Transducer with six degrees of freedom

摘要

A transducer is provided which has six degrees of freedom and is arranged to output electrical signals indicative of the forces and moments applied thereto. The transducer comprises a rigid casing which, for example, is of cubic form. The casing is intended to be connected, for example, to the movable arm of a robot. A rigid body of a shape similar to the casing is suspended fluidically within the casing and is connected to a control shaft which projects through the casing. The external faces of the rigid body and the inner faces of the casing are both provided with conductive portions which together constitute a plurality of condensers the capacitance of which depends on the relative positioning of the body and casing. Forces and moments applied to the control shaft produce corresponding variations in the capacitance of these condensers and can therefore be easily measured.