ACCELERATION SENSOR

• US 20110234206A1
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: NISHIGAKI, Michihiko, KAWAKUBO, Takashi, ONO, Hiroshi, NAGANO, Toshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,497,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/162
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0888 for indicating angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/097 by vibratory elements
• 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 2015/0845 using a plurality of spring-mass systems being arranged on one common planar substrate, the systems not being mechanically coupled and the sensitive direction of each system being different

Abstract

The present embodiments provide an acceleration sensor, which enables highly accurate detection and has an extremely compact size. The acceleration sensor of the present embodiments is provided with a substrate, a anchor portion formed on the substrate, a support beam, which has one end connected to the anchor portion and extends across a space from the substrate, and a proof mass which is connected to the other end of the support beam and held across a space from the substrate. The acceleration sensor is further provided with first and second piezoelectric bending resonators, a comparison unit, and a calculation unit. The first and second piezoelectric bending resonators have one end connected to the anchor portion and the other end connected to the proof mass or the support beam and have a stack of a first electrode, a first piezoelectric film, and a second electrode. The first and second piezoelectric bending resonators extend on the both sides of the support beam and perform bending resonance motion in a direction perpendicular to the piezoelectric film. The comparison unit measures a difference of a resonance frequency between the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators. The calculation unit calculates an acceleration in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the support beam in the substrate surface from the difference of the resonance frequency.

Claims

1. An acceleration sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a anchor portion formed on the substrate;

a support beam having one end connected to the anchor portion and extends with a space in between the substrate;

a proof mass being connected to the other end of the support beam and held with a space in between the substrate;

first and second piezoelectric bending resonators, each having one end connected to the anchor portion and the other end connected to the proof mass or the support beam thereby extending to both sides of the support beam, and, each comprising a first electrode, a first piezoelectric film and a second electrode being stacked to a direction perpendicular to the first piezoelectric film to perform bending resonance motion in the direction;

a first comparison unit configured to measure a first value, the first value is a difference of a resonance frequency between the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators; and

a first calculation unit configured to calculate an acceleration in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the support beam from the first value.

2. The acceleration sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators have a plurality of vibrating beams having a stack of the first electrode, the first piezoelectric film, and the second electrode, the plurality of vibrating beams perform the bending resonance motion in a direction perpendicular to the first piezoelectric film at the same resonance frequency, and the bending resonance motion of one of the plurality of vibrating beams has an opposite phase to the other vibrating beams.

3. The acceleration sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third piezoelectric bending resonator having a stack of a third electrode, a second piezoelectric film, and a fourth electrode and performs the resonance bending motion in a direction perpendicular to the second piezoelectric film;

a second comparison unit configured to measure a second value, the second value is a difference between an average of the resonance frequencies of the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators and the resonance frequency of the third piezoelectric bending resonator; and

a second calculation unit configured to calculate an acceleration in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface from the second value,

wherein a distance from a center line of thickness in a direction perpendicular to the substrate of the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators to the substrate is different from a distance from a center line of thickness in a direction perpendicular to the substrate of the support beam to the substrate.

4. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3, wherein the third piezoelectric bending resonator has a plurality of vibrating beams having a stack of the third electrode, the second piezoelectric film, and the fourth electrode, the plurality of vibrating beams perform the resonance bending motion in a direction perpendicular to the second piezoelectric film at the same resonance frequency, and the bending resonance motion of one of the plurality of vibrating beams has an opposite phase to the next vibrating beams.

5. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3, further comprising:

another set of the anchor portion, the support beam, the proof mass, and the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators,

wherein the two support beams are arranged perpendicular to each other.

6. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3, further comprising:

another three sets of the anchor portion, the support beam, the proof mass, and the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators,

wherein the four support beams are arranged to face different directions perpendicular to each other.

7. The acceleration sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

first and second proof mass driving beams having one end connected to the anchor portion and the other end connected to the proof mass or the support beam, each of the proof mass driving beams has a stack of a fifth electrode, a third piezoelectric film, and a sixth electrode, the proof mass driving beams extend on the both sides of the support beam, and generates expansion or contraction force in the extending direction by application of a voltage between the fifth and sixth electrodes; and

a force feedback circuit configured to apply a voltage to the first and second proof mass driving beams so that the first value stays constant.

8. The acceleration sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a force feedback circuit configured to apply a voltage to the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators so that the first value stays constant,

wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators have a fourth piezoelectric film and a seventh electrode further stacked in addition to the first electrode, the first piezoelectric film, and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode being used for excitation and the second electrode and the seventh electrode being used for keeping the first value constant by generating expansion or contraction force in the extending direction of the first and second piezoelectric bending resonator.

9. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3, further comprising:

first and second proof mass driving beams having one end connected to the anchor portion and the other end connected to the proof mass or the support beam, each of the proof mass driving beams has a stack of a fifth electrode, a third piezoelectric film, and a sixth electrode, the proof mass driving beams extend on the both sides of the support beam, and generates expansion or contraction force in the extending direction by application of a voltage between the fifth and sixth electrodes; and

a force feedback circuit configured to apply a voltage to the first and second proof mass driving beams so that the first and second values stay constant.

10. The acceleration sensor according to claim 3, further comprising:

a force feedback circuit configured to apply a voltage to the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators so that the first and second values stay constant,

wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric bending resonators have a fourth piezoelectric film and a seventh electrode further stacked in addition to the first electrode, the first piezoelectric film, and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode being used for excitation and the second electrode and the seventh electrode being used for keeping the first and second values constant by generating expansion or contraction force in the extending direction of the first and second piezoelectric bending resonator.