Movement detector having six degrees of freedom with three position sensors and method for the production of a sensor

• US 20070039387A1
• Filed: 10/26/2004
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Inventors: Jouanet, Laurent, Rey, Patrice
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/510
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0888 for indicating angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/135 by making use of contacts which are actuated by a movable inertial mass
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/0036 Switches making use of microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] for electromagnetic relays H01H50/005; for electrostatic relays H01H59/0009
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49007 Indicating transducer

Abstract

The movement detector having six degrees of freedom comprises a support on which three position sensors are arranged according to three orthogonal axes. Each sensor comprises a rigid body (3), a deformable element (4) which is electrically conductive, and four conductive areas (6b) which are disposed on rigid walls (3). The deformable element (4) is balanced around the centre part thereof and has a rest position and four active positions wherein it is temporarily in contact with two of the conductive areas (6b) of the rigid body (3). The deformable element (4) of a sensor moves from a rest position to one of the active positions in response to a predetermined directional or axial translation or votation.

Claims

1. Movement detector having six degrees of freedom comprising a support on which three position sensors are arranged according to three orthogonal axes, each sensor comprising a rigid body, conducting areas arranged on the rigid body and an electrically conducting deformable element presenting a rest position in which it is isolated from the conducting areas, and moving from the rest position to an active position in response to a high-speed movement of predetermined direction and orientation, detector wherein each sensor comprises four conducting areas, arranged two by two on two opposite inside walls of the rigid body, and that the deformable element associated with each sensor is in equilibrium around its central part, responds to a translation along a predetermined axis by bending causing a simultaneous and temporary contact of its ends with the two conducting areas of one and the same inside wall and responds to a rotation around a predetermined axis by a pivoting causing a simultaneous and temporary contact of its ends with two conducting areas arranged on opposite inside walls.

2. Detector according to claim 1, comprising an electronic processing circuit connected to the conducting areas of the three sensors.

3. Detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element is a beam in equilibrium around its transverse median axis.

4. Detector according to claim 3, wherein the beam comprises conducting areas at the ends thereof.

5. Detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element is a disc in equilibrium around its central axis.

6. Detector according to claim 5, wherein the disc comprises a peripheral conducting area on each of its faces.

7. Detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element is electrically connected to a power supply contact area arranged on the rigid body of the sensor.

8. Detector according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element is in an equilibrium position corresponding to the rest position of the sensor for any movement the acceleration whereof is less than or equal to the force of gravity G.

9. Detector according to claim 1, wherein the rigid body of a sensor comprises two substrates arranged face to face, connected by balls constituting an electrical interconnection between the conducting areas of one of the substrates and output electrical contact areas formed on the other substrate.

10. Detector according to claim 9, wherein the deformable element is formed by two deformable half-elements comprising a conducting layer, supported by a central pillar, formed on a central power supply contact area, formed on the corresponding substrate.

11. Method for production of a sensor according to claim 10, achieved by microelectronics techniques and comprises:

formation on each of the substrates of conducting areas, of power supply contact areas and, on one of the substrates, of output electrical contact areas,

formation on each of the substrates of a central pillar, in contact with the power supply contact area and supporting a conducting layer designed to form a deformable half-element,

installation of balls on the output electrical contact areas,

hybridization of the two substrates arranged face to face.

12-16. -16. (canceled)