ANGULAR VELOCITY SENSOR AND SYNCHRONOUS DETECTION CIRCUIT USED THEREIN

• US 20120096942A1
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamada, Nobuyuki, Yoshida, Takeshi, Hayashi, Kei
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/56 Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5776 Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719

Abstract

In an angular velocity sensor, an upper electrode of a first piezoelectric element and a lower electrode of a second piezoelectric element are connected to an input terminal of a first Q/V conversion circuit, and a lower electrode of the first piezoelectric element and an upper electrode of the second piezoelectric element are connected to an input terminal of a second Q/V conversion circuit. Thus, vibration noise components of the quantities of charge generated at the first and second piezoelectric elements are cancelled out, and Coriolis components of the quantities of charge generated at the first and second piezoelectric elements are added, whereby only the Coriolis components are extracted.

Claims

1. An angular velocity sensor comprising:

an annular flexible portion arranged along an XY plane and having a center through which a Z axis passes through;

a mass portion supported on an inner edge of said flexible portion;

a support portion for supporting an outer edge of said flexible portion;

a driving portion for vibrating said mass portion in a direction of said Z axis;

a first piezoelectric element provided on a positive side of an X axis or a Y axis and having a first electrode fixed to a front surface of said flexible portion;

a second piezoelectric element provided on a negative side of said X axis or said Y axis and having a first electrode fixed to the front surface of said flexible portion; and

an operation circuit for finding an angular velocity around said Y axis or said X axis based on quantities of charge generated at the first and second electrodes of each of said first and second piezoelectric elements,

wherein the first and second electrodes of said first piezoelectric element are connected to the second and first electrodes of said second piezoelectric element, respectively.

2. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said operation circuit includes

a first charge/voltage conversion circuit for outputting a first voltage having a value corresponding to the quantities of charge generated at the first electrode of said first piezoelectric element and the second electrode of said second piezoelectric element,

a second charge/voltage conversion circuit for outputting a second voltage having a value corresponding to the quantities of charge generated at the second electrode of said first piezoelectric element and the first electrode of said second piezoelectric element, and

a subtraction circuit for outputting a voltage which is a difference between said first and second voltages.

3. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein

said operation circuit includes a charge/voltage conversion circuit for outputting a voltage having a value corresponding to the quantities of charge generated at the first electrode of said first piezoelectric element and the second electrode of said second piezoelectric element, and the second electrode of said first piezoelectric element and the first electrode of said second piezoelectric element receive a reference voltage.

4. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said driving portion includes

a third piezoelectric element provided on the positive side of said X axis or said Y axis and having a first electrode fixed to the front surface of said flexible portion,

a fourth piezoelectric element provided on the negative side of said X axis or said Y axis and having a first electrode fixed to the front surface of said flexible portion, and

a driving circuit for applying AC voltage between first and second electrodes of each of said third and fourth piezoelectric elements to cause said third and fourth piezoelectric elements to expand/shrink in a direction of said X axis or said Y axis thereby to vibrate said mass portion in a direction of said Z axis.

5. An angular velocity sensor comprising:

an annular flexible portion arranged along an XY plane and having a center through which a Z axis passes through;

a mass portion supported on an inner edge of said flexible portion;

a support portion for supporting an outer edge of said flexible portion;

a driving portion for vibrating said mass portion in a direction of said Z axis; and

a detection portion for detecting an angular velocity around an X axis or a Y axis, based on vibration of said mass portion,

said driving portion including

a first piezoelectric element fixed to said flexible portion for vibrating said mass portion,

a second piezoelectric element fixed to said flexible portion for detecting vibration of said mass portion,

a driving circuit for providing a driving signal to said first piezoelectric element,

a delay circuit for delaying a phase of said driving signal by 90 degrees, and

a phase control circuit for comparing a phase of an output signal of said second piezoelectric element and a phase of an output signal of said delay circuit and controlling the phase of said driving signal such that a phase difference between these signals is eliminated.

6. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 5, wherein

said phase control circuit is a phase-locked loop circuit including

a voltage-controlled oscillator for generating a clock signal having a frequency in accordance with a control voltage, and

a phase comparator for comparing the phase of the output signal of said delay circuit and the phase of the output signal of the second piezoelectric element and adjusting said control voltage such that a phase difference between these signals is eliminated, and

said driving circuit generates said driving signal in synchronization with said clock signal.

7. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 6, wherein

a first electrode of said first piezoelectric element is fixed to said flexible portion, and

said driving circuit has

a first signal generation circuit for generating a sinusoidal wave signal in synchronization with said clock signal,

an amplifier for amplifying said sinusoidal wave signal, and

a resistor element connected between an output node of said amplifier and a second electrode of said first piezoelectric element.

8. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 6, wherein

a first electrode of said first piezoelectric element is fixed to said flexible portion, and

said driving circuit has

a frequency divider for dividing a frequency of said clock signal to generate a first rectangular wave signal,

an amplifier for amplifying said first rectangular wave signal, and

a resistor element connected between an output node of said amplifier and a second electrode of said first piezoelectric element.

9. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 6, wherein

a first electrode of said first piezoelectric element is fixed to said flexible portion, and

said driving circuit has

a first signal generation circuit for generating a sinusoidal wave signal in synchronization with said clock signal,

a frequency divider for dividing a frequency of said clock signal to generate a first rectangular wave signal,

a switch circuit for selecting a desired signal from said sinusoidal wave signal and said first rectangular wave signal,

an amplifier for amplifying the signal selected by said switch circuit, and

a resistor element connected between an output node of said amplifier and a second electrode of said first piezoelectric element.

10. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 5, further comprising a second signal generation circuit for generating a second rectangular wave signal in synchronization with said driving signal, wherein said delay circuit delays said second rectangular wave signal by 90 degrees.

11. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 10, wherein a first electrode of said second piezoelectric element is fixed to said flexible portion,

the angular velocity sensor further comprising:

a first charge/voltage conversion circuit for converting a quantity of charge generated at the first electrode of said second piezoelectric element into voltage;

a second charge/voltage conversion circuit for converting a quantity of charge generated at a second electrode of said second piezoelectric element into voltage;

a subtraction circuit for finding a voltage which is a difference between output voltages of said first and second charge/voltage conversion circuits; and

a waveform conversion circuit for converting a sinusoidal voltage signal output from said subtraction circuit into a third rectangular wave signal,

wherein said phase comparator adjusts said control voltage such that a phase difference between said second and third rectangular wave signals is eliminated.

12. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 11, further comprising:

a third signal generation circuit for generating a sampling signal in synchronization with said third rectangular wave signal; and

a timing correction circuit for correcting a timing of said sampling signal,

said detection portion including

a third piezoelectric element provided on a positive side of said X axis or said Y axis and having a first electrode fixed to said flexible portion, and

a fourth piezoelectric element provided on a negative side of said X axis or said Y axis and having a first electrode fixed to said flexible portion,

wherein the first and second electrodes of said third piezoelectric element are connected to the second and first electrodes of said fourth piezoelectric element, respectively,

said detection portion further including

a third charge/voltage conversion circuit for converting quantities of charge generated at the first electrode of said third piezoelectric element and the second electrode of said fourth piezoelectric element into voltage,

a fourth charge/voltage conversion circuit for converting quantities of charge generated at the second electrode of said third piezoelectric element and the first electrode of said fourth piezoelectric element into voltage, and

a fourth signal generation circuit for sampling peak values of output voltages of said third and fourth charge/voltage conversion circuits in response to said sampling signal and generating a signal indicating an angular velocity based on the sampled peak value.

13. A synchronous detection circuit for use in an angular velocity sensor, comprising:

an analog switch; and

an integration circuit including a resistor element and a capacitor,

wherein a sensor signal including a driving signal component and an angular velocity signal component superposed on each other is input to an input terminal of said analog switch, and an input node of said integration circuit is connected to an output terminal of said analog switch, and

ON/OFF of said analog switch is controlled by a sampling pulse having a same cycle as a cycle of said sensor signal, and a duty ratio of said sampling pulse is less than 50%.

14. The synchronous detection circuit according to claim 13, wherein said driving signal component and said angular velocity signal component are shifted in phase from each other by 90 degrees.

15. The synchronous detection circuit according to claim 14, wherein said sampling pulse goes to an activation level before and after a zero cross point of said driving signal component, and said analog switch enters an ON state when said sampling pulse is at the activation level.

16. The synchronous detection circuit according to claim 14, wherein a cut-off frequency determined by a time constant of said integration circuit is 1 KHz or higher.

17. The synchronous detection circuit according to claim 13, wherein said analog switch includes a MOS transistor.

18. The synchronous detection circuit according to claim 13, wherein a frequency of said driving signal is 1 KHz or higher.

19. The synchronous detection circuit according to claim 13, wherein a cut-off frequency determined by a time constant of said integration circuit is 1 KHz or higher.

20. An angular velocity sensor comprising two sets of:

the synchronous detection circuit of claim 13;

a low-pass filter for removing a high-frequency component from an output signal of said synchronous detection circuit; and

a charge amplifier for converting a charge signal into a voltage signal and outputting the voltage signal as said sensor signal to said synchronous detection circuit,

said angular velocity sensor further comprising;

a sensor portion for outputting two charge signals shifted in phase from each other by 180 degrees to two said charge amplifiers, respectively, when angular velocity is detected; and

a differential amplifier for amplifying a potential difference between output signals of two said low-pass filters.