Description |
The aim of this project is to build a force sensor for the wrist of a robot arm. The design is based on a force sensor manufactured by the Barry Wright Corporation, the Astek FS6-120A, a self-contained 6-axis force sensor with on-board microprocessor. The general principles and device layout have been preserved, a few functions have been eliminated, and much of the circuit has been replaced by a new Intel microcontroller which incorporates nearly all of the necessary digital components on one chip. The complete sensor unit consists of force transducers, analog amplifiers, an Intel 8097-90 microcontroller, and EPROM program memory housed in a small cylindrical enclosure. The unit is expected to be completed and programmed by the summer of 1987. It is designed to be mounted between the wrist and end-effector of a Unimation PUMA 500 robot arm and sample wrist loading at 500Hz. |