Robot gripper control system using PVDF piezoelectric sensors

A novel robot gripper control system is presented that uses PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) piezoelectric sensors to damp exerted force actively. By monitoring the current developed by the PVDF sensor, an output proportional to the rate of change of the force exerted by the gripper is obtained. The signals from the PVDF sensor and strain-gauge force sensor are arranged in a proportional and derivative control system for the control of force. The control system was tested on an instrumented Rhino XR-1 manipulator hand. The capabilities of the control system are analyzed and are verified experimentally. The results for this particular gripper indicate that the additional sensory feedback can decrease the force step response rise time by 88% while maintaining a monotonic zero-overshoot response. The inclusion of the rate feedback increases the damping ratio of the dominant poles while maintaining the step response rise time.<>