Angular velocity sensor

• US 6,732,586 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2002
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uemura, Takeshi, Nozoe, Toshiyuki, Tamura, Masami
• Primary Examiner(s): MOLLER, RICHARD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/300,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 735/040.2, 735/041.2, 735/041.5, 735/041.6, 73/13.7, 73/17.7, 73/18.2
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5607 using vibrating tuning forks double-ended tuning forks using planar vibrating masses suspended at opposite ends G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/02 of speedometers

Abstract

The present invention presents an angular velocity sensor having a self diagnosis function. An angular velocity sensor of the present invention includes a driving part for stably vibrating a driving part of a sensor element having a driver part and a detector part for detecting an angular velocity. The angular velocity sensor also includes a detection means for detecting the angular velocity of the sensor element. The angular velocity sensor obtains a self diagnosis signal for a malfunction by detecting a mechanical coupling signal obtained at the detection means.

Claims

1. An angular velocity sensor comprising:

a sensor including a vibrator and a detector for detecting an angular velocity;

a drive unit including a driver circuit and a monitor circuit, wherein said driver circuit supplies a driving signal to the vibrator part of said sensor, and said monitor circuit receives a monitor signal from said sensor;

a detection unit including an amplifier unit and a synchronous demodulator, wherein said amplifier unit receives outputs from the detector of said sensor and wherein said synchronous demodulator sample-holds an output from said amplifier unit in synchronous with the driving signal from said drive unit and outputs an angular velocity signal; and

a self diagnosis unit which provides a diagnosis signal to detect an abnormality of said sensor by providing a displacement signal synchronized with said driving signal to said detection unit.

2. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein said self diagnosis unit comprises an attenuator for attenuating said signal synchronized with said driving signal to generate said displacement signal, and an injector for providing said displacement signal from said attenuator to said detection unit.

3. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 2, further including a changing unit for changing said self diagnosis unit to either a working state or a non-working state, said changing unit being disposed between said attenuator and said injector.

4. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 3, further including a judge unit for continuously judging an abnormality of said sensor by detecting an output level of said detection unit during the non-working state of said self diagnosis unit.

5. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 3, wherein said changing unit is a switch for connecting or disconnecting, in accordance with an external control mechanism, said displacement signal to said injector.

6. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 3, wherein said changing unit comprises a timer circuit for connecting or disconnecting for a given time, in accordance with an external control mechanism, said displacement signal to said injector.

7. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 2, wherein said injector comprises a capacitor.

8. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 2, wherein said injector comprises a resistor.

9. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 2, wherein said attenuator includes a ladder network resistor capable of digitally adjusting at least one of an amplitude and phase of an input signal.

10. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 2, wherein said amplifier unit comprises one of a pair of charging amplifiers or a pair of current amplifiers.

11. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 10, further including a balancing unit, wherein said balancing unit is disposed at an input terminal of one of said pair of charging amplifiers or current amplifiers and said input terminal is not connected to said injector, whereby said balancing unit maintains a balance of input characteristics between each of said pair of charging amplifiers or current amplifiers.