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Single ended tuning fork inertial sensor and method

  • US 5,522,249 A
  • Filed: 07/12/1994
  • Issued: 06/04/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a method for sensing rate by the use of a single ended tuning fork mounted in a housing and having first and second tines lying in a plane and having an axis of symmetry and a body formed integral with the first and second tines and having drive electrodes and pickup electrodes mounted on the tines, the method comprising supplying a drive oscillatory signal to the drive electrodes to drive them in a drive mode, sensing an angular rate signal provided by the pickup electrodes in response to rotation about said axis of symmetry, the improvement comprising symmetrically placing the drive electrodes and the pickup electrodes in electrode patterns on the first and second tines of the fork and trimming the electrode patterns to substantially reduce to zero quadrature offset to minimize the necessity of achieving electrical balance by external electronic circuitry.

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