Angular velocity sensor
First Claim
1. An angular velocity sensor comprising:
- a weight body having a first surface;
a sensor casing for accommodating the weight body therewithin and having a second surface opposite said first surface;
connecting means for connecting the weight body to the sensor casing, said connecting means can be deformed so that the weight body is moved with a predetermined degree of freedom with respect to the sensor casing;
driving means for allowing the weight body to carry out an orbital movement along a predetermined orbit within a range of said predetermined degree of freedom by making physical deformation in said connecting means;
detecting means for detecting a Coriolis force applied to the weight body in a direction along a first axis perpendicular to a tangential direction of the orbital movement; and
operation means for obtaining an angular velocity about a second axis perpendicular to both the tangential direction and the first axis on the basis of a tangential velocity of the weight body along said orbit and the detected Coriolis force;
wherein at least one of said driving means and said detecting means comprises at least one capacitance element comprising a pair of electrodes of a first electrode formed on said first surface of the weight body and a second electrode formed on said second surface of the sensor casing.
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Abstract
An angular velocity sensor for detecting angular velocity components about three axes with high response is provided. A weight body carries out a circular movement along a circular orbit within the XY-plane with the origin being as a center. The weight body is supported so that it can be moved with a predetermined degree of freedom within a sensor casing. A Coriolis force Fco exerted in the Z-axis direction to the weight body is detected when the weight body passes through the X-axis at the point Px and an angular velocity ωx about the X-axis is obtained based on the detected force. Further, a Coriolis force Fco exerted in the Z-axis direction to the weight body is detected when the weight body passes through the Y-axis at the point Py and an angular velocity ωy about the Y-axis is obtained based on the detected force. In addition, a force exerted in the X-axis direction to the weight body at the point Px is detected and an angular velocity ωz about the Z-axis is obtained based on the detected force by eliminating a centrifugal force.
115 Citations
7 Claims
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1. An angular velocity sensor comprising:
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a weight body having a first surface; a sensor casing for accommodating the weight body therewithin and having a second surface opposite said first surface; connecting means for connecting the weight body to the sensor casing, said connecting means can be deformed so that the weight body is moved with a predetermined degree of freedom with respect to the sensor casing; driving means for allowing the weight body to carry out an orbital movement along a predetermined orbit within a range of said predetermined degree of freedom by making physical deformation in said connecting means; detecting means for detecting a Coriolis force applied to the weight body in a direction along a first axis perpendicular to a tangential direction of the orbital movement; and operation means for obtaining an angular velocity about a second axis perpendicular to both the tangential direction and the first axis on the basis of a tangential velocity of the weight body along said orbit and the detected Coriolis force; wherein at least one of said driving means and said detecting means comprises at least one capacitance element comprising a pair of electrodes of a first electrode formed on said first surface of the weight body and a second electrode formed on said second surface of the sensor casing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification