Physical quantity sensor

• US 7,628,073 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Aoyama, Seiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok; Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US11/979,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20080216572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 735/143.2, 735/142.9, 735/143.6, 735/143.8, 735/041.2, 735/041.4, 73/13.8
• US Class Current: 73/514.32
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0814 for translational movement of the mass, e.g. shuttle type
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

A physical quantity sensor includes: a substrate; a movable element; two fixed elements; a carrier wave application element for applying two carrier waves to the fixed elements; a signal application element for applying a middle voltage to the movable element; and a detection circuit for detecting a physical quantity. The detection circuit executes a first self diagnosis process when the signal application element further applies a first self diagnosis signal to the movable element. The first self diagnosis signal has a first frequency for obtaining a resonant magnification equal to or larger than 1.1 times with respect to a resonant frequency of the movable element, so that the movable element is resonated and almost contacts or press contacts one fixed element. The detection circuit determines whether a sticking phenomenon occurs when the signal application element applies the first self diagnosis signal.

Claims

1. A physical quantity sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a movable element supported on the substrate with a spring, wherein the movable element is displaceable in accordance with a physical quantity along a displacement direction;

a pair of fixed elements, each of which is spaced apart from the movable element by a predetermined distance in the displacement direction;

a carrier wave application element for applying a pair of carrier waves having a pulse shape to the pair of fixed elements in such a manner that one carrier wave to be applied to one fixed element has a phase opposite to the other carrier wave to be applied to the other fixed element;

a signal application element for applying a middle voltage to the movable element, wherein the middle voltage is almost a half of a peak voltage of the carrier waves; and

a detection circuit for detecting the physical quantity based on a capacitance change between the movable element and the pair of fixed elements, wherein

the signal application element further applies a first self diagnosis signal having a pulse shape to the movable element,

the first self diagnosis signal has a first maximum voltage different from the middle voltage,

the detection circuit executes a first self diagnosis process based on the capacitance change between the movable element and the pair of fixed elements when the signal application element applies the first self diagnosis signal to the movable element,

the first self diagnosis signal has a first frequency, which provides to obtain a resonant magnification equal to or larger than 1.1 times with respect to a resonant frequency of the movable element, so that the movable element is resonated and almost contacts or press contacts one of the pair of fixed elements,

the detection circuit determines whether a sticking phenomenon occurs based on the capacitance change between the movable element and the pair of fixed elements when the signal application element applies the first self diagnosis signal to the movable element,

the signal application element further applies a pair of first self diagnosis waves having a pulse shape to the pair of fixed elements when the detection circuit executes the first self diagnosis process in such a manner that one first self diagnosis wave to be applied to one fixed element has a phase opposite to the other first self diagnosis wave to be applied to the other fixed element,

each first self diagnosis wave has a maximum voltage equal to the peak voltage,

each first self diagnosis wave has a frequency equal to the first frequency of the first self diagnosis signal,

the detection circuit determines whether the sticking phenomenon occurs based on the capacitance change between the movable element and the pair of fixed elements when the signal application element applies the first self diagnosis signal to the movable element and applies the pair of first self diagnosis waves to the pair of fixed elements, and

the signal application element further applies a second self diagnosis signal to the movable element,

the second self diagnosis signal has a second frequency, which provides to obtain a resonant magnification lower than the resonant magnification of the first self diagnosis signal, and

the detection circuit determines whether a sensitivity of the sensor is disposed in a predetermined range based on the capacitance change between the movable element and the pair of fixed elements when the signal application element applies the second self diagnosis signal to the movable element.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first frequency provides to obtain the resonant magnification equal to or larger than five times with respect to the resonant frequency of the movable element.

3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the signal application element further applies a pair of second self diagnosis waves having a pulse shape to the pair of fixed elements when the detection circuit executes a second self diagnosis process in such a manner that one second self diagnosis wave to be applied to one fixed element has a phase opposite to the other second diagnosis wave to be applied to the other fixed element,

each second self diagnosis wave has a frequency equal to the second frequency of the second self diagnosis signal, and

the detection circuit determines whether the sensitivity of the sensor is disposed in the predetermined range based on the capacitance change between the movable element and the pair of fixed elements when the signal application element applies the second self diagnosis signal to the movable element and applies the pair of second self diagnosis waves to the pair of fixed elements.

4. The sensor according to claim 3, wherein

the second self diagnosis signal has a second maximum voltage different from the first maximum voltage.

5. The sensor according to claim 4, wherein

the detection circuit executes the second self diagnosis process when the signal application element applies the second self diagnosis signal to the movable element before the detection circuit executes the first self diagnosis process, and

the detection circuit starts to execute the first self diagnosis process while the movable element is oscillated by the second self diagnosis signal.

6. The sensor according to claim 5, wherein

the second maximum voltage is disposed between the middle voltage and the first maximum voltage,

the first maximum voltage is equal to the peak voltage of the carrier waves,

the first self diagnosis signal has a first duty ratio between a first maximum voltage step and a first minimum voltage step,

the first self diagnosis signal at the first maximum voltage step has the first maximum voltage, and the first self diagnosis signal at the first minimum voltage step has a predetermined first minimum voltage,

the first duty ratio is larger than one,

the second self diagnosis signal has a second duty ratio between a second maximum voltage step and a second minimum voltage step,

the second self diagnosis signal at the second maximum voltage step has the second maximum voltage, and the second self diagnosis signal at the second minimum voltage step has a predetermined second minimum voltage, and

the second duty ratio is larger than one.

7. The sensor according to claim 6, wherein

the first minimum voltage step is equal to the middle voltage step, and the second minimum voltage step is equal to the middle voltage step,

the first self diagnosis waves have a first wave duty ratio between a first wave maximum voltage step and a first wave minimum voltage step,

the first self diagnosis waves at the first wave maximum voltage step have the maximum voltage equal to the peak voltage, and the first self diagnosis waves at the first wave minimum voltage step have a predetermined wave minimum voltage,

the first wave duty ratio is larger than the first duty ratio of the first self diagnosis signal,

the second self diagnosis waves have a second wave duty ratio between a second wave maximum voltage step and a second wave minimum voltage step,

the second self diagnosis waves at the second wave maximum voltage step have the maximum voltage equal to the peak voltage, and the second self diagnosis waves at the second wave minimum voltage step have a predetermined wave second minimum voltage, and

the second wave duty ratio is larger than the second duty ratio of the second self diagnosis signal.