In endovascular treatments, precise manipulation of medical devices such as catheters in deep and curved vessels requires highly skilled techniques. To enhance safety and operability, we have developed a catheter-type tactile sensor using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film, aiming at measuring contact forces and detecting lesions based on surface changes. This study investigates the effect of silicone rubber encapsulation and the other structural parameters on the piezoelectric output of the sensor to improve the sensor structure. A coupled electrical-structural finite element analysis was used to simulate the displacement of a sensor tip composed of silicone rubber layers, the PVDF film, and a plastic film. Simulation results indicated that the encapsulation of the plastic film with the rubber increased the output charge by approximately 56.3%, attributed primarily to enhanced strain due to the lateral expansion of the silicone rubber. Furthermore, by increasing the plastic film thickness and the distance between the neutral plane and the PVDF film, the output charge increased. In addition, the sensor output varied under the asymmetric rubber thicknesses conditions.
ZHANG et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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