Theory and application of an optimal design method for capacitive six-axis force/torque sensors

An optimal design method for high-precision capacitive six-axis force/torque sensors is studied. A new accuracy metric for the optimal design is proposed by describing the sensing principle, analyzing the error expressions. The method of optimization algorithm combined with finite element simulation is used to build the framework of the optimal design method. The optimal design method is combined with a global optimization algorithm to optimize the design variables of a reasonable structure. The result of the optimization is made into a prototype, and the performance is verified by calibration experiments. The experimental results show that the nonlinearity of the prototype is 0.552 %FS and the crosstalk of the prototype is 0.682 %FS. The design method proposed in this paper can design a high-performance capacitive six-axis force/torque sensor effectively.