A door handle includes a handle body with an external surface, an internal portion, and a mounting feature configured to couple the handle body to a door. The door handle also includes a force sensing element disposed in the internal portion of the handle body. The first force sensing element is configured to measure a force applied to the external surface of the door handle. The door handle further includes a communication element coupled to the force sensing element. The force measured by the force sensing element is used to determine an output function.

Broadly speaking, embodiments of the present techniques provide methods for driving shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator wires in a more power-efficient manner.

Provided herein is a pressure monitor for attachment at an edge of a door leaf, the pressure monitor configured, in response to a force applied to the pressure monitor in a first direction perpendicular to the plane of the door leaf, and in response to a force applied to the pressure monitor in a second direction that is parallel to the plane of the door leaf or opposite to the first direction, to issue a signal indicating that a force has been applied.

A stress-strain curve simulation method, for calculating a simulated stress-strain curve of a test object sandwiched between a mass block and a testing platform, the method comprises: obtaining a first acceleration curve associated with a plurality of pieces of acceleration data of the mass block and a second acceleration curve associated with a plurality of pieces of acceleration data of the testing platform; extracting a part of the first acceleration curve and a part of the second acceleration curve to obtain a first valid curve and a second valid curve; obtaining an object strain curve according to the first valid curve and the second valid curve; calculating an object stress curve based on the first valid curve and a contact area between the mass block and the test object; and calculating the simulated stress-strain curve based on the object strain curve and the object stress curve.

A method and an apparatus for identifying a force and/or torque exerted by a part, in particular a seat or closing part, such as, a window winding system or sunroof or trunk lid or sliding door of a motor vehicle, that can be electrically adjusted by way of an electric motor on a body resting on said part, having an actuation system, which is configured to apply a voltage to the motor, which voltage causes a force of the part on a body, if present, resting on the part, having a measurement device, which is configured, while the motor is stationary, to measure a variable of the motor representing a movement of the motor, having a comparison device, which is configured to identify, based on the measured variable, a force that is exerted by the part on a body resting on the part.

The invention relates to a tire comprising an apparatus, wherein said apparatus comprises a first, second, third, fourth and fifth layer, the third layer being optional, characterized in that the first layer comprises a first electrode material, the second layer comprises a first intervening material, the fourth layer comprises a second intervening material and the fifth layer comprises a second electrode material, wherein the first intervening material of the second layer and the second intervening material of the fourth layer are different, the four or five layers are arranged on top of one another in the above order and the second and/or fourth layer comprises at least one filler in addition to the intervening material. The invention also relates to the uses of the apparatus.

A stress analysis system for performing analysis of a force exerted on a test object is provided, wherein the test object is defined to have a plurality of predetermined areas at different positions thereof. The stress analysis system includes: an analysis module, and at least two stress bearing modules separate from each other, each of which is located at one of the predetermined areas. Each of the stress bearing modules includes a supporting strip component and a feature sensor, wherein the supporting strip component is able to produce a stressed feature in at least one spatial dimension when being subjected to the force, and the feature sensor is able to sense a stress state of the corresponding predetermined area of the test object in at least one spatial dimension, such that the stress analysis system can accurately analyze the stress state of the test object.

The present invention relates to a tactile sensor, a tactile stimulation sensing method using the same, and a robot skin and a robot comprising the same. Particularly, the present invention relates to a tactile sensor comprising an input layer for receiving an external tactile stimulus; a microphone member; and a medium layer disposed between the input layer and the microphone member, and including gas therein to transmit vibrations by the stimulus, a tactile stimulation sensing method using the same, and a robot skin and a robot comprising the same.

A pressure sensing unit includes: a first substrate and a second substrate opposite to each other; and at least one vertical thin film transistor disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. Each vertical thin film transistor includes a first electrode, a semiconductor active layer, a second electrode, at least one insulating support, and a gate electrode sequentially disposed in a direction extending from the first substrate to the second substrate. A first air gap is formed by the presence of the at least one insulating support between the gate electrode and the second electrode of each vertical thin film transistor.

A pressure sensitive sensor is composed of a cylindrical shape body including therein an inner peripheral surface and a hollow portion along a longitudinal direction of that cylindrical shape body, and being made of an elastic electrical insulating member, and a plurality of electrode wires arranged in a helical shape along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical shape body, and arranged in such a manner as to have no contact with each other. In the pressure sensitive sensor, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical shape body, at least some part of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical shape body lying between adjacent ones of the plurality of the electrode wires on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical shape body is formed in an inner side in radial directions of a circle passing through centers of the plurality of the electrode wires.