MICRO-MECHANICAL SENSOR OF ANGULAR VELOCITY

• US 20100222998A1
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: VTI Technologies Oy (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
• Inventors: BLOMQVIST, Anssi
• Granted Patent: US 8,997,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5747 each sensing mass being connected to a driving mass, e.g. driving frames

Abstract

The invention presents a micro-mechanical resonator, comprising two masses coupled in the direction of a common axis by a spring structure such, that the spring structure comprises a spring that couples at least a first bar connected to the masses and a second bar extending in the motion axis direction, said spring being arranged to bend in a direction perpendicular to the motion direction of the motion axis. The invention also relates to a micro-mechanical resonator matrix, a sensor and a navigation device.

Claims

1. A micro-mechanical resonator, comprising two masses (M1, M2) coupled in the direction of their common motion axis of motion by a spring structure (401, 402, 403, 404a, 404b, 404c) such, that the spring structure comprises a spring (404a, 404b, 404c) coupling at least a certain first bar connected to the masses and a certain second bar extending in the motion axis direction, the spring being arranged to bend in a direction perpendicular to the motion direction of the motion axis.

2. Micro-mechanical resonator according to claim 1, characterized in, that its spring structure is arranged to bend into s-shape by a displacement of the masses in the same direction.

3. Micro-mechanical resonator according to claim 1, characterized in, that its spring structure is arranged to be stiffer to a displacement of said masses in the same phase than to displacement in opposite phase.

4. Micro-mechanical resonator according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said two masses (M1, M2) has a comblike structure.

5. Micro-mechanical resonator according to claim 1, wherein said comblike structure is provided in order to achieve a certain surface area.

6. Micro-mechanical resonator according to claim 1, wherein said comblike structure is provided in order to achieve a certain capacitance between a certain part of the resonator and some part other than the comb structure.

7. A micro-mechanical resonator matrix, comprising at least one micro-mechanical resonator according to claim 1.

8. A sensor, comprising at least one micro-mechanical resonator according to claim 1.

9. A vehicle, comprising a sensor according to claim 8, said vehicle being at least one of the following:

A toy, a piece of footwear, a bicycle, a moped, a motorcycle, a car, a train, a ship and an airplane.

10. A navigation device, comprising a sensor according to claim 8.

11. A system of micromechanical resonators comprising at least one micromechanical resonator that comprises two masses (M1 M2) that are coupled in direction of their common motion axis with spring structure (401, 402, 403, 404a, 404b, 404c) that comprises at least two beams (402) connected to the masses and spring suspension (404a, 404b, 404c) parallel to the motion axis coupling the beams that deflects perpendicularly to the motion.