A clamp device has first and second jaws movable relative to one another for clamping an object therebetween. A clamp sensor operatively connected to one of the jaws generates a clamping signal representative of a clamping force urging the first and second jaws towards one another. A display is arranged to display a value proportional to the clamping signal which is representative of the clamping force between the first and second jaws. A motor for driving movement of the second jaw relative to the first jaw is operated by a controller that responds to operator commands in a manual control mode and/or which automatically drives the motor so as to maintain the clamping signal measured by the clamp sensor within a prescribed threshold range to apply a constant clamping force between the first and second jaws under an automated control mode.

A deformable sensor for detecting a pose and force associated with an object is provided. The deformable sensor includes a housing, a deformable membrane coupled to an upper portion of the housing, an enclosure defined by the housing and the deformable membrane and configured to be filled with a medium, a time-of-flight receiver positioned within the enclosure and a plurality of time-of-flight emitters arranged around the time-of-flight receiver within the enclosure. The plurality of time-of-flight emitters are configured to emit signals toward the deformable membrane at different times. The time-of-flight receiver is configured to receive signals reflected from the deformable membrane.

A drive unit for providing drive from a robot arm to an instrument comprises a plurality of drive elements for engaging corresponding elements of the instrument, and a load cell structure. Each drive element is movable along a drive axis and the drive axes of each of the drive elements are substantially parallel to each other. The load cell structure includes a plurality of deflectable bodies coupled to the drive elements for sensing load on the drive elements parallel to their drive axes, and a frame. The frame includes an integral member supporting the deflectable bodies in such a way as to isolate each deflectable body from the load applied to the or each other deflectable body.

A method includes detecting a force applied to a sensing area of a sensor system, the sensing area including a first sensing region and a second sensing region. The first sensing region is determined to be a correct sensing region. The second sensing region is determined to be an incorrect sensing region. An activation area of the incorrect sensing region is determined. A force distribution of the incorrect sensing region is determined. A corrected corresponding force measurement of the incorrect sensing region is calculated based on the activation area and force distribution of the incorrect sensing region.

Aspects described herein provide structures for a force sensor, and force sensors using such structures, which are compact and easy to manufacture, for example by 3D printing. In particular the structures comprise a pair of stacked ring sensor elements, the ring sensor elements in turn being formed by upper and lower ring elements joined together at points around the circumference thereof by resiliently mounted connection bars. The connection bars may extend in the same plane as the rings, in which case sensitivity to torque about the axis of the rings is much reduced, such that a five-axis sensor is effectively obtained, or the connection bars may extend obliquely between the upper and lower rings of each sensor element, such that they have a directional component in the direction of the axis of the rings (the rings of each element being co-axially stacked). In this second case application of a torque about the ring axis causes the oblique connection bars to either increase or decrease their directional component in the axial direction, thus providing sensitivity to torque about the axis, and providing a compact six axis sensor.

Systems and methods for detecting pose and force against an object are provided. A method includes receiving a signal from a deformable sensor comprising data from a deformation region in a deformable membrane resulting from contact with the object utilizing an internal sensor disposed within an enclosure and having a field of view directed through a medium and toward a bottom surface of the deformable membrane. The method also determines a pose of the object based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane. The method also determines an amount of force applied between the deformable membrane and the object is determined based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane.

A system for transferring a substrate may adjust a suction force to a suitable level. The system may include a work table, a picker, and a pressure measuring unit. The work table may include a work area for supporting the substrate. The picker may be disposed above the work table and may include a suction unit for providing the suction force. The pressure measuring unit may overlap the suction unit and may include a pressure-sensitive element for facilitating adjustment of the suction force.

The present application relates to a sensor with a time-sharing regional shielding function and a robot. The sensor comprises a plurality of sensor units, each of which comprises regions contained in four multifunctional layers. Four parallel-plate capacitors are contained in the multifunctional layers. The multifunctional layers realize the regional shielding function through the time-sharing switching of analog switches and the control of a bus.

Provided is a load sensor that may precisely detect a load of pressing force to an object. A load sensor to be used for a multiaxial actuator (10) that has a drive rod (12) that linearly moves in an axial direction in a state where the drive rod (12) is contained in a housing (11), and a suction rod (22) that is arranged in parallel with the drive rod (12), linearly moves at the same time as the drive rod (12) in the axial direction, and has a tip end portion (22a) to be pressed, when a chip is to be suctioned, against the chip, includes a coupling member (30) that couples the drive rod (12) and the suction rod (22), in which the coupling member (30) has a first coupling part (31) that couples the drive rod (12), and a second coupling part (32) that couples the suction rod (22) in an integrated state, and the first coupling part (31) has a strain body part (311) that is formed to be thinner than the second coupling part (32) and supports the drive rod (12), and strain gauges (41) to (44) attached to the strain body part (311).

Disclosed herein is a method of measuring the chucking force of an electrostatic chuck. The method comprises placing a sensor wafer onto the electrostatic chuck, wherein the sensor wafer comprises a plurality of pressure sensors, and applying a chucking voltage to the electrostatic chuck. The method further comprises measuring the chucking force with the plurality of pressure sensors to determine a first chucking force profile of the electrostatic chuck, and processing a plurality of wafers on the electrostatic chuck. The method further comprises placing the sensor wafer onto the electrostatic chuck, and applying the chucking voltage to the electrostatic chuck. The method further comprises measuring the chucking force with the plurality of pressure sensors to determine a second chucking force profile of the electrostatic chuck.