Abstract: Currently, the performance of the parallel six-component force sensor is mostly evaluated by the isotropy. However, in practice, the sensor is used to perform a certain task which is not necessarily to be isotropic. Therefore, task-oriented structural design of a sensor has important significance to the practical application of the six-component force sensor. The static mathematic model is built by using the screw theory. Based on the task ellipsoid which is proposed from the grasping planning, the task model, which is divided into the force ellipsoid and the torque ellipsoid, is built. The relationship between the sensor and the task is studied. Then the analytical expression is deduced. The mathematic description of task-oriented performance evaluation is proposed. The six-component force sensor based on the Stewart platform which is used to perform the task of the inserted pin and the exploration is studied respectively, and the relationship between the task model and the structural parameters of the sensor is obtained. The research results are useful for the practical application of the six-component force sensor.

Key words: Force sensor, Parallel structure, Task