Micromechanical rotational rate sensor

• US 20060107738A1
• Filed: 01/09/2006
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andreas Thomae, Burkhard Kuhlmann, Christian Doering, Gerhard Wucher, Jochen Franz, Joerg Hauer, Karsten Funk, Markus Lutz, Michael Fehrenbach, Rainer Willig, Reinhard Neul, Siegbert Goetz, Udo Bischof, Udo-Martin Gomez, Wolfram Bauer
• Original Assignee: Andreas Thomae, Burkhard Kuhlmann, Christian Doering, Gerhard Wucher, Jochen Franz, Joerg Hauer, Karsten Funk, Markus Lutz, Michael Fehrenbach, Rainer Willig, Reinhard Neul, Siegbert Goetz, Udo Bischof, Udo-Martin Gomez, Wolfram Bauer
• Inventors: Hauer, Joerg, Lutz, Markus, Bauer, Wolfram, Willig, Rainer, Kuhlmann, Burkhard, Neul, Reinhard, Doering, Christian, Gomez, Udo-Martin, Wucher, Gerhard, Bischof, Udo, Franz, Jochen, Funk, Karsten, Goetz, Siegbert, Fehrenbach, Michael, Thomae, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 7,134,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.120
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5747 each sensing mass being connected to a driving mass, e.g. driving frames

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention creates a micromechanical rotational rate sensor having a first Coriolis mass element and a second Coriolis mass element which may be situated over a surface of a substrate. An exemplary embodiment of a micromechanical rotational rate sensor may have an activating device by which the first Coriolis mass element and the second Coriolis mass element are able to have vibrations activated along a first axis. An exemplary embodiment of a micromechanical rotational rate sensor may have a detection device by which deflections of the first Coriolis mass elements and of the second Coriolis element are able to be detected along a second axis, which is perpendicular to the first axis, on the basis of a correspondingly acting Coriolis force. The first axis and second axis may run parallel to the surface of the substrate. The detecting device may have a first detection mass device and a second detection mass device. The centers of gravity of the first Coriolis mass element, the second Coriolis mass element, the first detection mass device and the second detection mass device may coincide at a common mass center of gravity when they are at rest.

Claims

1. A micromechanical rotational rate sensor, comprising:

a first Coriolis mass element and a second Coriolis mass element situated over a surface of a substrate;

an activating device adapted to activate vibrations of the first and the second Coriolis mass elements along a first axis; and

a detecting device adapted to detect deflections of the first and the second Coriolis elements along a second axis in accordance with a correspondingly acting Coriolis force, wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis, wherein the first and the second axes run parallel to the surface of the substrate, and wherein the detecting device includes a first detection mass device and a second detection mass device; and

wherein centers of gravity of the first and the second Coriolis mass elements and the first and the second detection mass devices coincide at a common mass center of gravity when the first and the second Coriolis mass elements and the first and the second detection mass devices are at rest.

2. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the first detection mass device is connected to the first Coriolis mass element via first springs which are flexible along the first axis and stiff along the second axis, the first detection mass device being connected to the substrate via second springs which are stiff along the first axis and flexible along the second axis; and

the second detection mass device is connected to the second Coriolis mass element via third springs which are flexible along the first axis and stiff along the second axis, the second detection mass device being connected to the substrate via fourth springs which are stiff along the first axis and flexible along the second axis.

3. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the activating device includes a first activating mass device and a second activating mass device; and

centers of gravity of the first and the second activating mass devices coincide at the common mass center of gravity when the first and the second activating mass devices are at rest.

4. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 3, wherein:

the first activating mass device includes a first activating mass element and a second activating mass element;

the second activating mass device includes a third activating mass element and a fourth activating mass element; and

the first, the second, the third, and the fourth activating mass elements are adapted to be individually activated by a respective comb actuator.

5. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 4, wherein:

the first and the second activating mass elements are connected to the first Coriolis mass element via fifth springs which are stiff along the first axis and flexible along the second axis, the first and second activating mass elements being connected to the substrate via sixth springs which are flexible along the first axis and stiff along the second axis; and

the third and the fourth activating mass elements are connected to the second Coriolis mass element via seventh springs which are stiff along the first axis and flexible along the second axis, the third and the fourth activating mass elements being connected to the substrate via eighth springs which are flexible along the first axis and stiff along the second axis.

6. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 1, wherein the first Coriolis mass element has a shape of a closed polygonal frame.

7. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 6, wherein the second Coriolis mass element is situated within the first Coriolis mass element and has a polygonal shape.

8. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the first detection mass device includes a first detection mass element and a second detection mass element;

the second detection mass device includes a third detection mass element and a fourth detection mass element;

each of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth detection mass elements includes a plurality of fingers situated along the second axis; and

movable electrodes are provided at the plurality of fingers, the movable electrodes adapted to cooperate with electrodes that are firmly anchored to the substrate to detect the deflections.

9. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 4, wherein:

the first and the third activating mass elements are coupled to one another by a first connecting spring which is flexible along the first axis; and

the second and the fourth activating mass elements are coupled to one another by a second connecting spring which is flexible along the first axis.

10. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 8, wherein:

the first and the third detection mass elements are coupled to one another by a first respective connecting spring; and

the second and the fourth detection mass elements are coupled to one another by a second respective connecting spring.

11. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 1, wherein:

a mechanical coupling is provided along the first axis and along the second axis by a coupling spring device between the first and the second Coriolis mass elements, the coupling spring device being flexible along the first axis and along the second axis.

12. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 6, wherein the closed polygonal frame includes a substantially square frame.

13. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 7, wherein the polygonal shape includes a substantially square shape.

14. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 9, wherein the first and the second connecting springs are stiff along the second axis.

15. The micromechanical rotational rate sensor of claim 10, wherein the first and the second respective connecting springs are stiff along the first axis and flexible along the second axis.