INERTIA FORCE SENSOR

• US 20100126270A1
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Imanaka, Takashi, Terada, Jirou, Satou, Ichirou, Ishida, Takami
• Application Number:
  US12/593,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20100126270A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.120
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/14 by making use of gyroscopes gyroscopes per se G01C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0817 for pivoting movement of the mass, e.g. in-plane pendulum
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0842 the mass being of clover leaf shape

Abstract

An inertial force sensor includes a weight, a first fixing portion linked to the weight, a second fixing portion linked to the weight via the first fixing portion, a first electrode on a first surface of the weight, a second electrode facing the first electrode, and first and second elastic portions elastically deforming so as to displace the weight. The first elastic portion displaces the weight along an X-axis but not along any of a Y-axis and a Z-axis. The second elastic portion displaces the first fixing portion along the Y-axis but not along any of the X-axis and the Z-axis. This inertial force sensor detects an acceleration at high sensitivity.

Claims

1. An inertial force sensor arranged to detecting an acceleration of an object, said inertial force sensor comprising:

a weight having a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other along a first axis;

a first fixing portion linked to the weight;

a second fixing portion linked to the weight via the first fixing portion, the second fixing portion being arranged to be fixed to the object;

a first substrate having a surface facing the first surface of the weight;

a first opposed electrode unit including

a first electrode on the first surface of the weight, and

a second electrode on the surface of the first substrate and facing the first electrode, wherein the first opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode;

a first elastic portion elastically deforming so as to displace the weight along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis but not along any of the first axis and a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis; and

a second elastic portion elastically deforming so as to displace the first fixing portion along the third axis but not along any of the first axis and the second axis.

2. The inertial force sensor of claim 1, wherein

the second elastic portion elastically deforms so as to displace the first fixing portion along the third axis but not along any of the first axis and the second axis,

the first elastic portion is implemented by a slit which is provided in the first fixing portion and which extends along the third axis, and

the second elastic portion is implemented by a slit which is provided in the second fixing portion and which extends along the second axis.

3. The inertial force sensor of claim 1, further comprising a second opposed electrode unit including

a third electrode provided on the first surface of the weight, the third electrode and the first electrode being arranged along the second axis, and

a fourth electrode provided on the surface of the first substrate and facing the third electrode, wherein the second opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the third electrode and the fourth electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the third electrode and the fourth electrode,

wherein, when the weight is displaced along the second axis, the capacitance of the first opposed electrode unit changes by an amount different from an amount of a change of the capacitance of the second opposed electrode unit.

4. The inertial force sensor of claim 3, wherein the weight includes

a first weight having the first electrode provided thereon, and

a second weight having the third electrode provided thereon.

5. The inertial force sensor of claim 3, further comprising a grounding electrode formed on the surface of the first substrate, the grounding electrode surrounding the second electrode and the fourth electrode individually and being positioned between the second electrode and the fourth electrode.

6. The inertial force sensor of claim 3, wherein

a first end of the first electrode and a second end of the second electrode face a third end of the third electrode and a fourth end of the fourth electrode along the second axis, respectively,

the first end of the first electrode deviates from the second end of the second electrode in a predetermined direction along the second axis, and

the third end of the third electrode deviates from the fourth end of the fourth electrode in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

7. The inertial force sensor of claim 1, further comprising a second opposed electrode unit including

a third electrode provided on the first surface of the weight, the third electrode and the first electrode being arranged along the third axis, and

a fourth electrode provided on the surface of the first substrate and facing the third electrode, wherein the second opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the third electrode and the fourth electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the third electrode and the fourth electrode,

wherein, when the weight is displaced along the third axis, the capacitance of the first opposed electrode unit changes by an amount different from an amount of a change of the capacitance of the second opposed electrode unit.

8. The inertial force sensor of claim 7, wherein the weight includes

a first weight having the first electrode provided thereon, and

a second weight having the third electrode provided thereon.

9. The inertial force sensor of claim 7, further comprising a grounding electrode formed on the surface of the first substrate, the grounding electrode surrounding the second electrode and the fourth electrode individually and being positioned between the second electrode and the fourth electrode.

10. The inertial force sensor of claim 7, wherein

a first end of the first electrode and a second end of the second electrode face a third end of the third electrode and a fourth end of the fourth electrode along the third axis, respectively,

the first end of the first electrode deviates from the second end of the second electrode in a predetermined direction along the third axis, and

the third end of the third electrode deviates from the fourth end of the fourth electrode in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

11. The inertial force sensor of claim 1, wherein

the first fixing portion has a frame shape, and

the weight is arranged inside the frame shape of the first fixing portion.

12. The inertial force sensor of claim 1, further comprising an arm connected to the weight and positioned between the weight and the first fixing portion so as to vibrate the weight, wherein

the object is rotatable, and

said inertial force sensor detects an angular velocity of the object based on a Coriolis force generated by vibration of the weight and rotation of the object.

13. The inertial force sensor of claim 12, wherein

the arm has substantially a U-shape, and has strain produced by the Coriolis force, and

said inertial force sensor detects the angular velocity based on the strain.

