Angular velocity sensor

• US 20060032311A1
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uemura, Takeshi, Nozoe, Toshiyuki, Tamura, Masami
• Granted Patent: US 7,043,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/527
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5607 using vibrating tuning forks double-ended tuning forks using planar vibrating masses suspended at opposite ends G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/02 of speedometers

Abstract

The present invention aims to present an angular velocity sensor having a self diagnosis function. An angular velocity sensor of the present invention includes a driving part for stably vibrating a driving part of a sensor element having a driver part and a detector part for detecting an angular velocity and detection means for detecting the angular velocity of the sensor element and obtains a self diagnosis signal for a malfunction by detecting a mechanical coupling signal obtained at the detection means.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A circuit for amplifying outputs of an angular velocity sensor element, said sensor element having first and second sensing electrodes, said circuit comprising;

a pair of input channels to which said first and second sensing electrodes of said angular velocity sensor element are connected respectively,

a differential amplifier which amplifies a difference in outputs from said pair of input channels, and

a self-diagnosis circuit which couples a test signal to one of said pair of input channels.

44. The circuit as recited in claim 43, wherein said pair of input channels comprises a pair of charge amplifiers.

45. The circuit as recited in claim 43, wherein said pair of input channels comprises a pair of current amplifiers.

46. The circuit as recited in claim 43, wherein said angular velocity sensor element is driven by a driving signal and said test signal is a signal synchronized with said driving signal.

47. The circuit as recited in one of claims 43-46, wherein said differential amplifier is a balanced differential amplifier.

48. An angular velocity sensor including said circuit for amplifying outputs of said angular velocity sensor element as recited in one of claims 43-46, for detecting an abnormality of said angular velocity sensor including said sensor element.

49. The circuit as recited in claim 44, wherein said differential amplifier is a balanced differential amplifier.

50. The circuit as recited in claim 45, wherein said differential amplifier is a balanced differential amplifier.

51. The circuit as recited in claim 46, wherein said differential amplifier is a balanced differential amplifier.

52. The circuit as recited in claim 44, wherein said differential amplifier is a balanced differential amplifier.

53. The circuit as recited in claim 45, wherein said differential amplifier is a balanced differential amplifier.

54. The circuit as recited in claim 46, wherein said differential amplifier is a balanced differential amplifier.