Silicon micromechanical gyroscope

• US 7,805,994 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Beijing Walkang Science and Technology Limited Company
• Original Assignee: Beijing Walkang Science and Technology Limited Company
• Inventors: Zhang, Wei, Zhang, Fuxue
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok; Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US11/906,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20080295596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,102 Days
• Field of Search: 735/040.4, 735/041.2, 735/041.5, 734/93, 735/041.4, 735/041.3, 735/040.2
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5726 Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5769 Manufacturing; Mounting; Housings

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel silicon micromechanical gyroscope, which is used in control technology field to measure pose measurement of a rotating body, such as aerobat, motor tire and drilling platform, wherein the novel silicon micromechanical gyroscope main includes a sensing element and a signal process circuit. The sensing element further comprises a silicon slice frame, a silicon slice, an upper electrode ceramics plate and a bottom electrode ceramics plate. The signal process circuit further comprises a signal detecting bridge circuit used as bridge arm of the capacitor sensing element, and a SCM signal process circuit with data process module. The novel silicon micromechanical gyroscope is able to replace a drive force from the drive conformation with a rotating force from the rotation of the rotating body so as to achieve a novel silicon micromechanical gyroscope without a drive conformation. The novel silicon micromechanical gyroscope without a drive conformation to mostly achieve purposes like minify in craft, simply in structure and reduced in volume so as to effectively lower cost and save energy.

Claims

1. A silicon micromechanical gyroscope, comprising

a sensing element, comprising:

a swinging silicon slice,

an elastic twist beam hanging the swinging silicon slice within a packaging chamber, wherein said elastic twist beam allows the swinging silicon slice to swing around the lengthwise axis of the beam within a range of angle in the chamber, and

a capacitance sensing element comprising four capacitors formed between the swinging silicon slice and the chamber, wherein the output signal of the capacitors is responsive to the position of the swinging silicon slice; and

a signal processing circuit for analyzing the output signal of the capacitor, comprising;

a signal detecting bridge circuit formed by the capacitance sensing element as bridge arm; and

a SCM signal process circuit with data process module,

wherein the capacitance sensing element adopts no driving structure, when the gyroscope is mounted on a rotating body, the output signal of the capacitors can be analyzed to detect a rotation angular velocity and transverse angular velocity of the rotating body simultaneously through the signal processing circuit.

2. The silicon micromechanical gyroscope as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capacitors are differential capacitors.

3. The silicon micromechanical gyroscope as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an anti-shock pad positioned on upper and bottom surface of the swinging silicon slice.

4. The silicon micromechanical gyroscope as claimed in claim 1, wherein a through hole is formed in the center of the swinging silicon slice.

5. The silicon micromechanical gyroscope as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of elongated through holes are formed in each of both sides of said swinging silicon slice, serving as damping bars.

6. The silicon micromechanical gyroscope as claimed in claim 1, wherein the swinging silicon slice and the elastic twist beam are formed by etching on one silicon slice.

7. The silicon micromechanical gyroscope as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a silicon frame, wherein the swinging silicon slice is positioned within the silicon frame by the elastic twist beam and is smaller in thickness than the silicon frame.