modeling of the force r moment sensor This paper has designed a six-component forcermoment sensor with plate-beams which may be used to measure the forces Fx , Fy , Fz and the moments M x , M y , M z simultaneously as shown in Fig. 1. The sensor for measuring the force Fz Fz sensor., the sensor for measuring the moment M x M x sensor. and the sensor for measuring the moment M y M y sensor. are composed of plate-beams A, B, C and D, and are located above the body. The ends of the plate-beams are attached to the

upper load-transmitting block and the other ends are attached to each block B1, 2, 3 and 4 of the body. The sensing elements are plate-beams which have a length of l 1 , a width of b 1 and a height of h1. The force and the moments are applied to the plate-beams through the upper load-transmitting block that is located at the center of the six-component forcermoment sensor. The sensors for measuring the forces Fx Fx sensor. and Fy Fy sensor. are composed of the plate-beams E, F, G, H, I, J, K and L, and the sensor for measuring the moment M z M z sensor. is composed of the plate-beams M, N, O and P. The sensors are located under the body. The ends of the plate-beams E, F, G, H, I, J, K and L are attached to each block 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the body and the other ends of them are attached to each moving block M1, M2, M3 and M4. Also, the ends of the plate-beams M, N, O and P are attached to the lower load-transmitting block and the other ends of them are attached to each moving block M1, M2, M3 and M4. The sensing elements of the sensors for the forces Fx and Fy are the plate-beams whose length, width and height are l 2 , b 2 and h 2 , respectively. Also the sensing elements of the sensor for the moment M z have plate-beams whose size is l 3 , b 3 and h 3 . The forces and the moment are applied to the plate-beams through the lower load-transmitting block which is located at the center of the six-component forcermoment sensor.

2.2. Theoretical analysis The equations for analyzing the strain distribution of the plate-beams are derived. The plate-beams are used as the sensing element for measuring the forces and the moments when the forces and the moments are applied to the plate-beams through the load-transmitting block.

2.2.1. A case in which force Fz is applied to the sensor The plate-beams for Fz sensor are the plate-beams A and B when the force Fz is applied to the upper load-transmitting block. As shown in Fig. 1, the plate-beams A and B are symmetrical in the y-axis, and the plate-beams C and D are also symmetrical in the x-axis. The equations for analyzing the strains are derived on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beam A and the derived equations are also used for analyzing the strains on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beam B. Fig. 2 shows the models in which equations were derived when the force Fzr2 was applied to the plate-beams A and B. The force FA y of the end x s 0. of the plate-beam A can be written as below Fz 4

Fig. 1. The structure of the sensing element for the six-component forcermoment sensor.

FA y s

1.

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

211

The moment MA of the end x s l 1 . of the plate-beam A can be written as MA s Fz l 1 8 Fz x 4 .

2.
Fz l 1 8

The moment M x at the arbitrary point x leads to MA s y .

3.

The equations for analyzing the strains on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beam A are derived by using the Hokes law and Eq. 3., which can be written as follows

Fig. 3. The free body diagram of the plate plate-beams for the six-component forcermoment sensor under the moment M x .

Ay U s y Ay L s

Fz 2 EZp

l1 2

yx

/
4.

Fz 2 EZp

l1 2

yx .

equations are also used for analyzing the strains on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beam D. The moment MC of the end x s 0. of the plate-beam C can be written as MC s Mx 2 .

5.

2.2.2. A case in which the moment M x is applied to the sensor The plate-beams for M x sensor are the plate-beams C and D, and the plate-beams for M y sensor are the platebeams A and B, respectively, when the moment M x or M y is applied to the upper load-transmitting block. As shown in Fig. 1, the plate-beams A and B are symmetrical in the y-axis, and the plate-beams C and D are also symmetrical in the x-axis. The equations for analyzing the strains are derived on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beams C and D, and the derived equations are also used for analyzing the strains on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beams A and B. Fig. 3 shows the models in which the equations were derived when the moment M x is applied to the plate-beams C and D. At the same position, the strain on the upper surface of the plate-beam C is equal to that on the lower surface of the plate-beam D. Thus, the equations for analyzing the strains are derived on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beam C, and the derived

The displacement in y-direction and the deformed angle lead to

ns

3 FC y l 1

2 MC l 1

3 EI MC l 1 EI y

2 EI
2 FC y l 1

fX s

2 EI

6.

