Nanomaterials for attaching mechanical force sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11714011-B2
Application number	US-202016843659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2020
Priority date	Apr 8, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A system comprises a member to receive a mechanical force, and a sensor to sense the mechanical force. The sensor is mounted on the member using a set of nanoparticles and a set of nanowires coupled to the set of nanoparticles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a member to receive a mechanical force; and
a sensor to sense the mechanical force, the sensor mounted on the member using a set of nanoparticles and a set of nanowires coupled to the set of nanoparticles, wherein the set of nanowires is aligned substantially in a vertical direction, the vertical direction being perpendicular to a length-wise surface of the sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of nanoparticles is positioned on the member, and wherein the set of nanowires is formed on the set of nanoparticles.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of nanoparticles is positioned on the sensor, and wherein the set of nanowires is formed on the set of nanoparticles.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a metal plate coupled to the set of nanoparticles.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the metal plate is mounted to either the member or the sensor.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a torque sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of nanowires includes a nanowire having a diameter of approximately 1 micron and a length of at least 2 microns.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of nanoparticles includes a nanoparticle having a diameter of 1 micron or less.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of nanoparticles comprises titanium or a titanium-tungsten alloy.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of nanowires comprises gold.

11. A system, comprising:
a member to receive a mechanical force;
a first set of nanowires coupled to the member; and
a sensor to measure the mechanical force, the sensor having a second set of nanowires coupled thereto, the first and second sets of nanowires coupled to each other, wherein the first set of nanowires and the second set of nanowires are aligned substantially in a vertical direction, the vertical direction being perpendicular to a length-wise surface of the sensor.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a first set of nanoparticles formed on the member, wherein the first set of nanowires is formed on the first set of nanoparticles.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a first set of nanoparticles formed on a metal plate, the metal plate mounted to the member, wherein the first set of nanowires is formed on the first set of nanoparticles.

14. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a second set of nanoparticles formed on the sensor, wherein the second set of nanowires is formed on the second set of nanoparticles.

15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a second set of nanoparticles formed on a metal plate, the metal plate mounted to the sensor, wherein the second set of nanowires is formed on the second set of nanoparticles.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the sensor is a torque sensor.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the member comprises a rotor.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and sets of nanowires includes at least one nanowire that has a diameter equal to or less than 1 micron and a length of at least 2 microns.

19. A method, comprising:
providing a member to receive a mechanical force;
providing a sensor to sense the mechanical force;
depositing a set of nanoparticles on at least one of the member or the sensor;
positioning a nanowire template above the set of nanoparticles, the nanowire template having a set of orifices passing through the nanowire template;
electroplating the set of nanoparticles to cause nanowires to form in the set of orifices of the nanowire template; and
using the nanowires to couple the member and the sensor together.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
depositing another set of nanoparticles on the other of the member or the sensor;
positioning another nanowire template above the another set of nanoparticles, the another nanowire template having another set of orifices passing therethrough;
electroplating the another set of nanoparticles to cause additional nanowires to form in the another set of orifices of the another nanowire template; and
coupling the additional nanowires to the nanowires.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein depositing the set of nanoparticles on one of the member or the sensor comprises depositing the set of nanoparticles on a metal plate of the one of the member or the sensor.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Muenster Ralf Jakobskrueger
• Koduri Sreenivasan Kalyani
• Cook Benjamin Stassen

Classifications

• G01L1/005 Primary

  by electrical means and not provided for in G01L1/06 - G01L1/22 · CPC title

• C25D7/006

  Nanoparticles · CPC title

• G01L3/02

  Rotary-transmission dynamometers · CPC title

• C25D11/045

  for forming AAO templates · CPC title

• C25D1/003

  3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers · CPC title