Drop shock measurement system and acceleration sensor element used in the same

• US 7,493,818 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2004
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tajika, Hirofumi, Toji, Motoyuki, Nishihara, Kazunari, Nomura, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fayyaz; Nashmiya S
• Application Number:
  US10/769,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20040182182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 735/141.5, 735/411.6, 735/142.9, 736/51
• US Class Current: 73/651
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02827 Elastic parameters, strength or force
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0891 with indication of predetermined acceleration values G01P15/135 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0922 of the bending or flexing mode type
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/097 by vibratory elements

Abstract

The drop impact measuring system has i) a plurality of bimorph-type acceleration sensor containing a plurality of free vibrating sections each of which has individual draw-out electrodes; ii) a switch section for selecting output from the bimorph-type acceleration sensors; iii) an amplifying circuit for amplifying a signal applied via the switch section from the acceleration sensors; and iv) a logic circuit for logically evaluating the output from the amplifying circuit and controlling the switch section according to the result acquired from the logical evaluation.

Claims

1. A bimorph-type acceleration sensor element, which is used for a bimorph-type acceleration sensor, comprising:

a common supporter;

a plurality of bimorph free vibrating sections having a cantilever beam structure, each of the free vibrating sections having a first portion that is in contact with the common supporter and a second portion that is not in contact with the common supporter;

a main electrode on a top surface of each of said free vibrating sections;

a further main electrode on a bottom surface of each of said free vibrating sections;

a set of draw-out electrodes corresponding to each of said free vibrating sections and for drawing out electric charge from the vibrating sections, each respective draw-out electrode of the set of draw-out electrodes being electrically connected to a corresponding one of the main electrode or the further main electrode, the draw-out electrodes of each respective set being electrically isolated from each other, wherein;

the second portion of a first one of the plurality of free vibrating sections extends from one edge of the common supporter and the second portion of a second one of the plurality of free vibrating sections extends from an opposite edge of the common supporter, the second portions of the first and second ones of the plurality of free vibrating sections defining a set of opposed second portions, and

the first portion of the first one of the plurality of free vibrating sections is disposed in a first region adjacent to the one edge of the common supporter and the first portion of a second one of the plurality of free vibrating sections is disposed in a second region adjacent to the opposite edge of the common supporter, the first portions of the first and second ones of the plurality of free vibrating sections defining a set of opposed first portions such that opposed first portions are closer to each other than opposed second portions are closer to each other.

2. The bimorph-type acceleration sensor element of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the free vibrating sections are of different lengths and are electrically independent.

3. The bimorph-type acceleration sensor element of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the free vibrating sections are of identical length and are electrically connected in parallel.

4. The sensor element according to claim 1, wherein the draw-out electrodes of the set of draw-out electrodes are not electrically connected together.

5. The sensor element according to claim 1, wherein:

the common supporter includes a plurality of side regions and a bottom region; and

a first one of the draw-out electrodes of each respective set of draw-out electrodes is electrically connected to a respectively different one of the further main electrodes of the plurality of free vibrating sections and is disposed on a respectively different one of the side regions of the common supporter such that the first one of the draw-out electrodes of each respective set continues from the respectively different one of the side regions onto the bottom region of the common supporter to expose the first one of the of the draw-out electrodes of each respective set at the bottom region of the common supporter.