Sensor and a method of making the same
AssigneeToyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
InventorsJunichi Shigeto, Takeshi Fukuda, Hiroaki Ono, Zhiwei Luo
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Abstract
The present invention provides a sensor including a tactile sensor and bending sensor and a method of making the same, of which the manufacturing cost is low, the production efficiency is high and the sensor sensitivity is improved. The present invention relates to a sensor including a tactile sensor and bending sensor composed of an elastomer containing a magnetic filler and a magnetic sensor that detects a magnetic change caused by deformation of the elastomer; and a method of making the same, of which the viscosity of the mixed solution of the thermosetting elastomer precursor solution with the magnetic filler is adjusted to a specified range.
Claims16
A tactile sensor comprising:
- an elastomer containing a magnetic filler, and
- a magnetic sensor that detects a magnetic change caused by a deformation of the elastomer due to touching,
- wherein the magnetic filler is unevenly distributed in the elastomer and an uneven distribution degree of the magnetic filler in the elastomer is within the range of 1 to 100.
A bending sensor comprising:
- an elastomer containing a magnetic filler, and
- two or more magnetic sensors that detect a magnetic change caused by a bending deformation of the elastomer,
- wherein the magnetic filler is unevenly distributed in the elastomer and an uneven distribution degree of the magnetic filler in the elastomer is within the range of 1 to 100.
A method of making a sensor comprising an elastomer containing a magnetic filler and a magnetic sensor, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) mixing the magnetic filler and a thermosetting elastomer precursor solution to form a mixed solution,
- (ii) molding the mixed solution into a sheet,
- (iii) unevenly distributing the magnetic filler in the thermosetting elastomer precursor solution,
- (iv) heating and curing the thermosetting elastomer precursor solution to form an elastomer sheet, and
- (v) magnetizing the magnetic filler to form a magnetic elastomer,
- wherein the mixed solution formed in the step (i) has a viscosity of 100 to 50,000 mPa·sec, an uneven distribution degree of the magnetic filler unevenly distributed in the step (iii) in the elastomer is within the range of 1 to 100.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.