Title
A Novel Low-Cost, Large Curvature Bend Sensor Based on a Bowden-Cable.
Abstract
Bend sensors have been developed based on conductive ink, optical fiber, and electronic textiles. Each type has advantages and disadvantages in terms of performance, ease of use, and cost. This study proposes a new and low-cost bend sensor that can measure a wide range of accumulated bend angles with large curvatures. This bend sensor utilizes a Bowden-cable, which consists of a coil sheath and an inner wire. Displacement changes of the Bowden-cable's inner wire, when the shape of the sheath changes, have been considered to be a position error in previous studies. However, this study takes advantage of this position error to detect the bend angle of the sheath. The bend angle of the sensor can be calculated from the displacement measurement of the sensing wire using a Hall-effect sensor or a potentiometer. Simulations and experiments have shown that the accumulated bend angle of the sensor is linearly related to the sensor signal, with an R-square value up to 0.9969 and a root mean square error of 2% of the full sensing range. The proposed sensor is not affected by a bend curvature of up to 80.0 m(-1), unlike previous bend sensors. The proposed sensor is expected to be useful for various applications, including motion capture devices, wearable robots, surgical devices, or generally any device that requires an affordable and low-cost bend sensor.
Year
DOI
Venue
2016
10.3390/s16070961
SENSORS
Keywords
Field
DocType
bend sensor,flexible sensor,shape sensor,bend measurement,low-cost sensor,Bowden-cable,cable conduit
Motion capture,Optical fiber,Curvature,Bowden cable,Mean squared error,Electronic engineering,Electromagnetic coil,Conductive ink,Engineering,Potentiometer
Journal
Volume
Issue
Citations 
16
7
2
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.44
8
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Useok Jeong1224.40
Kyu-Jin Cho232470.86