Acceleration sensor
First Claim
1. An acceleration sensor having a temperature-sensing resistor element and a stationary gas disposed in a closed space with temperature distribution in an equilibrium state, said acceleration sensor detecting temperature at an unbalanced state of said temperature distribution, said unbalanced state being caused in response to acceleration acting on a sensor case, with a change in resistance of said temperature-sensing resistor element, wherein:
- said temperature-sensing resistor element and a heater are formed on a surface of said sensor case by using a photoengraving process in a semiconductor manufacturing process.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A very small and economical acceleration sensor which can detect acting acceleration with high sensitivity and high accuracy by precisely processing a semiconductor substrate and the like by using the photoengraving technique in a semiconductor manufacturing process to accurately form the elements themselves such as a sensor case, a cavity, a heater, a temperature-sensing resistor element, and a heat-type temperature-sensing resistor element, and the relative placement of each element. One embodiment of the acceleration sensor can detect acceleration acting from any of the three-dimensional directions.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An acceleration sensor having a temperature-sensing resistor element and a stationary gas disposed in a closed space with temperature distribution in an equilibrium state, said acceleration sensor detecting temperature at an unbalanced state of said temperature distribution, said unbalanced state being caused in response to acceleration acting on a sensor case, with a change in resistance of said temperature-sensing resistor element, wherein:
said temperature-sensing resistor element and a heater are formed on a surface of said sensor case by using a photoengraving process in a semiconductor manufacturing process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 16)
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6. An acceleration sensor having a temperature-sensing resistor element disposed in a closed space with temperature distribution in an equilibrium state, said acceleration sensor detecting temperature at an unbalanced state of said temperature distribution, said unbalanced state being caused in response to acceleration acting on the acceleration sensor, with a change in resistance of said temperature-sensing resistor element, said acceleration sensor comprising:
a sensor case for forming said closed space, a stationary gas enclosed in said sensor case, a heater for creating a temperature distribution in said closed space by heating said gas, said temperature-sensing resistor element for detecting a temperature change caused by movement of said gas with temperature distribution when acceleration acts on said sensor case. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. An acceleration sensor having temperature-sensing resistor elements disposed in a closed space with temperature distribution in an equilibrium state, said acceleration sensor detecting temperature at an unbalanced state of said temperature distribution, said unbalanced state being caused in response to acceleration acting on the acceleration sensor with a change in resistance of said temperature-sensing resistor elements, said acceleration sensor comprising:
a sensor case for forming said closed space, a stationary gas enclosed in said sensor case, a pair of heat-type temperature-sensing resistor elements provided in said sensor case for creating temperature distribution in said space by heating said gas and for detecting the temperature change caused by movement of said gas from the action of acceleration, and a pair of standard resistors for forming a bridge circuit together with said pair of heat-type temperature-sensing resistor elements. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An acceleration sensor having temperature-sensing resistor elements disposed in a closed space with the temperature distribution in an equilibrium state, said acceleration sensor detecting temperature at an unbalanced state of said temperature distribution, which unbalanced state is caused in response to acceleration acting on a sensor case, with a change of resistance of said temperature-sensing resistor elements, said acceleration sensor comprising:
a sensor case for forming a closed space in which a gas is enclosed, a heater disposed in said closed space, for creating temperature distribution in said closed space by heating a gas, and a pair of temperature-sensing resistor elements opposing said heater and disposed in each of multiple axis directions, wherein said closed space said heater and said pair of temperature-sensing resistor elements disposed in each of multiple axis directions are formed on a plurality of separate semiconductor substrates, said plurality of semiconductor substrates joined together in one direction. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An acceleration sensor comprising
a first semiconductor substrate having a cavity formed therein, a second semiconductor substrate having an integral bridge extending over a cavity formed in said second semiconductor substrate, a temperature-sensing resistor element formed on said bridge, said first and second semiconductor substrates joined together with said first semiconductor substrate cavity facing said second semiconductor substrate cavity for forming a closed spaced surrounding said bridge, a stationary gas enclosed within said closed space.
Specification