Angular velocity sensor

• US 7,194,904 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2005
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Higuchi, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US11/153,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20060000280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/041.4, 735/041.6
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis

Abstract

A vibration-type angular velocity sensor realizing a suitably vibrating state of the vibrators by canceling the displacement of the vibrators caused by the gravity. The angular velocity sensor comprises base portions, vibrators coupled to the base portions, exciting means for driving and vibrating the vibrators in the x-direction, and detection means which, when an angular velocity is applied while the vibrators are being driven and vibrated, detects the angular velocity based on the vibrations of the vibrators in the y-direction at right angles with the x-direction, the angular velocity sensor further comprising position adjusting means for so adjusting the positions of the vibrators as to cancel the amount of displacement by which the vibrators are displaced by the gravity in the direction of the gravity.

Claims

1. An angular velocity sensor comprising:

base portions;

vibrators coupled to said base portions;

exciting means for driving and vibrating said vibrators in a first direction; and

detection means which, when an angular velocity is applied while said vibrators are being driven and vibrated, detects the angular velocity based on the vibrations of said vibrators in a second direction at right angles with said first direction;

said angular velocity sensor further comprising position adjusting means for so adjusting the positions of said vibrators as to cancel the amount of displacement by which said vibrators are displaced by the gravity in the direction of the gravity when the detection axis at right angles with said first direction and said the second direction is set to be in parallel with the horizontal plane and when said first direction is set to be the vertical direction.

2. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein:

said exciting means apply drive voltages for driving and vibrating the vibrators to produce an electrostatic attraction; and

said position adjusting means are constituted by monitor means for monitoring the vibrating state of said vibrators based on changes in the capacitances relative to said vibrators and adjusting means for adjusting the DC components in the drive voltages produced by said exciting means based on the signals from said monitor means.

3. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 1, wherein:

said vibrators include a first vibrator and a second vibrator coupled to said base portions; and

said position adjusting means are provided for said first vibrator and said second vibrator, respectively.

4. An angular velocity sensor according to claim 3, wherein said exciting means drive and vibrate said first and second vibrators in said first direction in opposite phases to each other.