US 12,326,376 B1
Spike arrays for small displacement force measurement
Peter Brewer, Westlake Village, CA (US)
Assigned to HRL LABORATORIES, LLC, Malibu, CA (US)
Filed by HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/086,161.
Int. Cl. G01L 1/00 (2006.01); G01L 1/26 (2006.01)
CPC G01L 1/26 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for measuring a force generated by an expanding micro-actuator structure, the apparatus comprising an array of spike-like structures and a layer, the spike-like structures having pointed ends assembled to engage the layer, the pointed ends of the spike-like structures having a hardness greater than a hardness of the layer; and the expanding micro-actuator structure arranged to expand in a presence of a gas, wherein said expansion pushes the spike-like structures toward the layer and causes the pointed ends of the spike-like structure to form impressions in the layer.