The forces FC x , FC y and the moment MC can be derived 2 by using the Eq. 6., which is the displacement d1 u 1 . of d1 u 1 . of the y-directhe x-direction and the displacement tion at the end of the plate-beam C. They are FC x s FC y s MC s AE l1
3 l1 2 d1 u 1

7.
l1 2 l1 3

12 EI

12 EI d1
2 l1

d1 q q

/ /

u1 u1

8. 9.

By using the moment equilibrium-condition M01 s 0., Eq. 10. leads to Mx 2 s d1 FC y q MC .

10 .

By substituting Eqs. 8. and 9. into Eq. 10., the rotational angle u of the upper load-transmitting block cab be obtained as

u1 s

12 EId1
3 l1

M xr2 l1 12 EI d1 l1 d1 q q 2 q 2 2 3 l1

11 .

/
12 .

The moment M x X at the arbitrary point x leads to

Fig. 2. The free body diagram of the plate plate-beams for the six-component forcermoment sensor under the force Fz .

M x X s MC y xFC y

212

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

By substituting Eqs. 8. and 9. into Eq. 12., the moment M x X at the arbitrary point x can be obtained as M xX s 12 EIu 1
2 l1

d1

1 y 2

x l1

/
q l1 q l1

1 y 3

x 2 l1

13 .

force Fy , is applied to the plate-beams C and D. The moment M x generated by the force Fy at point OX is m = Fy . The force FC y is equal to Eq. 8. and the moment MC is equal to Eq. 9.. The FC x can be written as AE l1

The equations for analyzing the strains on the upper and lower surfaces of plate-beam C are derived by combining the bending strain and the tension strain, which can be written as

FC x s

2 d1 u 1 q Fy .

15 .

Cy U s

6 hu 1
2 l1

d1

1 2

Cy L s y

6 hu 1
2 l1

d1

/ / / /
y 1 2 y 1 3 l1 3 2 l1 x y l1 q l1 x y 2 l1

2 d1 u 1

l1 q
2 d1 u 1

l1

14 .
2.2.3. A case in which the moment M x generated by the force Fy is applied to the sensor The moment M x is necessarily generated when the force Fy is applied to the arbitrary point of the z-axis, as the moment M y is when the force Fx is applied as well. In order to reduce the interference errors of the sensor of moment M x or M y , the strains of the plate-beams for measuring the moment M x or M y should be analyzed when the force Fy or Fx is applied to the arbitrary point of the z-axis. The plate-beams A and B are symmetrical in the y-axis, and the plate-beams C and D are also symmetrical in the x-axis. At the same position, the strain on the upper surface of the plate-beam A is equal to that on the lower surface of the plate-beam B, and the strain on the upper surface of the plate-beam C is equal to that on the lower surface of the plate-beam D. Thus, the equations for analyzing the strains are derived on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beam C, and the derived equations are also used for analyzing the strains on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beams A, B and D. Fig. 4 shows the models in which the equations are derived when the moment M x , which is generated by the

The rotational angle u 1 of the upper load-transmitting block is equal to Eq. 11. and the moment M x X at the arbitrary point x is equal to Eq. 13.. The equations for analyzing the strains on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-beam C are derived by combining the bending strain and the tension strain, which can be written as 6 hu 1
2 l1

Cy U s

d1

1 y 2 Fy AE

x l1

/
q l1 x l1

1 y 3

x 2 l1

/
x

2 d1 u 1

l1

Cy L s y

6 hu 1
2 l1 2 d1 u 1

d1

1 y 2 Fy AE

/
q l1

1 y 3

2 l1

/
16 .

l1

Fig. 4. The free body diagram of the plate plate-beams for the six-component forcermoment sensor under the force Fy moment M x ..

2.2.4. A case in which the force Fy is applied to the sensor The plate-beams for Fx sensor are the plate-beams E, F, G and H, and the plate-beams for Fy sensor are the plate-beams I, J, K and L, respectively, when the force Fx or Fy applies to the lower load-transmitting block. As shown in Fig. 1, the plate-beams E, F and the plate-beams G, H are symmetrical in the y-axis, and the plate-beams I, J and the plate-beams K, L are also symmetrical in the x-axis. Thus, the equations for analyzing the strains are derived on the left and the right surfaces of the plate-beams E, F, G and H. The derived equations are also used for analyzing the strains on the surfaces of the plate-beams I, J, K and L. Fig. 5 shows the models in which the equations are derived when the force Fy is applied to the plate-beams E, F, G and H. When the force Fy s yP applies to the lower load-transmitting block, the displacement of the lower load-transmitting block, the moving blocks M1 and M3 are d 2 , d 1 and d 3 , respectively. The rotational angle, the vertical displacement, and the horizontal displacement of the moving block M4 are f 1 , and h each.

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

213

By using the displacement and the deformed angle of the endpoint x s 0. of the plate-beam M, the forces and the moment of the plate-beam M can be obtained as FM x s FM y s MM s A3 E l3
3 l3

yh .

26 .
l3 2

12 EI3 12 EI3
2 l3

d 2 y y d3 f1 y d2
2 y 2 y d3 2

f1
l3 3

/ /

27 . 28 .

f1 y

f1 .

By using the moment equilibrium-condition at the lower load-transmitting block and the moving block M4, the equations lead to 2 FO y q 2 FM y s P yFE x q FM x q FF x s 0
Fig. 5. The free body diagram of the plate plate-beams for the six-component forcermoment sensor under the force Fy .

29 . 30 . 31 . 32 .

FE y q FF y y FM y s 0 M M y M E y M F q d 3 FM y y d 2 FE x y d 2 FF x s 0.

The force FO y , the force FI y and the moment M I can be written as below A3 E 1 FO y s = d2 17 . 3 l3 A3 l2 1q 24 I2 l 3 FI y s A3 E 2 l3 A 3 El 2 4 l3 =

1
3 A3 l2

1q

24 I2 l 3 1
3 A3 l2

/ /

Substituting Eqs. 20., 23. and 26. into Eq. 30., the horizontal displacement h is 0. Also substituting the force equations and the moment equations into Eqs. 29., 31. and 32., the equations can be obtained as k 11 d 2 q k 12 q k 13 f 1 s P

33 . 34 . 35 .
24 EI3
3 l3

d2

18 .

k 14 d 2 q k 15 q k 16 f 1 s 0 k 17 d 2 q k 18 q k 19 f 1 s 0

MI s

d2 .

19 .

where k 11 k 19 are the constants, respectively. They are k 11 s 2 A3 E l3 = 1

3 A3 l2

1q

24 I2 l 3

/
/

By using the displacement and the deformed angle of the endpoint x s 0. of the plate-beams E and F, respectively, the forces and the moments of the plate-beams E and F can be obtained as follows 12 EI2 l2 FE x s h q d2 f1 q f1 20 . 3 2 l2 FE y s ME s FF x s FF y s MF s A2 E l2
2 l2

3 l3 3 l3

1q

24 I2 l 3

k 12 s y k 13 s y k 15 s

24 EI3 24 EI3 l3 2 , 12 EI3

3 l3

d3 q

k 14 s y 12 EI3
3 l3

21 .

2 A2 E l2 6 EI3
3 l3

l 2 EI3
3 l3

12 EI2 12 EI2
3 l2

h q 2

d2 2

f1 q

l2 3

k 16 s

f1

/ / /

22 .
k 17 s

d3 q

l3 2

yh q d 2 f 1 q

l2 2

2 d 3 q l 3 . , k 18 s y

6 EI3
3 l3

2 d3 q l3 .

f1

23 . 24 .

A2 E l2
2 l2

h y 2 q d2 2

k 19 s y

12 EI3
3 l3

12 EI2

f1 q

l2 3

f1 .

25 .

12 EI2
3 l2

2 l3 2 d3 q d3 l3 q

2 d2 q d2 l2 q

2 l2

/ /

36 .

214

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

The equations for analyzing the rated strains on the surfaces of the plate-beams I, K are derived by using the bending strain, which can be written as

IyU s y IyLs KyU s y KyL A3 h2 d 2 1 s = l3 y 2 x . . 3 8 I2 l 3 A3 l2 1q 24 I2 l 3

37 .

The equations for analyzing the interference strains on the surfaces of the plate-beams E, F, M, O and P are derived by combining the bending strain and the tension or compression strain, which can be written as 6 h3 d2 d3 l3 My U s y MyL s 3 y y q f1 l3 2 2 2 3 l3

/ 5

y d 2 y y d3 q

Ey LF s y
y

6 h3
3 l3

d2 2

d2 2 l2 2

l2 3

/ 5
l2

l3 2

/ 5

f1 x

38 .

