Arrangement for measuring angular velocity
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A sensor adapted to respond to a rotation, said sensor comprising a body formed from a substantially planar substrate, said body incorporating a beam having a longitudinal axis, the beam having two opposed ends, each end being adapted to be fixed in position, the beam being provided with at least one inertia mass connected to the beam at a predetermined position, the body being associated with means for exciting a first oscillation of said at least one inertia mass substantially about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the substrate, there being means for detecting a second oscillation of said at least one inertial mass, substantially around an axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of the beam, which second oscillation is caused by the Coriolis force that arises when the body is subjected to rotation around an axis angularly displaced from perpendicular to said plane, but perpendicular to the said axis of the beam, the beam being configured so that the beam bends most easily in one predetermined direction, that direction making an acute angle with said plane, so that the direction is neither parallel with, nor perpendicular to said plane, so that the first oscillation may be initiated by an excitation force which is not parallel with said plane.
2 Assignments
Litigations
1 Petition
Accused Products
Abstract
In a sensor for measuring angular velocity a body is formed from a planer substrate The body defines a beam, the opposed ends of which are adapted to be fixed in position, the beam having a preferential bending direction which makes an acute angle with the plane of the planar substrate. The beam carries an inertia mass comprising two arms interconnected by a connecting bar, the central part of the connecting bar being formed integrally with part of the beam. Capacitative plates located adjacent a conductive layer on the arms are provided with potentials which cause the inertia mass to rotate about the axis of the connecting bar with a “see-saw” action which, because of the configuration of the beam leads to a rotational oscillation of the inertia mass in the plane of the substrate. If the arrangement is rotated about an axis coincident with the connecting bar, the inertia mass rotates about an axis coincident with the beam with an oscillating rotation. This is detected by capacitative plates to determine angular velocity.
-
Citations
33 Claims
- 1. A sensor adapted to respond to a rotation, said sensor comprising a body formed from a substantially planar substrate, said body incorporating a beam having a longitudinal axis, the beam having two opposed ends, each end being adapted to be fixed in position, the beam being provided with at least one inertia mass connected to the beam at a predetermined position, the body being associated with means for exciting a first oscillation of said at least one inertia mass substantially about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the substrate, there being means for detecting a second oscillation of said at least one inertial mass, substantially around an axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of the beam, which second oscillation is caused by the Coriolis force that arises when the body is subjected to rotation around an axis angularly displaced from perpendicular to said plane, but perpendicular to the said axis of the beam, the beam being configured so that the beam bends most easily in one predetermined direction, that direction making an acute angle with said plane, so that the direction is neither parallel with, nor perpendicular to said plane, so that the first oscillation may be initiated by an excitation force which is not parallel with said plane.
- 20. A sensor adapted to respond to a rotation, said sensor comprising a body formed from a substantially planar substrate, said body incorporating a beam having a longitudinal axis, the beam having two opposed ends, each end being adapted to be fixed in position, the beam being provided with inertia mass means connected to the beam, the body being associated with means for exciting a first oscillation of the inertia mass means, that first oscillation being an oscillation about an oscillation axis, there being means for detecting a second oscillation of the inertia mass means, substantially around an axis perpendicular to said oscillation axis, which second oscillation is caused by the Coriolis force which arises when the body is subjected to a rotation about an axis angularly displaced from perpendicular to the plane of said planar substrate, but perpendicular to the said axis of the beam, wherein the inertia mass means comprises at least two discrete inertia masses, located at different positions spaced from each other along the length of the beam, the said two masses being excited to oscillate in anti-phase.
Specification