Apparatus and Method for Providing an In-Plane Inertial Device with Integrated Clock
First Claim
1. An in-plane, monolithically-integrated, inertial device comprising:
- a support structure;
a first spring mass system springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the first spring mass system is configured to use a first time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between a first drive mass and a first sense mass to measure rotation of the support structure about a first axis, and wherein the first spring mass system is further configured to use a second time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between the support structure and the first drive mass to measure acceleration of the support structure in a second direction that corresponds to direction along a second axis, which is orthogonal to the first axis; and
a second spring mass system springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the second spring mass system is configured to use a third time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between a second drive mass and a second sense mass to measure rotation of the support structure about the second axis, and wherein the second spring mass system is further configured to use a fourth time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between the support structure and the second drive mass to measure acceleration of the support structure in a first direction that corresponds to direction along the first axis.
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Abstract
An in-plane, monolithically-integrated, inertial device comprising: a support structure and first and second spring mass systems springedly coupled to the support structure. The first spring mass system comprises first and second time domain digital triggers configured to measure rotation and displacement respectively of the support structure about a first axis and along an orthogonal second axis respectively. The second spring mass system comprises third and fourth time domain digital triggers configured to measure acceleration and displacement respectively of the support structure about the second axis and along the first axis respectively.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An in-plane, monolithically-integrated, inertial device comprising:
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a support structure; a first spring mass system springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the first spring mass system is configured to use a first time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between a first drive mass and a first sense mass to measure rotation of the support structure about a first axis, and wherein the first spring mass system is further configured to use a second time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between the support structure and the first drive mass to measure acceleration of the support structure in a second direction that corresponds to direction along a second axis, which is orthogonal to the first axis; and a second spring mass system springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the second spring mass system is configured to use a third time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between a second drive mass and a second sense mass to measure rotation of the support structure about the second axis, and wherein the second spring mass system is further configured to use a fourth time domain digital trigger operatively coupled between the support structure and the second drive mass to measure acceleration of the support structure in a first direction that corresponds to direction along the first axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for providing a single monolithic device to measure the rotation of a support structure about first, second, and third axes of a three-axis orthogonal coordinate system as well as the acceleration of the support structure in first, second, and third directions corresponding to directions along the first, second, and third axes respectively, the method comprising the following steps:
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driving a first drive mass to oscillate with respect to the support structure in the second direction; measuring rotation of the support structure about the first axis by monitoring a time interval between successive trigger events from a first pair of third-direction-stacked proximity switches coupled between the first drive mass and a first sense mass which is springedly coupled to the first drive mass such that movement of the first sense mass with respect to the first drive mass is substantially restricted to movement in the third direction; measuring acceleration of the support structure in the second direction by monitoring a time interval between successive trigger events from a second pair of second-direction-stacked proximity switches coupled between the first drive mass and the support structure; driving a second drive mass to oscillate with respect to the support structure in the first direction; measuring rotation of the support structure about the second axis by monitoring a time interval between successive trigger events from a third pair of third-direction-stacked proximity switches coupled between the second drive mass and a second sense mass which is springedly coupled to the second drive mass such that movement of the second sense mass with respect to the second drive mass is substantially restricted to movement in the third direction; measuring acceleration of the support structure in the first direction by monitoring a time interval between successive trigger events from a fourth pair of first-direction-stacked proximity switches coupled between the second drive mass and the support structure; measuring rotation of the support structure about the third axis by monitoring a time interval between successive trigger events from a fifth pair of second-direction-stacked proximity switches coupled between the second drive mass and a third sense mass which is springedly coupled to the second drive mass such that movement of the third sense mass with respect to the second drive mass is substantially restricted to movement in the second direction; driving a fourth sense mass to oscillate with respect to the support structure in the third direction at the fourth sense mass'"'"' resonant frequency; and measuring acceleration of the support structure in the third direction by monitoring a time interval between successive trigger events from a sixth pair of third-direction-stacked proximity switches coupled between the fourth sense mass and the support structure. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for providing a monolithic device to measure the rotation of the device about x, y, and z mutually orthogonal axes as well as the acceleration of the support structure in x, y, and z directions corresponding to directions along the x, y, and z axes respectively, the method comprising the following steps:
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forming a support structure in the xy plane of a substrate; forming in the xy plane of the substrate a single-sense-mass gyroscope that is springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the single-sense-mass gyroscope is configured to use a first time domain digital trigger to measure rotations of the support structure about the x-axis, and wherein the single-sense-mass gyroscope is further configured to use a second time domain digital trigger to measure acceleration of the support structure in the y-direction; forming in the xy plane of the substrate a dual-sense-mass gyroscope that is springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the dual-sense-mass gyroscope is configured to use a third and fifth time domain digital triggers to measure rotations of the support structure about the y- and z- axes respectively, and wherein the dual-sense-mass gyroscope is further configured to use a fourth time domain digital trigger to measure acceleration of the support structure in the x-direction; forming in the xy plane of the substrate an accelerometer that is springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the accelerometer is configured to use a sixth time domain digital trigger to measure acceleration of the support structure in the z-direction; and forming in the xy plane of the substrate a dual-mass resonator that is springedly coupled to the support structure, wherein the dual-mass resonator is configured to use a seventh time domain digital trigger to generate a clock signal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification