The design of multiaxial force/moment transducers with particular emphasis on the problem of cross-talk

Abstract

There is a great need for multiaxial force/moment transducers. The complexity of these transducers increases with the number of components they must measure. One of the major problems with these transducers relates tocross-talk. A large part of the cross-talk and other errors can be eliminated by putting great care into the design, manufacture and gaging procedures. However, cross-talk usually cannot be completely eliminated. By using precision calibration fixtures and techniques, the magnitude of the cross-talk can be determined accurately for every possible combination of conditions. Once the cross-talk is known, the error functions representing the cross-talk can be developed. Analog circuits can then be built to represent these mathematical error functions and operate on the output voltage of the transducer to greatly improve the accuracy.

The object of this paper is to describe the essence of the cross-talk problems and the techniques developed to eliminate them. The technique is illustrated through the description of two recently developed multiaxial (3-component and 5-component) transducers.