Fig. 6. The free body diagram of the plate plate-beams for the six-component forcermoment sensor under the moment M z .

f1 l2

Ey RI s

6 h3
3 l3

Fy LF s

6 h3
3 l3

Fy RI s y
y

/ 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5
d2 q

f1 x q
l2 3

39 .

f1 l2

d2 q

l2 2

f1 x q
l2 3

l2

40 .

d2 2

f1 l2

d2 q

l2 2

f1 x y
l2 3

derived when the moment M z s yTr4 is applied to the plate-beams E, F and M. When the moment M z s yTr4 is applied to the lower load-transmitting block, the rotational angle of the lower load-transmitting block is u 2 . The rotational angle, the vertical displacement and the horizontal displacement of the moving block M4 are f 2 , and h, respectively. By using the displacement and the deformed angle of the endpoint x s 0. of the plate-beam E, F and M, respectively, the equations for the forces and the moments of the plate-beams E, F and M can be obtained as follows 12 EI2 l2 FE x s yh q d 2 f 1 q f 1 44 . 3 2 l2

l2

41 .
FE y s ME s

A2 E l2
2 l2

45 .

6 h3
3 l3

d2 2

f1 l2

12 EI2 12 EI2
3 l2

d2 q

l2 2

f1 x y
.

l2

42 .
FF x s

O s y P s

d2
l3 1 q

h y 2 q

d2 2

f1 q
l2 2

l2 3

f1

46 . 47 . 48 .

h q d2 f1 q

f1

/ /
l3 2

3 A3 l2

43 .
FF y s MF s

24 I2 l 3

A2 E l2
2 l2

h q 2 d2 2

12 EI2 A3 E l3
3 l3

2.2.5. A case in which the moment M z is applied to the sensor The plate-beams for the M z sensor are plate-beams M, N, O and P. As shown in Fig. 1, plate-beams E, F, M and plate-beams G, H, N are symmetrical in the y-axis, and the plate-beams I, J, O and the plate-beams K, L, P are also symmetrical in the x-axis. Thus, the equations for analyzing the strains are derived on the surfaces of the plate-beams E, F and M. The derived equations are also used for analyzing the strains on the surfaces of the other platebeams. Fig. 6 shows the models in which the equations are

f1 q

l2 3

f1

49 . 50 .

FM x s FM y s MM s

12 EI3 12 EI3
2 l3

d2 q d2 2 q

l3 2 l3 2

/ /

u 2 y y d3 q u2 y
y 2

d2 2

l3 3

/ 5 / 5
f2 f2 .

51 .

52 .

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

215

By using the moment equilibrium-condition at the lower load-transmitting block and the moving block M4, the equations lead to M M q d 2 FM y s T 4

The equations for analyzing the rated strains on the surfaces of the plate-beam M are derived by using the bending strain, which can be written as My U s y MyL s 6 h3
3 l3

53 . 54 .

d2 2

l3 3

u2 y

y 2

d3 2 l3 2

l3 3

/ 5

f 2 l3

FE x q FM x y FF x s 0 yFE y y FF y q FM y s 0

55 . 56 .

d2 q

l3 2

u 2 y y d3 q

/ 5

f2 x .

61 .

M M q M E q M F y d 3 q l 3 . FM y q d 2 FE x q d 2 FF x s 0.

The equations for analyzing the interference strains on the surfaces of the plate-beams E and F are derived by combining the bending strain and the tension or the compression strain, which can be written as

When Eqs. 44., 47. and 50. are substituted by Eq. 54., the horizontal displacement h is 0. Also substituting the force equations and the moment equations into Eqs. 53., 55. and 56., the equations can be obtained as k 21 u 2 q k 22 q k 23 f 2 s T 4

Ey LF s

6 h2
3 l2

57 .
Ey RI s y

k 24 u 2 q k 25 q k 26 f 2 s 0 k 27 u 2 q k 28 q k 29 f 2 s 0

58 . 59 .
y

where k 21 k 29 are the constants, respectively. They are k 21 s 12 EI3 I33

2 d2 q d2 l3 q

2 l3

Fy LF s y
y

k 22 s y

24 EI3
3 l3

d2 q d3 l3 2 l3 2

l3 2 q

/
2 l3

Fy RI s
q d2 d3 q d2 l3 2

6 h2
3 l2

k 23 s y

24 EI3
3 l3

/ 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5
q 2 3

d2

l2

f 2 l2

d2 q

l2 2

f2 x y
l2 3

l2

62 .

