Plasmon resonance based strain gauge
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsSTEVEN J BARCELO, ZHIYONG LI, GARY GIBSON, MINEO YAMAKAWA, ANSOON KIM
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Abstract
A strain gauge or other device may include a deformable medium and discrete plasmon supporting structures arranged to create one or more plasmon resonances that change with deformation of the medium and provide the device with an optical characteristic that indicates the deformation of the medium.
Claims21
A strain gauge comprising:
- a medium that is deformable;
- and
- a plurality of discrete plasmon supporting structures arranged with the medium to create one or more plasmon resonances that change with deformation of the medium so that a color of light scattered from the strain gauge visibly changes with the deformation of the medium.
(canceled)
The strain gauge of claim 6, wherein each of the first optical characteristic and the second optical characteristic is selected from a group consisting of a frequency, an amplitude, and a width of a feature that the one or more plasmon resonances create in a spectral distribution of light scattered from the strain gauge.
A strain gauge comprising:
- a medium that is deformable;
- and
- a plurality of discrete plasmon supporting structures arranged with the medium to create one or more plasmon resonances that change with deformation of the medium and provide the strain gauge with an optical characteristic that depends on the deformation of the medium, wherein the discrete plasmon supporting structures are arranged to form a hierarchical structure that includes:
- a plurality of first assemblies of the discrete plasmon supporting structures, wherein the plasmon supporting structures have first separations within the first assemblies;
- and
- one or more second assemblies containing the first assemblies, wherein the first assemblies have second separations within the one or more second assemblies.
A strain gauge comprising:
- a medium that is deformable;
- and
- a plurality of discrete plasmon supporting structures arranged with the medium to create one or more plasmon resonances that change with deformation of the medium and provide the strain gauge with an optical characteristic that depends on the deformation of the medium, wherein the plasmon supporting structures comprise a ferromagnetic material and provide the strain gauge with a measureable magnetic characteristic that depends on deformation of the medium.
A measuring method comprising:
- providing a plurality of discrete plasmon supporting structures on an object and arranged to create a plasmon resonance that depends on deformation of the object;
- and
- observing, with a naked eye, a change in an optical characteristic of the object to detect a deformation of the object, wherein the optical characteristic observed is caused by the plasmon resonance.
The method of claim 18, wherein observing the change comprises measuring and analyzing a spectral content of light reflected from the plasmon supporting structures.
A measuring method comprising:
- providing a plurality of discrete plasmon supporting structures on an object and arranged to create a plasmon resonance that depends on deformation of the object;
- observing a change in optical characteristics of the object to detect a deformation of the object, wherein the optical characteristic observed is caused by the plasmon resonance;
- measuring a secondary characteristic that the discrete plasmon supporting structures provide across an area of the object, wherein the secondary characteristic is one of an electrical resistance and a magnetic characteristic;
- and
- using the secondary characteristic measured in determination of the deformation of the object.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.