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:
Aug. 16, 2011
Filed:
May. 25, 2010
Jayaraman Venkataraghavan, Dunlap, IL (US);
William Love, Dunlap, IL (US);
Stephen R. Lewis, Chillicothe, IL (US);
Zhenlong Xu, Peoria, IL (US);
Jayaraman Venkataraghavan, Dunlap, IL (US);
William Love, Dunlap, IL (US);
Stephen R. Lewis, Chillicothe, IL (US);
Zhenlong Xu, Peoria, IL (US);
Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US);
Abstract
A system for preloading piezoelectric actuators includes a fixture, a preloading mechanism configured to apply a mechanical force to a piezoelectric element supported by the fixture, and a sensor configured to sense an electrical property induced by the mechanical force in an electrical circuit having the piezoelectric element therein. A control device is coupled with the sensor and configured to generate a signal based on the sensed electrical property. A method of setting or testing preload includes applying a mechanical force to a piezoelectric element, and correlating an electrical property induced by the mechanical force with a magnitude of the mechanical force. Closed loop control allows preload to be set highly accurately.