Vibrating gyroscope

• US 5,783,897 A
• Filed: 12/26/1995
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Okaguchi, Kenjiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/578,265
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 310/316
• US Class Current: 310/316.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5649 Signal processing

Abstract

A vibrating gyroscope in which harmonic components can be removed relatively easily and which can detect a rotational angular velocity accurately. The vibrating gyroscope 10 comprises a vibrator 12 in which detecting pieces 16a and 16b and a driving piece 16c are created on sides of a vibrating member 14, inverting amplifier circuits 24 and 26 for amplifying output signals of the detecting pieces 16a and 16b, a comparator circuit 32 for shaping waveform of output signals of the inverting amplifier circuits 24 and 26, a phase compensating circuit 34 for adjusting a phase of the output signal of the comparator circuit 32 and for feeding the output signal back to the driving piece 16c to stably vibrate the vibrating member, a differential circuit 38 for finding a difference of the output signals of the inverting amplifier circuits 24 and 26 and a synchronous detector circuit 40 for detecting the output signal of the differential circuit 38 in synchronism with the signal of the comparator circuit 32.

Claims

1. A vibrating gyroscope, comprising:

a vibrating member;

a plurality of detecting pieces, provided on said vibrating member, for obtaining output signals corresponding to a rotational angular velocity;

one driving piece, provided on a side of said vibrating member, for vibrating said vibrating member;

means for sensing the output signals obtained from said detecting pieces and for generating a plurality of detection signals;

an oscillator circuit responsive to said sensing and generating means for feeding a signal to said driving piece to provide a driving signal, said oscillator circuit including a comparator circuit for shaping the waveforms of the detection signals obtained from said sensing and generating means, and a phase compensating circuit for adjusting a phase of an output signal obtained from said comparator circuit and feeding the output signal back to said driving piece as said driving signal;

a differential circuit for sensing any difference of the detection signals obtained from said sensing and generating means; and

a synchronous detector circuit for detecting an output signal from said differential circuit in synchronism with said output signal obtained from said comparator circuit.

2. A vibrating gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the sensing and generating means includes a plurality of amplifying circuits, connected respectively with said plurality of detecting pieces, for amplifying the output signals obtained from said detecting pieces;

and wherein said differential circuit senses any difference of the output signals obtained from said plurality of amplifying circuits.

3. A vibrating gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the sensing and generating means includes a plurality of buffer circuits, connected respectively to said plurality of detecting pieces, for converting impedances of the output signals obtained from said detecting pieces;

and wherein said differential circuit senses any difference of the output signals obtained from said plurality of buffer circuits.

4. A vibrating gyroscope according to claim 1, wherein the sensing and generating means includes a plurality of phase circuits, connected respectively to said plurality of detecting pieces, for adjusting a phase of the output signals obtained from said detecting pieces;

and wherein said differential circuit senses any difference of the output signals obtained from said plurality of detecting pieces.