Detector for detecting angular velocities about perpendicular axes

• US 6,158,280 A
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nonomura, Yutaka, Fujiyoshi, Motohiro, Fujitsuka, Norio, Omura, Yoshiteru
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US09/218,151
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 73/504.04, 73/504.12, 73/504.14, 73/504.15, 73/504.16, 73/514.02, 73/514.32
• US Class Current: 73/504.04
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis

Abstract

A detector has first and second excitation beams extending along X-axis and Y-axis directions. These beams are fixed to a substrate via an intersecting portion. Mass portions are disposed at free ends of the beams. Sensing electrodes are disposed at the central portions of the mass portions to face the mass portions. By electrostatic force generated between the excitation electrodes and the mass portions, two mass portions vibrate in the Y-axis direction, while the remaining two mass portions vibrate in the X-axis direction. When an angular velocity Ω_x acts about the X axis, Z-axis Coriolis forces F_1a and F_1b act on the mass portions that are vibrating in the Y-axis direction. When an angular velocity Ω_y acts about the Y axis, Z-axis Coriolis forces F_2a and F_2b act on the mass portions that are vibrating in the X-axis direction. These vibrations are detected by the sensing electrodes in order to detect the angular velocities Ω_x and Ω_y.

Claims

1. A detector for detecting at least one physical quantity from among linear acceleration, angular acceleration, and angular velocity, fabricated through micro-machining, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of excitation beams extending along two different directions parallel to the surface of said substrate;

a fixing portion for fixing said excitation beams to said substrate at an intersecting portion of said excitation beams;

a plurality of mass portions each having an inertial mass and supported at free ends of said excitation beams to be excited with respect to said substrate;

a plurality of excitation electrodes for exciting said mass portions by providing electrical force, each excitation electrode being disposed to face said corresponding mass portion at one end of said mass portion; and

a driving means for applying AC voltage to said excitation electrodes;

and wherein said mass portions are excited such that two adjacent mass portions vibrate parallel to said substrate and in opposite phases in a rotational direction about a vertical axis to said surface of said substrate, and said excitation beams have flexibility in both planes which are parallel and perpendicular to the surface of said substrate.

2. A detector according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensing electrodes each disposed to face said corresponding mass portion.

3. A detector according to claim 2, wherein when X and Y axes are defined on said surface of said substrate and a Z axis is defined to be perpendicular to said surface of said substrate, said excitation beams form a cruciform shape extending along X-axis and Y-axis directions.

4. A detector according to claim 3, further comprising an X-axis angular velocity detection circuit or a Y-axis angular velocity detection circuit for detecting a physical amount related to Colioli'"'"'s force as vibration in Z-axis direction, said physical amount being generated at said mass portions in a direction perpendicular to the surface of said substrate due to angular velocity about X-axis and Y-axis.

5. A detector according to claim 3, further comprising a Z-axis acceleration detection circuit for detecting acceleration in said Z-axis direction through measurement of an amount by which all said mass portions are offset in the same phase in said Z-axis direction.

6. A detector according to claim 2, wherein each sensing electrode comprises a pair of electrodes disposed parallel to said surface of said substrate such that said pair of electrodes sandwich opposite faces of said corresponding mass portion.

7. A detector according to claim 1, wherein when X and Y axes are defined on said surface of said substrate and a Z axis is defined to be perpendicular to said surface of said substrate, said excitation beams form a cruciform shape extending along X-axis and Y-axis directions.

8. A detector according to claim 7, further comprising an X-axis acceleration detection circuit for detecting acceleration in said X-axis direction through measurement of an offset amount of vibration that acts in opposite phases on a pair of said mass portions that are supported on said excitation beam extending along said Y-axis direction and are excited in a common phase.

9. A detector according to claim 7, further comprising a Y-axis acceleration detection circuit for detecting acceleration in said Y-axis direction through measurement of an offset amount of vibration that acts in opposite phases on a pair of said mass portions that are supported on said excitation beam extending along said X-axis direction and are excited in a common phase.

10. A detector according to claim 7, further comprising a Z-axis angular acceleration detection circuit for detecting angular acceleration in said Z-axis rotational direction through measurement of an amount by which all the mass portions are offset in the same phase in said Z-axis rotational direction.

