# US 10,480,923 B2 · Sensor apparatus and robot system having the sensor apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,480,923 B2 - Document ID: US10480923B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/764,697 - Filed: 2016-08-11 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-07 - Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH - Applicants: Robert Bosch GmbH - Inventors: Andreas Rueb; Lukas Becker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480923B2 ## CPC - G01B 7/012: Contact-making feeler heads therefor - B25J 13/088: {with position, velocity or acceleration sensors} - B25J 17/0208: {Compliance devices} - B25J 17/0225: {with axial compliance, i.e. parallel to the longitudinal wrist axis} - B25J 17/0233: {with radial compliance, i.e. perpendicular to the longitudinal wrist axis} - B25J 19/027: {Electromagnetic sensing devices} - G01B 7/003: {for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination (coordinate measuring G01B7/004)} - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract A sensor apparatus includes a main body, counter body movable relative to the main body, and a plurality of sensor devices for the output of sensor signals, the sensor devices each including at least one sensor and at least one target area. The sensors are disposed on one of the bodies, and the target areas are disposed on the other body. The sensors are developed for detecting the target areas in each case. The sensor apparatus further includes an evaluation device developed to determine from the sensor signals a relative position, in three translational degrees of freedom and in three rotational degrees of freedom, between the counter body and the main body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sensor system comprising: a main body; a counter body that is movable relative to the main body; a plurality of sensor devices, wherein, with respect to each of the plurality of sensor devices, the respective sensor device includes a respective target area on one of the main and counter bodies and a respective sensor, that is configured to detect the target area, on the other of the main and counter bodies; and a processor configured to determine a relative position, with respect to three translational directions and three rotational degrees of freedom, between the counter body and the main body from sensor signals output by the sensor devices. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the main body is connectable to a robot, and the counter body is a tactile body that is connectable to a tool. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the counter body and the main body each includes a plate section, and the plate sections are tiltable, rotatable, and shiftable relative to each other. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the counter body is disposed in preloaded form relative to the main body so that the counter body automatically places itself in an initial position relative to the main body. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the degrees of freedom via a calibration or via an analytical or numerical calculation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sensor system of claim 1, wherein: the sensors are distance sensors; the target areas are planar reference areas that each defines a respective plane that is allocated a respective one of the sensors; and for each pair of any two of the target areas, the respective planes of the target areas of the pair intersect each only in one line. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The sensor system of claim 6, wherein in a reference position between the main body and the counter body, a measuring direction of each of the sensors is perpendicular to the respective reference area plane allocated to the respective sensor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the target areas are magnet areas, and the sensors are magnetic-field sensors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The sensor system of claim 8, wherein the magnetic-field sensors are three-dimensional magnetic-field sensors. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The sensor system of claim 8, wherein a first one of the sensor devices includes three of the magnetic-field sensors and one of the target areas, which is a first magnet, and a second one of the sensor devices includes only one of the magnetic-field sensors and one of the target areas, which is a second magnet. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The sensor system of claim 10, wherein the first and the second magnets are set apart from each other. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The sensor system of claim 8, wherein a first one of the sensor devices includes three of the magnetic-field sensors and one of the target areas, which is a first magnet, and a second one of the sensor devices includes only two of the magnetic-field sensors and one of the target areas, which is a second magnet. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The sensor system of claim 8, wherein a first one of the sensor devices includes three of the magnetic-field sensors and one of the target areas, which is a first magnet, and a second one of the sensor devices includes three of the magnetic-field sensors and one of the target areas, which is a second magnet. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensors are configured to detect the respective target areas in a contact-free manner. ### Claim 15 A robot system comprising: a robot; a tool guidable by the robot; and a sensor system between the robot and the tool, wherein: the sensor system includes: a main body; a counter body that is movable relative to the main body; a plurality of sensor devices; and a processor configured to determine a relative position, with respect to three translational directions and three rotational degrees of freedom, between the counter body and the main body from sensor signals output by the sensor devices; and with respect to each of the plurality of sensor devices, the respective sensor device includes a respective target area on one of the main and counter bodies and a respective sensor, that is configured to detect the target area, on the other of the main and counter bodies. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The robot system of claim 15, wherein the tool is a probe tip. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The robot system of claim 15, wherein the tool is a gripper.