# US 10,500,733 B2 · Displacement detecting apparatus, torque detecting apparatus, robot apparatus and displacement detecting method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,500,733 B2 - Document ID: US10500733B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/546,250 - Filed: 2016-03-23 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-06 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Isamu Okuma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500733B2 ## CPC - B25J 13/085: {Force or torque sensors (B25J13/082, B25J13/084 take precedence)} - G01D 5/3473: {Circular or rotary encoders} - G01L 3/12: involving photoelectric means - G01L 3/1421: {using optical transducers} - G01L 5/226: {to manipulators, e.g. the force due to gripping} - Y10S 901/46: Sensing device - 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}) - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract The displacement detecting apparatus acquires a quantity of a relative rotational displacement between a scale and a detecting head, based on a change of outputs of the light-receiving elements. The displacement detecting apparatus acquires the quantity of the relative rotational displacement between the scale and the detecting head, by combining a quantity of a rough relative rotational displacement between the scale and the detecting head, which has been acquired from an output of the total of light quantities that are output from each of the light-receiving elements in the detecting head, with a quantity of a fine relative rotational displacement between the scale and the detecting head, which has been acquired from an incremental displacement signal that is output from each of the light-receiving elements in the detecting head. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A displacement detecting apparatus comprising: a scale which has an optical pattern of a lattice arrangement; a detecting head which has light-receiving elements, which detect the optical pattern of the scale; and a controlling apparatus which acquires a rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head, based on a change of outputs of the detecting head, wherein the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head is determined using a first displacement quantity calculated based on a total light quantities that are output from the detecting head, and a second displacement quantity calculated based on an incremental displacement signal that is output from the detecting head. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least any one of a direction of the lattice arrangement of the optical pattern of the scale and a direction of the arrangement of the light-receiving elements of the detecting head is arranged so as to incline against a tangential direction to a direction of rotating the scale with respect to the detecting head. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optical pattern or the arrangement of the light-receiving elements is arranged to incline against the tangential direction to the direction of rotating the scale with respect to the detecting head so that two or more images of the optical pattern of the scale do not intersect with one light-receiving element of the light-receiving elements of the arrangement at the same time, on the light-receiving surface of the detecting head. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an adjusting unit which adjusts an inclination angle at which the direction of the lattice arrangement of the optical pattern or the arrangement of the light-receiving elements inclines against the tangential direction of the relative rotational displacement. ### Claim 5 A torque detecting apparatus which detects a force of deforming an elastic body, by a displacement detecting apparatus, through a quantity of a rotational displacement of the elastic body against a fixed member arranged in the vicinity of the elastic body, which is formed by deformation of the elastic body, wherein the displacement detecting apparatus comprises: a scale which has an optical pattern of a lattice arrangement; a detecting head which has light-receiving elements, which detect the optical pattern of the scale; and a controlling apparatus which acquires a rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head, based on a change of outputs of the detecting head, wherein the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head is determined using a first displacement quantity calculated based on a total light quantities that are output from the detecting head, and a second displacement quantity calculated based on an incremental displacement signal that is output from the detecting head, and wherein any one of the scale and the detecting head is fixed to the elastic body, the other is fixed to the fixed member so as to face any one of the scale and the detecting head fixed to the elastic body, and the torque detecting apparatus detects a force that is applied to the elastic body through the quantity of the rotational displacement between the scale and the detecting head, which the displacement detecting apparatus acquires. ### Claim 6 A robot apparatus comprising: a robot arm provided with a torque detecting apparatus at a joint or a driving unit of a robot hand; a controlling unit configured to execute a robot controlling to control an operation of the robot arm, based on a driving torque of the driving unit detected by the torque detecting apparatus, wherein the torque detecting apparatus detects a force of deforming an elastic body, by a displacement detecting apparatus, through a quantity of a rotational displacement of the elastic body against a fixed member arranged in the vicinity of the elastic body, which is formed by deformation of the elastic body, wherein the displacement detecting apparatus comprises: a scale which has an optical pattern of a lattice arrangement; a detecting head which has light-receiving elements, which detect the optical pattern of the scale; and a controlling apparatus which acquires a rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head, based on a change of outputs of the detecting head, wherein the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head is determined using a first displacement quantity calculated based on a total