Silicon-mass angular acceleration sensor
First Claim
1. An angular acceleration sensor produced by removal of material from a plate-shaped silicon carrier body and composed of at least a stationary frame, a displaceable seismic mass having a rest position within said frame and a plurality of flexible connection strips by which said seismic mass is suspended from said frame, all made by removal of material from said carrier body, and further comprising:
- means for electrically detecting and measuring a rotary movement of said seismic mass about an axis perpendicular to a major surface of said plate-shaped carrier body.
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Accused Products
Abstract
From a silicon block or wafer a stationary frame is shaped and a seismic mass which is displaceable in rotation is mounted within the frame. The seismic mass is symmetrically suspended in the frame by two pairs of oppositely located flexible strips and either piezoresistive or capacitive detection of rotation is provided by the strips, the capacitive detection beeing provided with the help of parallel stationary electrodes connected to and insulated in the frame. In another embodiment an anchor stud in the center of the frame has two flexible interlaced spirals extending therefrom and their respective outer turns carry radial disposed masses with finger structures extending circumferentially in both directions. Stationary finger structures are provided to provide interfitting variable capacitors sensitive to rotary displacements.
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Citations
61 Claims
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1. An angular acceleration sensor produced by removal of material from a plate-shaped silicon carrier body and composed of at least a stationary frame, a displaceable seismic mass having a rest position within said frame and a plurality of flexible connection strips by which said seismic mass is suspended from said frame, all made by removal of material from said carrier body, and further comprising:
means for electrically detecting and measuring a rotary movement of said seismic mass about an axis perpendicular to a major surface of said plate-shaped carrier body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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9. An angular acceleration sensor produced by removal of material from a plate-shaped silicon carrier body composed predominantly of a plurality of layers, each predominantly of silicon, comprising first and second layers respectively distinguishable electrically from each other, and composed structurally of at least a stationary frame, a displaceable seismic mass having a rest position within said frame and a plurality of flexible connection strips by which said seismic mass is suspended from said frame, all made by removal of material from said carrier body and further comprising:
means for electrically detecting and measuring a rotary movement of said seismic mass about an axis perpendicular to a major surface of said plate-shaped carrier body. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 35, 36, 39, 40, 43, 44, 47, 48, 51, 52)
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21. An angular acceleration sensor produced by removal of material from a plate-shaped silicon carrier body composed predominantly of a first layer and a second layer, each predominantly of silicon and electrically distinguishable from each other, and an electrically insulating layer of silicon dioxide interposed between said first and second layers and composed structurally of at least a stationary frame, a displaceable seismic mass having a rest position within said frame and a plurality of flexible connection strips by which said seismic mass is suspended from said frame, all made by removal of material from said carrier body and further comprising:
means for electrically detecting and measuring a rotary movement of said seismic mass about an axis perpendicular to a major surface of said plate-shaped carrier body. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 38, 41, 42, 45, 46, 49, 50, 53, 54)
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55. An angular acceleration sensor produced by removal of material from a plate-shaped carrier body predominantly of silicon and composed of a substrate (3), an insulation layer (5) overlying said substrate and a polycrystalline layer (2) overlying said insulation layer and further comprising:
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an anchor stud (55) shaped out of said polycrystalline layer and firmly affixed to said substrate; a pair of interlaced spirals (50,
60) extending from said anchor stud as a mid-location, shaped out of said polycrystalline layer and unconnected with said substrate except through said anchor stud;masses (51,
61) shaped out of said polycrystalline layer distributed in star configuration relative to said anchor stud and each connected to an outer turn of one of said spirals;finger structures (511,
611) shaped out of said polycrystalline layer and extending circumferentially from each of said masses;stationary electrodes (71) shaped out of said polycrystalline layer, connected to said substrate through said insulation layer (5) and disposed in star configuration relative to said another stud and having finger structures (711) interfitting between said finger structures of said masses; and means (93,
94) for electrically detecting and measuring rotary movement of said masses (51,
61) about an axis perpendicular to a major surface of said plate-shaped carrier body. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57)
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Specification