6 h2
3 l2

d2 2

f 2 l2

d2 q

l2 2

f2 x y
q l2 3

l2

63 .

6 h2
3 l2

d2 2

f 2 l2

d2 q

l2 2

f2 x q
l2 3

l2

64 .

d2 2

f 2 l2

d2 q

l2 2

f2 x q

l2

65 .

k 24 s

12 EI3
3 l3

d2 q

/
, k 26 s y d3 l3 2 12 EI3
3 l3

3. Design of the sensing elements

k 25 s y

2 A2 E l2 12 EI3
3 l3

12 EI3
3 l3

d3 q

l3 2

k 27 s y

d2 l3 2 l3 2

q d2 d3 q

l3 2

The sensors for measuring the forces Fx , Fy , Fz and moments M x , M y , M z , respectively, which have similar rated strains are designed. The design variables of the sensors are the rated capacity, the rated strain, the width, the length, the height of the plate-beam and the location considering the size of the strain gage w4x. The variables

k 28 s

12 EI3
3 l3

d3 q

/
2 l3

k 29 s

12 EI3
3 l3

2 d3 q d3 l3 q

/
2 l2

24 EI2
3 l2

2 d2 q d2 l2 q

60 .

Fig. 7. The finite element mesh and the deformed shape of the plate-beams for the Fz , M x , M y forcermoment sensor under the force Fz .

216

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

Fig. 8. The finite element mesh and the deformed shape of the plate-beams for Fz , M x , M y forcermoment sensor under the moment M x or M y .

for designing the six-component forcermoment sensor are determined as follows: 1. the rated capacity of the forces Fx , Fy and Fz is 100 N. The rated capacity of the moments M x and M y is 1 N m and the rated capacity of the moment M z is 2 N m, 2. the rated strain of each sensor is 1000 mmrm, 3. the attachment locations of strain gages are 3 mm from the end of the plate-beams for Fx , Fy , Fz , M x , M y sensor and the locations of strain gages are 5 mm from the end of the plate-beams for M z sensor in the lengthdirection. The sizes of the plate-beams ware calculated by substituting the determined variables into Eqs. 4., 14., 37. and 61.: the lengths of the plate-beams are l 1 s 18 mm and l 2 s l 3 s 17 mm, the heights of the plate-beams are h1 s 1.7 mm, h 2 s 1.4 mm and h 3 s 1.8 mm, the widths of the plate-beams are b 1 s b 2 s b 3 s 14 mm. The material of the plate-beams is Al 2024-T351.

Fig. 10. The finite element mesh and the deformed shape of the platebeams for Fx , Fy , M z forcermoment sensor under the force Fx or Fy .

4. FEM analysis The sensing elements of each sensor are analyzed by using the FEM to confirm the strains calculated from the derived equation when the forces Fy , Fz and the moments M x or M z is applied to each sensor, respectively. In doing this, the ANSYS program is used. The strains on the surfaces of the plate-beams are analyzed in two dimensions. To analyze the plate-beams, the material constants of the plate-beams require that the modulus of the longitudinal elasticity is 70 GPa and the Poissons ratio is 0.3. The plate-beams have a mesh-size of 0.5 mm in the length-direction, and the mesh-size is trisected in the height-direction. To analyze the plate-beams of each sensor using the FEM analysis, the rated capacity of each sensor is applied

to the plate-beams of each sensor: the forces Fy and Fz is 100 N, and the moments M x and M z are 1 and 2 N m each. To compare the strains from the pure moment M x with those of the moment M x generated by the force Fy , the moment M x generated by the force Fy , which is 1 N m, is applied to M x sensor. Fig. 7 shows the deformed shape of the plate-beams of the sensors for the force Fz and the moments M x , M y under the force Fz . Fig. 8 shows the deformed shape of the plate-beams of the sensors for the force Fz and the moments M x , M y under the moment M x or M y . Fig. 9 shows the deformed shape of the plate-beams of the sensors for the force Fz and the moments M x , M y under the moment M x generated by the force Fy . Fig. 10 shows the deformed shape of the plate-

Fig. 9. The finite element mesh and the deformed shape of the plate-beams for Fz , M x , M y forcermoment sensor under the force Fy moment M x ..

