Feasibility of a novel indicator for lump detection using contact pressure distribution

This paper presents a novel indicator for lump detection that uses only contact pressure distribution, as well as its feasibility evaluation. The conventional lump detection methods are based on a pressure map obtained from contact pressure distributions, but they requires an adequate regulation of the contact condition during measurements. An alternative approach is to use a stiffness map, for which displacement measurement is necessary using additional devices or precise motion control. The proposed indicator relies on only the difference between the normal force and the surface normal obtained from contact pressure distributions. Thus, contact condition or probe motion does not affect the performance of the proposed method. The feasibility of the proposed method was evaluated by simulations and experiments, both of which showed promising results.