US 12,092,544 B2
Optical force sensors
Amir Hossein Hadi Hosseinabadi, Vancouver (CA); and Septimiu E. Salcudean, Vancouver (CA)
Assigned to The University of British Columbia, Vancouver (CA)
Appl. No. 17/274,745
Filed by THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, Vancouver (CA)
PCT Filed Sep. 10, 2019, PCT No. PCT/CA2019/051276
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 9, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/051693, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 19, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/834,357, filed on Apr. 15, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/824,312, filed on Mar. 27, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/728,933, filed on Sep. 10, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0099510 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
Int. Cl. G01L 5/166 (2020.01); G01L 25/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01L 5/166 (2013.01) [G01L 25/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for measuring forces and torque on a load-carrying element, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of optical sensors mounted to the load-carrying element, each of the optical sensors comprising a light source, a photosensor and an opaque mask positioned in a light path between the light source and the photosensor, the photosensor comprising first and second light sensitive elements separated by a boundary and the mask having a window that is movable relative to the photosensor and located such that light from the light source that passes through the window forms an illuminated region on the photosensor, the illuminated region including at least part of the boundary and parts of each of the first and second light sensitive elements;
wherein, for each of the plurality of optical sensors:
the light source and the photosensor are mounted to a first part and the first part is coupled to the load-carrying element at a first location and a second part of the optical sensor comprising the mask is attached to the load-carrying element at a second location spaced apart from the first location; and
a part of the load-carrying element extending between the first location and the second location undergoes deformations as a result of the forces; and
wherein the boundaries between the first and second light sensitive elements of the photosensors of different ones of the optical sensors are oriented in different directions relative to an axis of the load-carrying element.