Sweep-type triboelectric linear motion sensor with staggered electrode

Abstract For use in modern industrial automation, a sweep-type triboelectric linear motion sensor (ST-TLMS) is demonstrated that can monitor the position, displacement, velocity and direction of sliding objects. The ST-TLMS consists of a slider, a stator, and an acrylic groove box for housing them. They are configured allowing a flexible copolymer film to be fixed on the slider and moves with it and the stator to be coated with three pairs of copper electrode arrays arranged uniformly. The phases of adjacent pairs of electrodes are staggered by one third. Three periodic friction electrical signals are generated on the copper electrode by the back and forth sweeping of the stator and film. The experimental results show that the output amplitude after voltage amplification and signal processing remains basically unchanged at different sliding velocities, showing good stability. More importantly, the dominant frequency of the signal is consistent with the sliding velocity. Through real-time noise reduction and the signal transformation of the three output signals, the resolution and accuracy of the motion perception are effectively improved. Additionally, after 32 h of continuous operation, the output signal of the sensor had not decayed, which meets the requirements of durability in practical applications.