Fig. 11. The finite element mesh and the deformed shape of the platebeams for Fx , Fy , M z forcermoment sensor under the moment M z .

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

217

beams of the sensors for the forces Fx , Fy and the moment M z under the force Fx or Fy . Fig. 11 shows the deformed shape of the plate-beams of the sensors for the forces Fx , Fy and the moment M z under the moment M z . As shown in the figures, the deformed shapes under the forces, respectively, are symmetrical, and the deformations near the load-transmitted block under the moments, respectively, are larger than that far the load-transmitted block. 5. The results of the strains analysis Fig. 12 shows the attachment locations of the strain gages for each sensor. The attachment locations of strain gages for each sensor are as follows: Fx sensor has S17, S19, S21, S23, Fy sensor S25, S27, S29, S31, Fz sensor S9, S10, S11, S12, M x sensor S5, S6, S7, S8, M y sensor S1, S2, S3, S4, and M z sensor S33, S34, S35, S36. It is necessary to analyze the strain at the attachment locations of the strain gages for the six-component forcermoment sensor. The attachment locations of strain gages are 3 mm from the end of the plate-beams for Fx , Fy , Fz , M x and M y sensors, and the locations of the strain gages are 5 mm from the end of the plate-beams for M z sensor in the length-direction. Table 1 shows the results of the strains and the interference strains, from the theory and the FEM analysis when the rated capacity of each sensor applies to the load-transmitted block. The strain from the theoretical analysis is compared to that from the FEM analysis and its range of error is less than 5%. The interference strain from theoretical analysis is also compared to that from the FEM analysis and its range of error is less than 12.5%. The calculated

Fig. 12. The locations of the strain gages.

Table 1 The strains and the interference strains of each component Force N. or moment N m. Fx s 100 Gage Theory FEM Gage Theory FEM Gage Theory FEM Gage Theory FEM Gage Theory FEM Gage Theory FEM Strains mmrm. S17 y246 y242 S25 y246 y242 S9 291 297 S5 185 176 S1 y185 y176 S33 y261 y257 S19 y246 y242 S27 y246 y242 S10 y291 y285 S6 y280 y284 S2 280 284 S34 261 257 S21 246 242 S29 246 242 S11 291 285 S7 y185 y176 S3 185 176 S35 y261 y257 S23 246 242 S31 246 242 S12 y291 y297 S8 280 284 S4 y280 y284 S36 261 257 Interference strains mmrm. S25 95 93 S17 y95 y93 S1 y291 y297 S9 185 176 S17 y88 y85 S27 y95 y93 S19 95 93 S2 291 285 S10 y280 y284 S19 88 85 S29 95 93 S21 y95 y93 S3 y291 y285 S11 y185 y176 S21 88 85 S31 y95 y93 S23 95 93 S4 291 297 S12 280 284 S23 y88 y85 S1,S11 y81 y75 S5 y81 y75 S5 y291 y297 S25 y88 y85 S2,S12 383 388 S6 383 388 S6 291 285 S27 88 85 S3,S9 81 75 S7 81 75 S7 y291 y285 S29 88 85 S4,S10 y383 y388 S8 y383 y388 S8 291 297 S31 y88 y85

Fy s 100

Fz s 100

Mx s 1

My s 1

Mz s 2

218

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

Table 2 The rated strains and the interference errors of each component Sensor Rated strain mmrm. Theory FEM Theory FEM Theory FEM 984 968 984 968 1164 1164 Interference error %. 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sensor Rated strain mmrm. Theory FEM Theory FEM Theory FEM 930 920 930 920 1044 1028 Interference error %. 0 0 0 0 0 0

Fx Fy Fz

Mx My Mz

strains and interference strain are used for obtaining the rated strain and the interference errors, respectively. Table 2 shows the results of the rated strain and the interference errors calculated by using the strains and the interference strains. The full bridge for each sensor is constructed by using the selected strain gages for each sensor as shown in Fig. 13. The rated strain and the interference strain is calculated using Eq. 66..