11. A detector according to claim 1, wherein each mass portion which is supported at one side by the corresponding excitation beam is also supported at an opposite side by another beam.

12. A detector according to claim 1, wherein each of said excitation electrode comprises a pair of electrodes disposed parallel to the surface of said substrate at an end of said corresponding mass portion in a rotational direction about said Z-axis such that said pair of electrodes sandwich opposite surfaces of said corresponding mass portion.

13. A detector according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of excitation detection electrodes for detecting vibration of said mass portions, each excitation detection electrode being disposed to face said corresponding mass portion at an opposite end of said mass portion.

14. A detector according to claim 13, wherein each of said excitation detection electrode comprises a pair of electrodes disposed parallel to the surface of said substrate at an end of said corresponding mass portion in a rotational direction about said Z-axis such that said pair of electrodes sandwich opposite surfaces of said corresponding mass portion.

15. A detector according to claim 1, wherein said driving means applies AC voltages to one pair of said excitation electrodes which are disposed between one adjacent pair of said mass portions and to the other pair of said excitation electrodes which are disposed between the other adjacent pair of said mass portions in the same phase as each other.

16. A detector according to claim 1, wherein said driving means applies AC voltage to said excitation electrodes which exist in the right side of the odd-numbered mass portions and to said excitation electrodes which exist in the left side of the even-numbered mass portions in the same phase as each other, when said mass portions are sequentially numbered clockwise around said fixing portion.

17. A detector for detecting at least one physical quantity from among angular velocity and linear acceleration, fabricated through micro-machining and comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of excitation beams extending along two different directions parallel to the surface of said substrate;

a fixing portion for fixing said excitation beams to said substrate at an intersecting portion of said excitation beams;

four mass portions each having an inertial mass, having an arcuate shape to together forming a ring-like shape, and being supported at free ends of said excitation beams to be excited with respect to said substrate;

a plurality of excitation electrodes for exciting said mass portions in a rotational direction about a vertical axis to said substrate by providing electrical force, each excitation electrode being commonly disposed between two adjacent mass portions, two excitation electrodes being disposed at radially opposite positions with respect to said vertical axis;

a plurality of excitation detection electrodes for detecting amplitude of vibration of said mass portions in said rotational direction, each excitation detection electrode being commonly disposed between two adjacent mass portions, two excitation detection electrodes being disposed at radially opposite positions with respect to said vertical axis and between said two excitation electrodes;

a plurality of sensing electrodes for detecting a physical quantity in relation to a Coriolis force generated in a direction parallel to said vertical axis at each mass portion, or in relation to an acceleration force, each sensing electrode being disposed to face said mass portions; and

a driving means for applying AC voltage to said excitation electrodes; and

wherein said mass portions are excited such that two adjacent mass portions vibrate parallel to said substrate and in opposite phases in said rotational direction about said vertical axis, and said excitation beams have flexibility in both planes which are parallel and perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.

18. A detector according to claim 17, wherein when X and Y axes are defined on said surface of said substrate and a Z axis is defined to be perpendicular to said surface of said substrate, said excitation beams form a cruciform shape extending along X-axis and Y-axis directions.

19. A detector according to claim 18, further comprising an X-axis angular velocity detection circuit or a Y-axis angular velocity detection circuit for detecting a physical amount related to Colioli'"'"'s force as vibration in Z-axis direction, said physical amount being generated at said mass portions in a direction perpendicular to the surface of said substrate due to angular velocity about X-axis and Y-axis.

20. A detector according to claim 18, further comprising a Z-axis acceleration detection circuit for detecting acceleration in said Z-axis direction through measurement of an amount by which all said mass portions are offset in the same phase in said Z-axis direction.

21. A detector according to claim 17, wherein each mass portion which is supported at one side by the corresponding excitation beam is also supported at an opposite side by another beam.

22. A detector according to claim 17, wherein each sensing electrode comprises a pair of electrodes disposed parallel to said surface of said substrate such that said pair of electrodes sandwich opposite faces of said corresponding mass portion.