Precision in Robotics with ADI’s Technology Business Leader Donnacha Oriordan
as Robotics Market Training on Industrial Automation
Precision Sensing – Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
Torque / Force - For position and Orientation
Number of independent directions in which a rigid body can move freely within three-dimensional space.
DoF is represented by the movements or orientations a sensor can detect in 3D space
Usually made up of multiple 4/6 wire Bridge sensors depending on measurement needs 6DoF = 6 Bridge Sensors
Translational movements along the X, Y and Z axes
- Forward/backward motion along the X-axis (surge).
- Side-to-side movement along the Y-axis (heave)
- Up/down motion along the Z-axis (sway).
Rotational movements around these axes
- Side-to-side tilting around the longitudinal X-axis (roll).
- Forward/backward tilting around the transverse Y-axis (pitch).
- Left/right turning around the normal Z-axis (yaw).
Additional Considerations
Each axis requires redundancy and compensation for cross-axis effects,
8 and 16 strain gauges or more are commonly used and arranged in Wheatstone bridge configurations.
Signals are combined mathematically using a calibration matrix to isolate the six components of force and torque
Summary of Performance Benefits
Low‑noise, precise and isolated signal chain that enables accurate multi‑axis force and torque sensing at real‑time control rates in robotic environments.
| Product | Product Performance Benefit | System Performance Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| AD4170-4 | 4 Channel 24bit Mux’d ADC | Precise Orientation and Position |
| 24-Bit, DC to 50 kHz Input Bandwidth, Multichannel, Low Noise Precision Sigma-Delta ADC with PGA | with integrated feature set | Onboard diagnostics for Functional Safe Applications |
| High‑resolution, | Scalable to support temperature sensors for compensation | |
| low‑noise, | AD4170-4BCPZ | |
| multi‑axis measurement at ~1 kHz | ||
| Robust solution onboard diagnostics | ||
| ADR4550 | Provides stable 5 V bridge excitation and ADC reference | Stable scale, ratiometric accuracy |
| Ultra-Low-Noise, High-Accuracy 5.0V Voltage Reference | ADR4550ARZ-R7 | |
| LT3045 | Ultralow‑noise power supply for bridge + ADC | Minimizes supply‑induced noise and drift |
| 20V, 500mA, Ultralow Noise, Ultrahigh PSRR Linear Regulator | LT3045EDD-1#TRPBF | |
| ADuM341E | Isolates ADC digital interface from MCU/control | EMI immunity, ground‑loop protection, robust robotics integration |
| 5.7 kV/3.0 kV rms Quad Digital Isolators | ADUM341E0BRWZ-RL |