62. 65. may be used for calculating the interference strains. 6. The manufacture of the force r moment sensor In order to devise a six-component forcermoment sensor, the strain strains are attached at the selected attachment locations using a bond, which is M-bond 200 made in Micro-Measurement. The full bridge for each sensor is constructed using the strain gages: S17, S19, S21, S23 for Fx sensor, S25, S27, S29, S31 for Fy sensor, S9, S10, S11, S12 for Fz sensor, S5, S6, S7, S8 for M x sensor, S1, S2, S3, S4 for M y sensor, and S33, S34, S35, S36 for M z sensor. The strain gages made in Micro-Measurement are used for making the six-component forcermoment sensor and the model of the gage is N2A-13-T001N-350. The gage factor is 2.08 and the length of the gage is 1.52 mm. The width of the gage is 2.54 mm. 7. The characteristic test and consideration In order to evaluate the rated strain and the interference errors, the three-component forcermoment sensor should be carried out the characteristic test using the six-component ForcerMoment Calibration Machine made by KRISS Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science. w5x. The uncertainty of the machine is less then 0.1%. Each sensor is tested three times by the six-component ForcerMoment Calibration Machine and the values from each sensor is averaged, respectively. Table 3 shows the rated strains of each sensor from the theoretical analysis and the experiments. The rated strain of Fx sensor is 984 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 956 mmrm in the experiment. The rated strain from theoretical analysis is
Table 3 The rated strains of the six-component forcermoment sensor Sensor Fx Fy Fz Mx My Mz

s T1 y C1 q T 2 y C 2

66 .

where is the rated strain or the interference error and T1 is the strain from the tension strain gage T1. T2 is the strain from the tension strain gage T2 . C1 is the strain from the compression strain gage C 1. C2 is the strain from the compression strain gage C 2 . The rated strain is as follows: The Fx sensor and Fy sensor are 984 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 968 in the FEM analysis, respectively. The Fz sensor is 1164 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and in the FEM analysis. M x sensor and M y sensor are 930 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 920 mmrm in the FEM analysis, respectively. M z sensor is 1044 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 1028 mmrm in the FEM analysis. The rated strain from theoretical analysis is compared to that from the FEM analysis and its error is less than 1.7%. The values of the interference errors calculated are 0. Thus, the derived Eqs. 4., 14., 37. and 61. may be used for calculating the rated strains of the six-component forcermoment sensor, which was designed in this study. And, the derived Eqs. 38. 43.,

Rated strain Theory 984 984 1164 930 930 1044 mmrm. Experi- 956 963 1098 880 892 1019 ment Error%. 2.9 2.2 5.7 5.4 4.1 2.4 Fig. 13. The full bridge circuit.

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220 Table 4 The interference errors in experiment Sensor Load Interference errors Fx s 100 N Fx Fy Fz Mx My Mz 0.5 1.4 0.6 1.5 1.7 Fy s 100 N 1.0 1.8 2.0 0.02 1.7 Fz s 100 N 0.01 0.05 1.0 1.7 0.04 Mx s 1 N m 0.02 0.09 0.8 0.4 0.2 My s 1 N m 0.01 0.1 0.3 0.6 0.3 Mz s 2 N m 0.1 1.5 1.1 0.2 0.2

219

compared to that from experiments and its range of error is less than 2.9%. The rated strain of Fy sensor is 984 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 963 mmrm in the experiment and the error compared is less than 2.2%. The rated strain of Fz sensor is 1164 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 1098 mmrm in the experiment, and the error compared is less than 5.7%. The rated strain of M x sensor is 930 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 880 mmrm in the experiment, and the error compared is less than 5.4%. The rated strain of M y sensor is 930 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 892 mmrm in the experiment, and the range of error compared is less than 4.1%. The rated strain of M z sensor is 1044 mmrm in the theoretical analysis and 1019 mmrm in the experiment, and the range of error compared is less than 2.4%. These errors may be generated due to the processing error and the attachment error of the strain gage. Table 4 shows the interference errors from the experiment. When the force Fx is applied to the sensor, the largest interference error is 1.7%. In case that the force Fy applies to the sensor, the largest interference error is 2.0%. When the force Fz is applied to the sensor, the largest interference error is 1.7%. When the force M x is applied to the sensor, the largest interference error is 0.8%. When the force M y applies to the sensor, the largest interference error is 0.6%. When the force M z applies to the sensor, the largest interference error is 1.5%. The interference error of the developed six-component forcermoment sensor in this study is reduced compared to the other one showed, which is about 3% w6x. 8. Conclusion This paper describes the development of a six-component forcermoment sensor with plate-beams which may be used to measure the forces Fx , Fy , Fz and the moments M x , M y , M z simultaneously. The results are as follows: 1. the derived Eqs. 4., 14., 37. and 61. may be used for calculating the rated strains of the six-component forcermoment sensor that is designed in this study. And the derived Eqs. 38. 43., 62. 65. may be used for calculating the interference strains. 2. the interference error of M y sensor when the force Fx applied to it and M x sensor when the force Fy applied to it are 1.5 and 2.0%, respectively. The results are

