Abstract: A torque sensor of the present invention includes: a ring-shaped deformation body; first to fourth displacement electrodes deformable due to elastic deformation of the ring-shaped deformation body; first to fourth fixed electrodes arranged at positions opposite to those of the first to fourth displacement electrodes; and a detection circuit that outputs an electrical signal representing torque based on a variation amount of capacitance values of first to fourth capacitive elements formed by the first to fourth displacement electrodes and the first to fourth fixed electrodes, wherein the detection circuit outputs, as the electrical signals representing the acting torque, a first electrical signal corresponding to a difference between “a sum of a capacitance value of the first capacitive element and a capacitance value of the second capacitive element” and “a sum of a capacitance value of the third capacitive element and a capacitance value of the fourth capacitive element” and a second electrical signal corres

Abstract: A force sensor of the present invention includes: a supporting body arranged on an X-Y plane; a deformation body arranged opposite to the supporting body and having a deformation part elastically deformed by an action of a force to be detected; a fixed electrode arranged on the supporting body; a displacement electrode provided to the deformation part of the deformation body in such a manner as to face the fixed electrode with which it forms a capacitive element; and a detection circuit that outputs an electrical signal representing the acting force based on a variation amount of a capacitance value of the capacitive element, wherein the capacitive element includes a first capacitive element and a second capacitive element, and the detection circuit determines whether the force sensor is normally functioning based on a first electrical signal corresponding to a capacitance value of the first capacitive element, a second electrical signal corresponding to a capacitance value of the second capacitive element, a

Abstract: A force sensor of the present invention includes: a supporting body arranged on an X-Y plane; a deformation body arranged opposite to the supporting body and having a deformation part elastically deformed by an action of a force to be detected; a fixed electrode arranged on the supporting body; a displacement electrode provided to the deformation part of the deformation body in such a manner as to face the fixed electrode with which it forms a capacitive element; and a detection circuit that outputs an electrical signal representing the acting force based on a variation amount of a capacitance value of the capacitive element, wherein the capacitive element includes a first capacitive element and a second capacitive element, and the detection circuit determines whether the force sensor is normally functioning based on a first electrical signal corresponding to a capacitance value of the first capacitive element, a second electrical signal corresponding to a capacitance value of the second capacitive element, a

Abstract: A torque sensor of the present invention includes: a ring-shaped deformation body; first to fourth displacement electrodes deformable due to elastic deformation of the ring-shaped deformation body; first to fourth fixed electrodes arranged at positions opposite to those of the first to fourth displacement electrodes; and a detection circuit that outputs an electrical signal representing torque based on a variation amount of capacitance values of first to fourth capacitive elements formed by the first to fourth displacement electrodes and the first to fourth fixed electrodes, wherein the detection circuit outputs, as the electrical signals representing the acting torque, a first electrical signal corresponding to a difference between “a sum of a capacitance value of the first capacitive element and a capacitance value of the second capacitive element” and “a sum of a capacitance value of the third capacitive element and a capacitance value of the fourth capacitive element” and a second electrical signal corres

Abstract: A plate-like supporting body (200) is arranged below a plate-like force receiving body (100) and a deformation body (300) is connected between them. The deformation body (300) is provided with an elastically deformed portion (310) arranged along a connection channel (R1) which connects a first force receiving point (P1) with a second force receiving point (P2), a first base portion (320) and a second base portion (330) which support the elastically deformed portion (310) from below. The upper end of the first base portion (320) supports the vicinity of a first relay point (m1) on the connection channel (R1) so as to sway freely, and the upper end of the second base portion (330) supports the vicinity of a second relay point (m2) on the connection channel (R1) so as to sway freely.

Abstract: A plate-like supporting body (200) is arranged below a plate-like force receiving body (100) and a deformation body (300) is connected between them. The deformation body (300) is provided with an elastically deformed portion (310) arranged along a connection channel (R1) which connects a first force receiving point (P1) with a second force receiving point (P2), a first base portion (320) and a second base portion (330) which support the elastically deformed portion (310) from below. The upper end of the first base portion (320) supports the vicinity of a first relay point (m1) on the connection channel (R1) so as to sway freely, and the upper end of the second base portion (330) supports the vicinity of a second relay point (m2) on the connection channel (R1) so as to sway freely.

