The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 10, 2025
Filed:
Dec. 21, 2022
Hrl Laboratories, Llc, Malibu, CA (US);
Peter Brewer, Westlake Village, CA (US);
HRL LABORATORIES, LLC, Malibu, CA (US);
Abstract
A device and method for measuring the force generated by an expanding micro-actuator structure whose displacement is typically in the sub-micron range. Measurement of forces that occur at small displacements falls beyond the range of traditional load cell technology whose transducers require a minimum travel to record force changes. The force measurement of this invention uses spike arrays (nanometer tipped microstructure constructed of hard materials) together with a softer blank film that is imprinted by the array of spikes. The force may be determined by inverting the nano-indentation problem where the hardness (H) of the material is related to the applied force (F) of the nano-indenter by measuring the imprinted divot area (A) using the equation H=F/A. Alternatively, the force may be determined by comparing the imprinted pattern with known, standardized samples.