lower than those of the sensor manufactured by using the parallel plates or the radial plates. 3. the interference errors of the developed the six-component forcermoment sensor in this study are reduced compared to the others which have come out, which is about 3% w6x. Thus, the developed six-component forcermoment sensor may be used for controlling the force of the robots and the machine tools, and is also used for measuring the forces, Fx , Fy , Fz and the moments M x , M y , M z in the automobile industry, the shipbuilding industry, the electronics industry, etc. 9. Nomenclature Fx Fy Fz Mx My Mz FA y MA FC x FC y MC FE x FE y ME FF x FF y MF FI y MI FK y MK the force along the x-axis the force along the y-axis the force along the z-axis the moment along the x-axis the moment along the y-axis the moment along the z-axis the force applied to the plate-beam A along y-axis the moment applied to the plate-beam A the force applied to the plate-beam C along x-axis the force applied to the plate-beam C along y-axis the moment applied to the plate-beam C the force applied to the plate-beam E along x-axis the force applied to the plate-beam E along y-axis the moment applied to the plate-beam E the force applied to the plate-beam F along x-axis the force applied to the plate-beam F along y-axis the moment applied to the plate-beam F the force applied to the plate-beam I along y-axis the moment applied to the plate-beam I the force applied to the plate-beam K along y-axis the moment applied to the plate-beam K

the

the the

the the

the the

the

the

220

G.-S. Kim et al.r Sensors and Actuators 77 (1999) 209220

FM x FM y MM FO y FP y I Zp E A U

A L C U C L E LF E RI EF LE F RI IU

the force applied to the plate-beam M along x-axis the force applied to the plate-beam M along y-axis the moment applied to the plate-beam M the force applied to the plate-beam O along y-axis the force applied to the plate-beam P along y-axis the moment of inertia of the area the polar moment of inertia the modulus of the longitudinal elasticity the strain produced on the upper surface of plate-beam A the strain produced on the lower surface of plate-beam A the strain produced on the upper surface of plate-beam C the strain produced on the lower surface of plate-beam C the strain produced on the left surface of plate-beam E the strain produced on the right surface of plate-beam E the strain produced on the left surface of plate-beam F the strain produced on the right surface of plate-beam F the strain produced on the upper surface of plate-beam I

the the

IL K U K L

the

M U
the

ML O
the the the the the the the the the

the strain produced on the lower surface of the plate-beam I the strain produced on the upper surface of the plate-beam K the strain produced on the lower surface of the plate-beam K the strain produced on the upper surface of the plate-beam M the strain produced on the lower surface of the plate-beam M the strain produced on the surface of the plate-beam O the strain produced on the surface of the plate-beam P

References
w1x A. Yabuki, Six-axis forcertorque sensor for assembly robots, FUJTSU Sci. Technol. J. 26 1. 1990. 4147. w2x Y. Hatamura et al., A miniature 6-axis force sensor of multi-layer parallel plate structure, IMEKO, 1989, pp. 567582. w3x K. Ono et al., A new design for 6-component forcertorque sensors, mechanical problems in measuring force and mass, 1993, pp. 3948. w4x C. Ferrero, The measurement of parasitic components in national force standard machines, Measurement 8 2. 1990. 6676. w5x G.S. Kim et al, Development of 6-component forcermoment calibration machine, KSPE Korean Soc. Precis. Eng.. 15 9. 1998. 127 134. w6x NISSHO Electric Works, Multi-component Loadcell, 1997, 614.