14. The inertial force sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a second substrate having a surface facing the second surface of the weight; and

a second opposed electrode unit including

a third electrode provided on the second surface of the weight, and

a fourth electrode provided on the surface of the second substrate and facing the third electrode, wherein the second opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the third electrode and the fourth electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the third electrode and the fourth electrode.

15. The inertial force sensor of claim 14, further comprising:

a third opposed electrode unit including

a fifth electrode provided on the first surface of the weight, the fifth electrode and the first electrode being arranged along the third axis, and

a sixth electrode provided on the surface of the first substrate and facing the fifth electrode, wherein the third opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the fifth electrode and the sixth electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the fifth electrode and the sixth electrode; and

a fourth opposed electrode unit including

a seventh electrode provided on the second surface of the weight, the seventh electrode and the third electrode being arranged along the third axis, and

an eighth electrode provided on the surface of the second substrate and facing the seventh electrode, wherein the fourth opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the seventh electrode and the eighth electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the seventh electrode and the eighth electrode, wherein

when the weight is displaced along the third axis, the capacitance of the first opposed electrode unit changes by an amount different from an amount of a change of the capacitance of the third opposed electrode unit, and

when the weight is displaced along the third axis, the capacitance of the second opposed electrode unit changes by an amount different from an amount of a change of the capacitance of the fourth opposed electrode unit.

16. The inertial force sensor of claim 15, wherein

a first end of the first electrode and a second end of the second electrode face a third end of the third electrode and a fourth end of the fourth electrode along the third axis, respectively,

the first end of the first electrode deviates from the second end of the second electrode in a predetermined direction along the third axis,

the third end of the third electrode deviates from the fourth end of the fourth electrode in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction,

a fifth end of the fifth electrode and a sixth end of the sixth electrode face a seventh end of the seventh electrode and an eighth end of the eighth electrode along the third axis, respectively

the fifth end of the fifth electrode deviates from the sixth end of the sixth electrode in the predetermined direction, and

the seventh end of the seventh electrode deviates from the ninth end of the ninth electrode in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

17. The inertial force sensor of claim 15, further comprising:

a first grounding electrode provided on the surface of the first substrate, the first grounding electrode surrounding the second electrode and the sixth electrode individually and being positioned between the second electrode and the sixth electrode; and

a second grounding electrode provided on the surface of the second substrate, the second grounding electrode surrounding the fourth electrode and the eighth electrode individually and being positioned between the fourth electrode and the eighth electrode.

18. The inertial force sensor of claim 15, further comprising:

a fifth opposed electrode unit including

a ninth electrode provided on the first surface of the weight, the ninth electrode and the first electrode being arranged along the second axis, and

a tenth electrode provided on the surface of the first substrate and facing the ninth electrode, wherein the fifth opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the ninth electrode and the tenth electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the ninth electrode and the tenth electrode; and

a sixth opposed electrode unit including

an eleventh electrode provided on the second surface of the weight, the eleventh electrode and the third electrode being arranged along the second axis; and

a twelfth electrode provided on the surface of the second substrate and facing the eleventh electrode, the sixth opposed electrode unit has a capacitance between the eleventh electrode and the twelfth electrode to detect the acceleration based on the capacitance between the eleventh electrode and the twelfth electrode, wherein

when the weight is displaced along the second axis, the capacitance of the first opposed electrode unit changes by an amount different from an amount of a change of the capacitance of and the fifth opposed electrode unit, and

when the weight is displaced along the second axis, the capacitance of the second opposed electrode unit changes by an amount different from an amount of a change of the capacitance of the sixth opposed electrode unit.

19. The inertial force sensor of claim 18, wherein

a first end of the first electrode and a second end of the second electrode face a ninth end of the ninth electrode and a tenth end of the tenth electrode along the second axis, respectively,

the first end of the first electrode deviates from the second end of the second electrode in a predetermined direction along the second axis,

the ninth end of the ninth electrode deviates from the tenth end of the tenth electrode in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction,

a third end of the third electrode and a fourth end of the fourth electrode face a an eleventh end of the eleventh electrode and a twelfth end of the twelfth electrode along the second axis, respectively,

the third end of the third electrode deviates from the fourth end of the fourth electrode in the predetermined direction, and

the eleventh end of the eleventh electrode deviates from the twelfth end of the twelfth electrode in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

20. The inertial force sensor of claim 18, wherein said inertial force sensor detects the acceleration based on a combined capacitance of the first opposed electrode unit and the second opposed electrode unit, and a combined capacitance of the fifth opposed electrode unit and the sixth opposed electrode unit.

21. The inertial force sensor of claim 18, wherein the weight includes

a first weight having the first electrode and the third electrode provided thereon,

a second weight having the fifth electrode and the seventh electrode provided thereon, and

a third weight having the ninth electrode and the eleventh electrode provided thereon.

22. The inertial force sensor of claim 18, further comprising:

a first grounding electrode provided on the surface of the first substrate, the first grounding electrode surrounding the second electrode, the sixth electrode, and the tenth electrode individually and being positioned between the second electrode, the sixth electrode, and the tenth electrode, and

a second grounding electrode provided on the surface of the second substrate, second grounding electrode surrounding the fourth electrode, the eighth electrode, and the twelfth electrode individually and being positioned between the fourth electrode, the eighth electrode, and the twelfth electrode.