METHOD FOR PROCESSING DETECTION SIGNAL OF VIBRATORY INERTIAL FORCE SENSOR AND VIBRATORY INERTIAL FORCE SENSOR

• US 20090145224A1
• Filed: 10/10/2006
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uemura, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.160
• 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: G01C 19/5614 Signal processing

Abstract

A method for processing a detection signal of a vibratory inertial force sensor is disclosed. This method improves detection accuracy of the vibratory inertial force sensor. A detection circuit of the vibratory inertial force sensor removes harmonic component from signals synchronously wave-detected, and amplifies the resultant signals, and then smoothes the amplified signals. A vibratory inertial force sensor adopting this method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for processing a detection signal of vibratory inertial force sensor, which sensor comprises:

a drive arm;

a driver disposed to the drive arm for vibrating the drive arm;

a sensor section for generating a detection signal through deflection produced by inertial force applied to the drive arm;

a monitor for monitoring the vibration of the drive arm;

a drive control circuit for controlling an amount of vibration of the drive arm; and

a detection circuit for processing the detection signal, the method, to be implemented in the detection circuit, comprising the steps of;

differentially amplifying two detection signals detected by the sensor section and having a phase difference of 180 degrees;

synchronously wave-detecting the differentially amplified signals with a monitor signal supplied from the monitor;

removing harmonic component from the signals synchronously wave-detected;

amplifying the signals from which the harmonic component is removed; and

then

smoothing the amplified signals.

2. A vibratory inertial force sensor comprising:

a drive arm;

a driver disposed to the drive arm for vibrating the drive arm;

a sensor section for generating a detection signal through deflection produced by inertial force applied to the drive arm;

a monitor for monitoring the vibration of the drive arm;

a drive control circuit for controlling an amount of vibration of the drive arm; and

a detection circuit for processing the detection signal,

wherein, the detection circuit differentially amplifies two detection signals detected by the sensor section and having a phase difference of 180 degrees, and synchronously wave-detects the differentially amplified signals with a monitor signal supplied from the monitor, removes harmonic component from the signals synchronously wave-detected, amplifies the signals from which the harmonic component is removed, and then smoothes the amplified signals.