Development of Rubber-Based Flexible Sensor Sheet for Care-Related Apparatus
Development of Rubber-Based Flexible Sensor Sheet for Care-Related Apparatus
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开发用于护理相关设备的橡胶基柔性传感器片
DOI：
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发表时间：
2012
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
T. Mukai
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Shijie Guo;Y. Kato;Hiroaki Ito;T. Mukai
在日本，随着老年人口的迅速增长，需要护理的人数也在增加。2005年，这些人的数量估计为3，920，000人，预计2015年将增加到5，690，000人，2020年将增加到6，440，000人（1）。因此，对高功能护理相关设备的需求正在增加，并且已经密集地进行了这种设备的研究和开发（2）-（6）。2007年，东海橡胶工业株式会社与理化学株式会社共同研发了护理辅助机器人，并于2009年推出了首款能够帮助人在床和轮椅之间移动的双臂机器人RIBA（Robot for Interactive Body Assistance）。2011年，发布了实用性和操作安全性增强的RIBA改进版RIBAII。此外，东海橡胶工业与九州大学合作开发了一种预防压疮（褥疮）的活动床垫，并于2011年10月在家庭护理和康复展览会上展示了原型。目前，东海橡胶工业公司正在对活动床垫进行现场测试，并进一步开发其产品。对于上述机器人和设备，与人的接口需要具有高可靠性的大面积柔性触觉传感器。为了满足这一要求，已经提出、研究和开发了各种触觉传感器。这种传感器包括触觉传感器，其采用分立半导体（7）、接触电阻（8）、（9）、导电橡胶（10）、（11）、压电聚合物（12）和电容（13）、（14）。我们的研究小组通过集成半导体传感器并将其安装在机器人RIBA的软外壳上，进行了触觉传感器的研究和开发。这使得机器人能够基于人的触觉和接触的检测（15）、（16）来操作。然而，实际上难以用这种触觉传感器覆盖机器人的整个身体，因为表现出高测量精度的半导体传感器是昂贵的。采用接触电阻和压电聚合物的传感器片具有弯曲柔性，但与人类的兼容性低;人类必须感觉到传感器片触感舒适，这是布和橡胶所表现出的特性。而且，将这种传感器片制成复杂的形状是困难的。为了解决上述现有传统传感器片的问题，我们的研究小组在过去几年中开发了一种由橡胶制成的电容式软传感器片。在本文中，我们描述的原则，制造方法，和传感器片的特点，以及它的应用程序的护理助理机器人RIBA-II和床垫，以防止压疮。
In Japan, the number of people who require care is increasing with the rapidly growing elderly population. The number of these people was estimated to be 3,920,000 in 2005 and is expected to increase to 5,690,000 in 2015 and to 6,440,000 in 2020(1). Accordingly, the need for highfunctionality care-related apparatus is increasing, and research and development of such apparatus has been intensively carried out(2)-(6). In 2007, Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd. started joint research and development with RIKEN into nursing-care assistant robots, and in 2009 released a robot RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance), the first-ever two-armed robot that can help transfer a person between a bed and a wheelchair. In 2011, RIBAII, an improved version of RIBA with enhanced practicality and operational safety, was released. In addition, Tokai Rubber Industries developed an active mattress with the aim of preventing pressure ulcers (bed sores) jointly with Kyushu University, and presented the prototype at the Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition in October 2011. Currently, Tokai Rubber Industries is conducting field tests on the active mattress and further developing its products. Large-area flexible tactile sensors with high reliability are required for the interfaces with humans for the abovementioned robots and apparatus. To meet this requirement, various tactile sensors have been proposed, studied, and developed. Such sensors include tactile sensors that employ discrete semiconductors(7), contact resistance(8), (9), conductive rubber(10), (11), piezoelectric polymers(12), and capacitance(13), (14). Our research group has carried out research and development on tactile sensors by integrating semiconductor sensors and mounting them on the soft exterior of the robot RIBA. This enabled the operation of the robot based on the human sense of touch and the detection of contact(15), (16). However, it is practically difficult to cover the entire body of the robot with such tactile sensors because semiconductor sensors, which exhibit high measurement accuracy, are expensive. Sensor sheets that employ contact resistance and piezoelectric polymers have bending flexibility but low compatibility with humans; it is necessary for humans to feel that the sensor sheets are pleasant to touch, a property exhibited by cloth and rubber. Also, fashioning such sensor sheets into complicated shapes is difficult. To solve the problems of the above-mentioned existing traditional sensor sheets, our research group has developed a capacitive soft sensor sheet made of rubber over the last few years. In this paper, we describe the principles, manufacturing method, and characteristics of the sensor sheet as well as its application to the care assistant robot RIBA-II and a mattress for preventing pressure ulcers.