Patent ID: 8028586

Claim:
A load cell comprising: a base plate formed of a high thermally conductive material; a cover member formed of a high thermally conductive material with: (a) a first end of said cover member secured to a first end of said base plate, and (b) a second end of said cover member, opposite from said first end of said cover member, spaced from a second end of said base plate opposite from said first end of said base plate for relative pivotal movement between said cover member about the point said first end of said base plate and said first end of cover member are secured together in response to a force applied to said cover member; an optical micro-resonator, disposed between and in intimate contact with said base plate and said cover member, that changes in shape, refractive index and resonant frequency in response to a force applied to said cover member; and optical carrier means for: (a) introducing light having a spectrum of wavelengths to said optical micro-resonator, and (b) providing an indication of a shift in the spectrum of wavelengths of the light caused by a change in the resonant frequency of said optical micro-resonator.