Flexible magnetostrictive tactile sensor array for pressure and stiffness detection

The acquisition of tactile information is the primary way for the intelligent manipulator to collect the physical properties of objects. The information is used to guide accurate grasp of the manipulator. Based on the inverse magnetostrictive effect and bionic structure, a novel flexible magnetostrictive tactile sensor array is developed. By detecting the contact stress of multiple contacts, the stiffness of the object is achieved. The sensor array consists of six sensing units, which are mainly comprised of Galfenol alloy, permanent magnet and Hall sensor. The contact stress model and stiffness measurement model of the sensing unit are derived. The static and dynamic force sensing performance of the sensing unit is investigated experimentally. Its sensitivity is 23.86 mV/N under 0~3 N stress, and the maximum output voltage is 71.58 mV. Six sensing units are integrated into the flexible printed circuit board. A 2×3 flexible magnetostrictive sensor array is established, which is deployed on the controllable trajectory manipulator. The voltage signal of sensor array is obtained to analyze the stiffness of the object, which is used to guide the precise grasping of the manipulator. © 2020, Science Press. All right reserved.