Sony Group Corporation
DETECTION DEVICE

Abstract:

An environmental contact unit 20 is formed into a hemispherical shell shape, and a contact surface with an environmental surface (for example, a floor surface, a wall surface and the like) is formed into a spherical shape. A support unit 30 supports the environmental contact unit 20 so as to be movable around a first axis and around a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. Ranging sensors 41x and 41y are provided with an angular difference of 90 degrees around a third axis orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis in an opposing position between an end face 211 of the environmental contact unit 20 and an opposing surface 341 provided on the support unit 30 so as to be opposed to the end face 211. An elastic body 51 is included between the end face 211 of the environmental contact unit and the opposing surface 341 of the support unit 30, and the ranging sensors 41x and 41y may measure displacement of the environmental contact unit with respect to the support unit generated in response to a force applied to a contact point between the environmental surface and the contact surface of the environmental contact unit, that is, a change in interval between the end face 211 and the opposing surface 341, and calculate a tangential force on the basis of a measurement result. It becomes possible to detect the tangential force with a robust and simple configuration.