PURPOSE: To enable detection of fine external force, by arranging a plurality of touch fingers in pairs axially at intervals each with a pressure sensor at a part contacting a shaft to hold each of the touch fingers with a holding section.
CONSTITUTION: A shaft 1 is supported with touch fingers 2a, 2b and 2c and 4a, 4b and 4c arranged in a three equally divided manner about the shaft 1 at two points A and B through pressure sensors 3 and 5 and the touch fingers 2 and 4 are retained with a holding a holding section 6. With such an arrangement, tough the computation to determine external force by processing signals of the pressure sensors 3 and 5 is such that the supporting force is canceled on a formula basis to elevate the rigidity of the detecting section with a larger supporting force, fine external force can be detected by a simple computation of output signals from a plurality of pressure sensors.
OKUYA NORIO
FUJITA KEIJI