Environmental recognition devices

Abstract When a micromachine works inside a narrow space inside tubes and equipment such as a microfactory, a microdevice that has a visual function is indispensable. To monitor the minute shapes of microfabrication and microassembly process that are impossible to observe, fiberscope types of environmental recognition devices have been developed. The devices are designed to allow stereoscopic and microscopic observation and to measure the dimensions of microparts. To achieve these goals and to realize minute structures and functions, we developed a microstereoscope, a microscope with a fiber-optic tactile sensor, and shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators that can bend the tip in any direction with high precision. A microstereoscope that is 2 mm in outer diameter with the parallax mechanism using an optically driven balloon actuator can vary the binocular parallax. To obtain the microscopic image, a contact scope is used. The contact scope obtains the near field image and can observe structures that are even smaller than the outer diameter of the contact scope. The tip articulation mechanism can bend approximately 60° and returned to the straight position when a current is applied to each of the SMA coil springs. The results show that easy and safe environmental recognition is possible in the narrow spaces of a microfactory.