FUNCTIONAL ELEMENT, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, AND MOVING OBJECT

• US 20150212526A1
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crystal Leap Zrt
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KANEMOTO, Kei, FURUHATA, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 9,846,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 19/02 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/00 Details of telephonic subscriber devices

Abstract

There is provided a functional element capable of preventing an oblique vibration due to a vibration leakage phenomenon from propagating to degrade the detection accuracy. A gyro element as the functional element includes a support body, a detection section, a drive coupling section having a first part and a second part, and a mass section connected to the drive coupling section, and connected to the support body via the drive coupling section, and the mass section performs the drive vibration in a direction along a third axis parallel to a normal line of a plane including the first axis and the second axis perpendicular to each other.

Claims

1. A functional element comprising:

a support body;

a detection section connected to the support body, and adapted to detect a vibration in a direction along a first axis assuming that two axes perpendicular to each other are the first axis and a second axis, and an axis parallel to a normal line of a plane including the first axis and the second axis is a third axis;

at least one drive coupling section having a first part, which is connected to the support body and extends in the direction along the first axis, and a second part, which is connected to the first part, shorter than a dimension of the first part in the direction along the first axis, and extends in a direction along the second axis; and

a mass section connected to the drive coupling section, and connected to the support body via the drive coupling section,

wherein the mass section performs a drive vibration in a direction along the third axis.

2. The functional element according to claim 1, further comprising:

a base body,

wherein the detection section includes

a detecting movable electrode extending from the support body in the direction along the second axis, and

a detecting stationary electrode, which is opposed to the detecting movable electrode, extends in the direction along the second axis, and is supported by the base body.

3. The functional element according to claim 1, wherein

the two drive coupling sections are disposed side by side in the direction of the first axis.

4. The functional element according to claim 1, wherein

the drive coupling section includes a first drive coupling section and a second drive coupling section,

the first drive coupling section is connected to one side of the mass section, and

the second drive coupling section is connected to the other side of the mass section on an opposite side to the one side.

5. The functional element according to claim 1, wherein

the drive coupling section is configured to fulfill a relationship of (a spring constant in the direction along the third axis)<

(a spring constant in the direction along the first axis).

6. The functional element according to claim 1, wherein

the drive coupling section is configured to fulfill a relationship of (a spring constant in the direction along the second axis)<

(a spring constant in the direction along the first axis).

7. The functional element according to claim 2, further comprising:

a drive electrode adapted to make the mass section perform the drive vibration; and

a drive monitor electrode adapted to monitor the vibration of the mass section,

wherein the drive electrode and the drive monitor electrode are each at least partially opposed to the mass section, and are supported by the base body.

8. The functional element according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second vibrating body arranged side by side with the first vibrating body in the direction along the first axis; and

a vibrating body coupling section disposed between the first vibrating body and the second vibrating body to connect the first vibrating body and the second vibrating body to each other,

wherein the first vibrating body and the second vibrating body are connected to the support body via the respective drive coupling sections.

9. The functional element according to claim 8, wherein

the second vibrating body includes

a drive electrode adapted to make the mass section perform the drive vibration, and

a drive monitor electrode adapted to monitor the vibration of the mass section, and

the drive electrode and the drive monitor electrode are each at least partially opposed to the mass section, and are disposed on the base body.

10. The functional element according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detection coupling section, which extends from the support body, and can be expanded and contracted in the direction along the first axis,

wherein a spring constant in the direction along the third axis of the detection coupling section is higher than a spring constant in the direction along the third axis of the drive coupling section.

11. An electronic device comprising:

the functional element according to claim 1; and

a package housing the functional element.

12. An electronic device comprising:

the functional element according to claim 2; and

a package housing the functional element.

13. An electronic device comprising:

the functional element according to claim 3; and

a package housing the functional element.

14. An electronic device comprising:

the functional element according to claim 4; and

a package housing the functional element.

15. An electronic apparatus comprising:

the functional element according to claim 1.

16. An electronic apparatus comprising:

the functional element according to claim 2.

17. An electronic apparatus comprising:

the functional element according to claim 3.

18. A moving object comprising:

the functional element according to claim 1.

19. A moving object comprising:

the functional element according to claim 2.

20. A moving object comprising:

the functional element according to claim 3.