Description

Sandia has developed a unique, non-contact capacitive sensing technology that has been applied to robotic applications such as seam tracking and collision avoidance. This technology is currently being applied to develop a sensor system for "standoff" control — keeping robots at the right distances and orientations with respect to surfaces — of tools used in hazardous environments in the nuclear weapons complex.

Sandia's Standoff Sensor System consists of a four-inch diameter sensor inside a rugged plastic housing. This lightweight assembly is designed to be attached to a variety of robotically deployed tools.

The sensor produces four electric fields that extend outward from the face of the sensor providing detection of objects up to six inches away without touching them. When the sensor comes in the vicinity of an object, the electrical fields are disrupted, resulting in capacitance changes between the electrodes. These capacitance changes are measured, processed, and fed back as varying voltages to a robot's control system. The electronics are located near the robot base and are used to process sensor signals and communicate via a network link to a remotely located robot controller. Within the robot's control system, the sensor output can be combined in a variety of ways to control critical motions of the subject tool. Typically, the distance of the tool from the surface and the rotations required to keep the tool perpendicular to the surface are controlled.

Features