Abstract: With the Z-axis given as a central axis, on an XY-plane, arranged are a rigid force receiving ring, a flexible detection ring inside thereof, and a cylindrical fixed assistant body further inside thereof. Two fixing points on the detection ring are fixed to a supporting substrate, and two exertion points are connected to the force receiving ring via connection members. When force and moment are exerted on the force receiving ring, with the supporting substrate fixed, the detection ring undergoes elastic deformation. Capacitance elements or others are used to measure distances between measurement points and the fixed assistant body and distances between the measurement points and the supporting substrate. Elastic deformation of the detection ring is recognized for mode and magnitude, thereby detecting a direction and magnitude of force or moment which is exerted.

Abstract: A small, high-stiffness torque sensor. An annular deformable body is disposed between left and right side supports. Convex sections protruding from the left side support in a rightward direction are joined to the left side surface of the annular deformable body, and convex sections protruding from the right side support in a leftward direction are joined to the right side surface of the annular deformable body. When force is applied to the right side support and torque around the Z axis acts on the left side support, the annular deformable body is elliptically deformed and the long-axis position of the inner peripheral surface of the annular deformable body moves away from the Z axis while the short-axis position moves closer to the Z axis. The acting torque is detected as a variation in the capacitance value of capacitive elements formed by displacement electrodes and fixed electrodes.

Abstract: With the Z-axis given as a central axis, on an XY-plane, arranged are a rigid force receiving ring, a flexible detection ring inside thereof, and a cylindrical fixed assistant body further inside thereof. Two fixing points on the detection ring are fixed to a supporting substrate, and two exertion points are connected to the force receiving ring via connection members. When force and moment are exerted on the force receiving ring, with the supporting substrate fixed, the detection ring undergoes elastic deformation. Capacitance elements or others are used to measure distances between measurement points and the fixed assistant body and distances between the measurement points and the supporting substrate. Elastic deformation of the detection ring is recognized for mode and magnitude, thereby detecting a direction and magnitude of force or moment which is exerted.

Abstract: A small, high-stiffness torque sensor. An annular deformable body is disposed between left and right side supports. Convex sections protruding from the left side support in a rightward direction are joined to the left side surface of the annular deformable body, and convex sections protruding from the right side support in a leftward direction are joined to the right side surface of the annular deformable body. When force is applied to the right side support and torque around the Z axis acts on the left side support, the annular deformable body is elliptically deformed and the long-axis position of the inner peripheral surface of the annular deformable body moves away from the Z axis while the short-axis position moves closer to the Z axis. The acting torque is detected as a variation in the capacitance value of capacitive elements formed by displacement electrodes and fixed electrodes.

Abstract: A reseat system of a touch signal probe includes a fixed component, a movable component, a pair of hard balls provided on the fixed component, a cylindrical body provided on the movable component for abutting the hard balls, and a piezoelectric element for relatively sliding the hard balls and the cylindrical body. Since an outer circumference of the cylindrical body has conic shape, both a contact point on the cylindrical body and a contact point on a hard ball change position thereof during relative slide movement.

Abstract: A reseat system capable of restraining reseat shift in returning from escape movement and thus capable of obtaining reseat return accuracy without adding separate mechanism is provided. A locus drawn by a tip of a stylus when the stylus moves parallel to an axis thereof at a rest position while a hard ball on a fixed component is in contact with a cylindrical body on a movable-component having the stylus is inclined in a direction of a biasing force. When a pressing force is applied to the movable component, since a reaction force against the pressing force is generated at a contact point of the cylindrical body and the hard ball, reseat shift of the movable component can be restrained.

Abstract: An interference optical system (1) is employed to split an input light beam in two, giving a predetermined optical path length difference to the resultant two light beams and thereafter synthesizing them to generate interference fringes. A reference light with a known wavelength &lgr;1 is introduced into the interference optical system (1) from a coherent reference light source (2). A test light with an unknown wavelength &lgr;2 is simultaneously introduced into the interference optical system (1) from a coherent test light source (3) via a different optical path. The interference optical system (1) modulates both received signals obtained from the reference and test lights by giving the same variation to optical path length differences for the reference and test lights. Degrees of modulations of the received signals, obtained from the reference and test lights, depend on their wavelengths &lgr;1 and &lgr;2, respectively.

