3-axis_force_sensor

Overview

This package contains a 3-axis force sensor for the EE of a 3-DoF manipulator.

Keywords: ESP32, Force, Onshape, Arduino IDE

License

Author: Victor Rosillo
University of Malaga Maintainer: Victor Rosillo Suero, vrosillo1110@gmail.com

Publications

Bachelor's Thesis: Adaptive control of a lightweight three-degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator.

Force sensor

3 degrees of freedom force sensor designed and manufactured by the author of this repository.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Arduino IDE (version 1.8.13 or latest)
• ESP32 Board Support installed in Arduino IDE

Installation

Installation from Packages

ROS version Melodic

Use rosdep:

sudo rosdep install --from-paths src

To make arduino libraries work, also install the relative dependencies:

sudo apt install ros-$ROS_DISTRO-rosserial-arduino ros-$ROS_DISTRO-rosserial

Building from Source

Building

To build from source, clone the latest version from this repository into your catkin workspace and compile the package using

cd catkin_workspace/src
git clone https://github.com/Robotics-Mechatronics-UMA/force_sensor_3D.git
cd ../
rosdep install --from-paths . --ignore-src
catkin_make

Install ESP32 Board Support

1. Open the Arduino IDE.
2. Navigate to File > Preferences.
3. In the Additional Board Manager URLs field, add the following URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
4. Click OK.
5. Now, go to Tools > Board > Boards Manager.
6. In the Boards Manager window, search for ESP32 and click Install on the "ESP32 by Espressif Systems" package.

Code Structure

The main file for this project is Force_sensor_node.ino.

Usage

To upload the Force_sensor_node.ino file to your ESP32 board, follow these quick steps:

1. Open the Arduino IDE.
2. Open the Force_sensor_node.ino file from File > Open and select the project.
3. Select the Board: Go to Tools > Board and choose ESP32 Dev Module.
4. Select the Port: Go to Tools > Port and choose the port for your ESP32.
5. Set the Baud Rate: Make sure the baud rate is set to 115200 in Tools > Port > Serial Monitor.
6. Upload the Code: Click the arrow button (Upload) to send the code to the board.

Once uploaded, the code will run on the ESP32.

Nodes

• force_sensor_node

  This node runs on the microcontroller and is responsible for reading the forces applied to the sensor, publishing data to the /Force topic.

Topics

Published Topics

• /Force ([geometry_msgs/Vector3])

  Where the reading of the force sensor will be published. Before reading the serial port information

Subscribed Topics

• /Tare ([geometry_msgs/Vector3])

  Where bias is recieved to achieve the sensor's tare.

Schemes

ROS communication scheme

Tare service

CAD model design

Onshape

The force sensor has been designed on Onshape, an open source program for CAD design. Here is the link to view the sensor assembly and each of the components: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/fbf007bb0a33f73671eeb8c9/w/1809b6ef5af569844b00136c/e/ea449d32f1a0e791a0cf33b8.

Exploded view of the sensor

Bugs & Feature Requests

Common Issues:

1. Port Not Detected:

• Ensure the drivers for the ESP32 are correctly installed.
• Try using a different USB cable or port on your computer.

2. Upload Fails:

• Hold the BOOT button while uploading the code.
• Ensure the correct board and port are selected in the Tools menu.

3. No Output in Serial Monitor:

• Double-check the baud rate setting in the Serial Monitor window.
• Ensure that the correct COM port is selected.