ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 20 -- United States Patent no. 12,395,100, issued on Aug. 19, was assigned to MTS Systems Corp. (Eden Prairie, Minn.).
"Combination piezoelectric actuator and sensor" was invented by Byron John Saari (Minneapolis) and Scott Gale Johnson (Waconia, Minn.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A test system includes a frame. A hydraulic actuator is mounted to the frame and is configured to support a test specimen. A piezoelectric actuator is configured to apply a force to the test specimen. A controller is configured to excite the piezoelectric actuator and provide an indication of force generated by the piezoelectric actuator by measurement of current or charge provided to the pie...