Angular velocity sensor

• US 20050199062A1
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ookoshi, Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.16
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5628 Manufacturing; Trimming; Mounting; Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5783 Mountings or housings not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719

Abstract

Disclosed is an angular velocity sensor, which comprises a receiving member receiving therein a case containing a vibration element and an IC, and having a hole usable in soldering one end of a terminal strip to a case electrode, whereby, after the soldering operation, the condition of a soldered region in a mounting portion can be checked through the hole. This prevents deficiency in solder amount required for soldering between the case and the receiving member to ensure accuracy in an output signal of the angular velocity sensor.

Claims

1. An angular velocity sensor comprising:

a vibration element provided with a drive electrode and a detection electrode, and adapted to generate an output signal from said detection electrode;

an IC for processing the output signal sent from said detection electrode of said vibration element;

a case containing said IC and said vibration element, and having an outer bottom surface provided with a case electrode;

a receiving member including a mounting portion which has a case-mounting surface mounting said case thereon;

a terminal strip having a first end portion electrically connected to said case electrode, and a second, opposite, end portion which includes a region embedded in said receiving member and a distal end region protruding from said receiving member to serve as an electrode; and

a cover sandwiching said case in cooperation with said receiving member,

wherein;

said mounting portion of said receiving member is formed with a hole penetratingly extending between said case-mounting surface and an opposite surface thereof; and

said first end portion of said terminal strip is disposed within said hole, and soldered to said case electrode.

2. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said first end portion of said terminal strip includes a soldering region formed approximately parallel to said case-mounting surface of said receiving member.

3. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 2, wherein said first end portion of said terminal strip includes a fillet-forming region extending from said soldering region in a direction approximately perpendicular to said soldering region.

4. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said distal end region of said second end portion of said terminal strip is formed to be vertically displaceable.

5. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said receiving member is made of a material having a linear expansion coefficient greater than that of said terminal strip.

6. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said terminal strip is provided in a number of at least three, and designed to support said case.

7. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said vibration element has a tuning fork-like shape.