Patent · US Expired

Compact force transducer with mechanical motion amplification

US4899600A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
25References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 16, 1987
Grant dateFeb 13, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 16, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01L1/142
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A compact force transducer has at least one flexible beam mounted at one or both its ends to a force summing member or members. The force-to-be-measured is applied to the force summing member along a first axis generally transverse to the beams to deform the beam elastically, without overstressing, through a displacement d. A sensor member carries a conductive surface and is coupled to the beam member. In a parallelogram form, there are a parallel pair of beam members extending between two force summing members and a sensor member is secured to each beam member at or near its point of inflection. One sensor member includes multiple arms that sandwich the other sensor member to produce a linear, push-pull mode of operation. In a low cost cantilevered beam form, the sensor is coupled to the beam at the force summing member in a parallel, spaced relationship. In a hybrid push-pull form, the transducer uses a two beam parallelogram construction with cantilevered sensors (1) coupled rigidly to each beam adjacent one force summing member with a hinge coupling between the beam and this one force summing member, and (2) extending generally in a parallel spaced relationship with respect to …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.