light quantities that are output from the detecting head, and a second displacement quantity calculated based on an incremental displacement signal that is output from the detecting head, and wherein any one of the scale and the detecting head is fixed to the elastic body, the other is fixed to the fixed member so as to face any one of the scale and the detecting head fixed to the elastic body, and the torque detecting apparatus detects a force that is applied to the elastic body through the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head, which the displacement detecting apparatus acquires. ### Claim 7 A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a controlling program of a robot apparatus, the robot apparatus comprising: a robot arm provided with a torque detecting apparatus at a joint or a driving unit of a robot hand; and a controlling unit configured to execute a robot controlling to control an operation of the robot arm, based on a driving torque of the driving unit detected by the torque detecting apparatus, wherein the torque detecting apparatus detects a force of deforming an elastic body, by a displacement detecting apparatus, through a quantity of a relative rotational displacement of the elastic body against a fixed member arranged in the vicinity of the elastic body, which is formed by deformation of the elastic body, wherein the displacement detecting apparatus comprises: a scale which has an optical pattern of a lattice arrangement; a detecting head which has light-receiving elements, which detect the optical pattern of the scale; and a controlling apparatus which acquires a rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head, based on a change of outputs of the detecting head, wherein any one of the scale and the detecting head is fixed to the elastic body, the other is fixed to the fixed member so as to face any one of the scale and the detecting head fixed to the elastic body, and the torque detecting apparatus detects a force that is applied to the elastic body through the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head, the program comprising code to execute: a first acquiring of acquiring by the controlling apparatus, a first displacement quantity calculated based on a total light quantities that are output from the detecting head; a second acquiring of acquiring, by the controlling apparatus, a second displacement quantity calculated based on an incremental displacement signal that is output from the detecting head; and a displacement detecting, by the controlling apparatus, of using the first displacement quantity and the second displacement quantity, to acquire the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head. ### Claim 8 A displacement detecting method, executed by a displacement detecting apparatus, the displacement detecting apparatus comprising: a scale which has an optical pattern of a lattice arrangement; a detecting head which has light-receiving elements, which detect the optical pattern of the scale; and a controlling apparatus which acquires a rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head, based on a change of outputs of the detecting head, wherein the method comprises: a first acquiring of acquiring by the controlling apparatus, a first displacement quantity calculated based on a total light quantities that are output from the detecting head; a second acquiring of acquiring, by the controlling apparatus, a second displacement quantity calculated based on an incremental displacement signal that is output from the detecting head; and a displacement detecting, by the controlling apparatus, of using the first displacement quantity and the second displacement quantity, to acquire the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first displacement quantity monotonically increases or decreases within a predetermined acquiring range. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first displacement quantity has a period longer than a period of the second displacement quantity. ### Claim 11 A displacement detecting apparatus comprising: a scale having an optical pattern of a lattice arrangement; and a detecting head having light-receiving elements which detect the optical pattern of the scale, wherein a direction of the lattice arrangement of the optical pattern of the scale is arranged so as to incline against a tangential direction to a direction of rotating the scale with respect to the detecting head, and wherein a direction of the arrangement of the light-receiving elements is arranged so as to be along the tangential direction to the direction of rotating the scale with respect to the detecting head. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a control apparatus, wherein the control apparatus acquires a first displacement quantity calculated based on a total light quantities that are output from the detecting head. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first displacement quantity monotonically increases or decreases within a predetermined acquiring range. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: the control apparatus acquires a second displacement quantity calculated based on an incremental displacement signal that is output from the detecting head, and the rotational displacement quantity of the scale with respect to the detecting head is acquired using the first displacement quantity and the second displacement quantity. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The displacement detecting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first displacement quantity has a period longer than a period of the second displacement quantity. ### Claim 16 A displacement detecting apparatus comprising: a scale having an optical pattern of a lattice arrangement; and a detecting head having light-receiving elements which detect the optical pattern of the scale, wherein a direction of the arrangement of the light-receiving elements is arranged so as to incline against a tangential direction to a direction of rotating the scale with respect to the detecting head, and wherein a direction of the lattice arrangement of the optical pattern of the scale is arranged so as to be along the tangential direction to the direction of rotating the scale with respect to the detecting head.