Design and Evaluation of Magnetic Hall Effect Tactile Sensors for Use in Sensorized Splints

Sensors

Vasiliki Vardakastani¹  AngelaE. Kedgley¹  ToniaL. Vincent²  MatthewD. Gardiner²  Ali Ghanbari³  Ali Alazmani³  Dominic Jones³  Lefan Wang³  PeterR. Culmer³ 

[1] Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK;Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK;School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK;

关键词: tactile sensors;    soft sensing;    force sensors;    hall effect sensor;    magnetic field;    hyperelastic elastomer;    silicone rubber;    calibration;    hand splint;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s20041123

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Splinting techniques are widely used in medicine to inhibit the movement of arthritic joints. Studies into the effectiveness of splinting as a method of pain reduction have generally yielded positive results, however, no significant difference has been found in clinical outcomes between splinting types. Tactile sensing has shown great promise for the integration into splinting devices and may offer further information into applied forces to find the most effective methods of splinting. Hall effect-based tactile sensors are of particular interest in this application owing to their low-cost, small size, and high robustness. One complexity of the sensors is the relationship between the elastomer geometry and the measurement range. This paper investigates the design parameters of Hall effect tactile sensors for use in hand splinting. Finite element simulations are used to locate the areas in which sensitivity is high in order to optimise the deflection range of the sensor. Further simulations then investigate the mechanical response and force ranges of the elastomer layer under loading which are validated with experimental data. A 4 mm radius, 3 mm-thick sensor is identified as meeting defined sensing requirements for range and sensitivity. A prototype sensor is produced which exhibits a pressure range of 45 kPa normal and 6 kPa shear. A proof of principle prototype demonstrates how this can be integrated to form an instrumented splint with multi-axis sensing capability and has the potential to inform clinical practice for improved splinting.

【 授权许可】

Unknown