# US 12,595,998 B2 · Strain gauge

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,595,998 B2
- Document ID: US12595998B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/255,739
- Filed: 2021-12-03
- Published: 2023-12-21
- Granted: 2026-04-07
- Earliest claimed: 2020-12-11
- Assignees: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
- Applicants: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
- Inventors: Iku Ishihara; Aya Ono; Yosuke Ogasa; Yuta Aizawa; Toshiaki Asakawa; Atsushi Kitamura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12595998B2

## CPC

- G01B 7/20: {formed by printed-circuit technique}
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS

## Abstract

According to the present disclosure, a strain gauge has: a flexible substrate; a resistor formed on the substrate; and a pair of electrodes formed on the substrate and electrically connected with the resistor via conductive traces, and, in this strain gauge, a width of the resistor is 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and the conductive traces include a portion with a width of 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A strain gauge comprising:
a flexible substrate;
a resistor formed on the substrate; and
a pair of electrodes formed on the substrate and electrically connected with the resistor via conductive traces,
wherein a width of the resistor is 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less,
wherein a width of each of the conductive traces is 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and
each of the conductive traces includes a portion having a width smaller than the width of the resistor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The strain gauge according to claim 1, wherein a strain limit is 8,000 us or more.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The strain gauge according to claim 1, wherein the conductive traces electrically connect each end of the resistor in a grid width direction with a corresponding one of the pair of electrodes.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The strain gauge according to claim 3,
wherein the conductive traces include:
a first conductive trace that electrically connects one end of the resistor in the grid width direction with one of the pair of electrodes; and
a second conductive trace that electrically connects the other end of the resistor in the grid width direction and the other one of the pair of electrodes, and
wherein an entirety of the first conductive trace and an entirety of the second conductive trace have the width of 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

### Claim 5

A strain gauge comprising:
a flexible substrate;
a resistor formed on the substrate; and
a pair of electrodes formed on the substrate and electrically connected with the resistor via conductive traces,
wherein the conductive traces further include:
two or more first conductive traces that electrically connect one end of the resistor in a grid width direction with one of the pair of electrodes; and
two or more second conductive traces that electrically connect another end of the resistor in the grid width direction with another one of the pair of electrodes, and
wherein an entirety of each first conductive trace and an entirety of each second conductive trace have a width of 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

### Claim 6

A strain gauge comprising:
a flexible substrate;
a resistor formed on the substrate; and
a pair of electrodes formed on the substrate and electrically connected with the resistor via conductive traces,
wherein the conductive traces further include:
a first conductive trace that electrically connects one end of the resistor in a grid width direction with one of the pair of electrodes; and
a second conductive trace that electrically connects another end of the resistor in the grid width direction with another one of the pair of electrodes,
wherein the first conductive trace includes:
one thick portion, one end of which is electrically connected to the one end of the resistor in the grid width direction; and
two or more thin portions that branch from another end of the thick portion and that are electrically connected to the one of the pair of electrodes,
wherein the second conductive trace includes:
one thick portion, one end of which is electrically connected to the another end of the resistor in the grid width direction; and
two or more thin portions that branch from another end of the thick portion and that are electrically connected to the another one of the pair of electrodes, and
wherein an entirety of each thin portion has a width of 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The strain gauge according to claim 6, wherein an entirety of the thick portion has a width greater than 100 μm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The strain gauge according to claim 1, wherein the conductive traces are formed integrally with the resistor by using a same material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The strain gauge according to claim 1, wherein the resistor is formed with a film containing Cr, CrN, and Cr2N.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The strain gauge according to claim 9, wherein a gauge factor is 10 or more.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The strain gauge according to claim 9, wherein the CrN and the Cr2N contained in the resistor are 20% or less by weight.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The strain gauge according to claim 11, wherein a proportion of the Cr2N in the CrN and the Cr2N is 80% or more by weight and less than 90% by weight.