Abstract: Displacement detector 1 generates bi-phase sine wave signals S1A and S1B with a period of P1 in accordance with a displacement L to be detected. Another displacement detector 2 generates bi-phase sine wave signals S2A and S2B with a period of P2 different from the period P1 in accordance with the displacement L to be detected. Wavelength composing means 3 composes the sine wave signals S1A, S2A and the cosine wave signals S1B, S2B output from the displacement detectors 1 and 2 to generate bi-phase sine wave signals, SxA=S1A·S2B−S1B·S2A and SxB=S1B·S2B+S1A·S2A, with a period of Px equal to the least common multiple between the periods P1 and P2.

Abstract: A part of the output light from a semiconductor laser (1), which has a wavelength controllably variable with an injection current, is split at a beam splitter (3) and introduced into a interference optical system (5). In order to vary an optical path length difference between two light beams in the interference optical system (5) to modulate interference fringes to be obtained, AOMs (55, 56) are arranged on the two split optical paths and an EOM (56) on one of them. The interference fringes obtained from the interference optical system (5) are received at a photoreceptive device (7), and from the received signal, the phase is detected by a phase detector (8) and the phase amplitude is detected by an amplitude extractor (9). In order to stabilize the wavelength, a controller (10) feedback controls the injection current to the semiconductor laser (1) so that the phase amplitude matches to a predetermined setting.

Abstract: A vibration change is detected by a touch signal probe having a vibrator (16) composed of a stylus support (10) and a stylus (13) attached thereto, and a vibrating/detecting means (12) provided to the stylus support (10) for applying vibration to the vibrator (16) and detecting a vibration condition changing when the stylus (13) touches a workpiece. The vibrator (16) is vibrated at a frequency equivalent to secondary intrinsic frequency (w2) to make resonance and the vibration change is detected by superposing a vibration component of primary intrinsic frequency (w1). Though the vibration at the secondary intrinsic frequency (w2) has high Q value, response amplitude is small. Accordingly, the vibration change is amplified by superposing the vibration component of the primary intrinsic frequency (w1).

Abstract: In a touch signal probe (10) having a stylus holder (11), a vibrator (12) supported by the stylus holder (11) and has a contact portion (12A) to contact to a workpiece at a distal end thereof, a vibrating means (13A) for vibrating the vibrator (12) in an axial direction resonantly, and a detecting means (13B) for detecting the contact by a change in the vibration of the vibrator (12) caused by the contact to the workpiece is provided. The vibrator (12) is supported by the stylus holder (11) at two support points (A) and (B) positioned with a node of vibration of the vibrator (12) therebetween. Since the vibrating means (13A) and the detecting means (13B) are disposed spanning over the two support points, the node of vibration can be formed between the support points A and B and the size of the touch signal probe (10) can be easily reduced.

Abstract: The stylus support (10) has a center consonant with an origin of a plurality of axes, a stylus (13) on a side thereof and a vibrating/detecting element (12) disposed outside a surface perpendicular to an axis. A fitting portion (14) for fitting a probe body (15) is formed to the stylus support (10) and an aperture (17) is penetrated around the fitting portion (14) along the axis, so that the vibration of the stylus support (10) is isolated from a periphery of a fitted position of the probe body (15). Accordingly, an outer portion of the stylus support (10) outside the aperture (17) can be vibrated freely from the probe body (15) to allow the stylus (13) to vibrate sufficiently for improving accuracy.

Abstract: A grating-interference type displacement meter apparatus is disclosed wherein a convex lens or a concave mirror is disposed such that a focal point thereof is placed on a refraction plane or a diffraction plane of a diffraction grating, or wherein zeroth-order beams transmitted through the diffraction grating are reflected back in the same direction by a rectangular prism or a triangular prism for reentrance thereof onto the diffraction grating. Hereby, a plurality of optical beams produced by the diffraction grating are directed to propagate parallely to directions of propagation thereof defined in its design.