A Novel Variable Resolution Torque Sensor Based on Variable Stiffness Principle

High resolution and large range force/torque (F/T) measurements are usually required in many engineering tasks. However, most existing F/T sensors only have a fixed resolution over their whole ranges. The key lies in that it is difficult to well balance high resolution and large range in the sensor design. Taking the torque sensor for example, this paper presents a better compromise for this problem i.e., a novel variable resolution torque sensor based on variable stiffness principle. From the structural points of view, the sensor is constructed with multiple radial flexures to achieve a pure rotational motion with negligible parasitic center motions. Two resistive strain gauges (RSGs) are selected as the measuring units of the sensor to detect the applied external torque and meanwhile provide variable resolutions in the two different measuring ranges (each RSG for one range). Static and dynamic models of the sensor are established in details and validated through finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate its characteristics. A principle prototype is finally fabricated and tested to verify the effectiveness of the presented design. RSGs are calibrated through a commercial six-axis F/T sensor from ATI Industrial Automation, Inc. Experimental results show that the torque sensor can provide high and low resolutions in the small and large ranges respectively and possesses the first natural frequency of 673 Hz. In addition, the proposed variable resolution method can also be applied to the development of multi-axis F/T sensors.