INERTIAL FORCE SENSOR

• US 20140373626A1
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OHKOSHI, HIDEO, YOSHIUCHI, SHIGEHIRO, SAKAUE, TSUYOSHI
• Application Number:
  US14/482,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20140373626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/504.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/574 the devices having two sensing masses in anti-phase motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5769 Manufacturing; Mounting; Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/02 by making use of inertia forces using solid seismic massesG01P15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0857 using a particular shape of the suspension spring
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/02 Devices characterised by the use of mechanical means

Abstract

An inertial force sensor includes a detector element, a supporting body supporting the detector element, and a case holding the detector element via the first supporting body. The supporting body has flexibility and has a plate shape. The detector element includes a weight, a flexible coupling portion extending along a plane and supporting the weight, a fixing portion holding the weight via the coupling portion, and a detector detecting angular velocities about at least two axes non-parallel to each other. The supporting body extends in parallel with the plane from the detector element, and bends at a bending portion in a direction away from the plane. This inertial force sensor can detect the angular velocities while preventing erroneous detection caused by external impacts and vibrations.

Claims

1. An inertial force sensor comprising

a detector element including:

a first beam;

a second beam parallel with the first beam;

a third beam, a fourth beam, a fifth beam, and a sixth beam which connect between the first beam and the second beam;

a seventh beam connected to the fourth beam and extending in parallel with the first beam; and

a eighth beam connected to the fifth beam and extending in parallel with the first beam,

wherein a first slit is provided between the third beam and the fourth beam,

wherein a second slit is provided between the fifth beam and the sixth beam,

wherein a width of the fourth beam is smaller than a width of the first beam,

wherein a width of the fifth beam is smaller than a width of the second beam,

wherein a width of the third beam is larger than the width of the fourth beam and larger than a width of the first slit,

wherein a width of the sixth beam is larger than the width of the fifth beam and larger than a width of the second slit,

2. The inertial force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first slit is parallel with the second slit.

3. The inertial force sensor according to claim 2, wherein the detector element further includes:

a ninth beam and a tenth beam which are connected to the seventh beam and are parallel with the third beam; and

an eleventh beam and a twelfth beam which are connected to the eighth beam and are parallel with the third beam.

4. The inertial force sensor according to claim 3, wherein each of the ninth beam, the tenth beam, the eleventh beam, and the twelfth beam has two bending portions.

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

a supporting body supporting the detector element; and

a member connected to the detector element via the supporting body,

wherein the supporting body has at least two bending portions.

6. The inertial force sensor according to claim 5, wherein the supporting body bends perpendicularly at the at least two bending portions.

7. The inertial force sensor according to claim 6,

wherein the detector element is parallel with a plane, and

wherein the supporting body bends perpendicularly at the at least two bending portions viewing in a direction perpendicular to the plane.

8. The inertial force sensor according to claim 5, wherein the supporting body is made of a material different from a material of the detector element.

9. The inertial force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the detector element is configured to detect an angular velocity about one axis.

10. The inertial force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the detector element is configured to detect angular velocities about two axes.

11. The inertial force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the detector element is configured to detect angular velocities about three axes.