Detection device, sensor, and electronic instrument

• US 7,870,786 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fukuzawa, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok; Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US11/979,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 735/040.4, 735/041.2, 735/041.5, 735/041.6, 735/041.4
• 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

Abstract

A detection device includes a detection circuit and a reference voltage supply circuit. The detection circuit includes an amplifier circuit, a synchronous detection circuit, and a filter section. The reference voltage supply circuit includes a first supply circuit which includes a reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier and supplies an analog reference voltage to the amplifier circuit, and a second supply circuit which includes a reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier and supplies the analog reference voltage to the filter section. When a channel width and a channel length of a differential-stage transistor of a differential section of the first-type operational amplifier are respectively referred to as W1a and L1a, a bias current flowing through the differential section is referred to as Ia, a channel width and a channel length of a differential-stage transistor of a differential section of the second-type operational amplifier are respectively referred to as W1b and L1b, and a bias current flowing through the differential section is referred to as Ib, W1b×L1b>W1a×L1a and Ia>Ib are satisfied.

Claims

1. A detection device comprising:

a detection circuit that receives a detection signal from a physical quantity transducer driven using a driving signal, and detects a desired signal from the detection signal; and

a reference voltage supply circuit that supplies an analog reference voltage to the detection circuit;

the detection circuit including;

an amplifier circuit that amplifies the detection signal from the physical quantity transducer;

a synchronous detection circuit that synchronously detects a signal amplified by the amplifier circuit; and

a filter section provided in a subsequent stage of the synchronous detection circuit;

the reference voltage supply circuit including;

a first supply circuit that includes a reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier and supplies the analog reference voltage to the amplifier circuit; and

a second supply circuit that includes a reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier and supplies the analog reference voltage to the filter section; and

when a channel width and a channel length of a differential-stage transistor of a differential section of the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier are respectively referred to as W1a and L1a, a bias current flowing through the differential section of the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier is referred to as Ia, a channel width and a channel length of a differential-stage transistor of a differential section of the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier are respectively referred to as W1b and L1b, and a bias current flowing through the differential section of the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier is referred to as Ib, W1b×

L1b>

W1a×

L1a and Ia>

Ib being satisfied.

2. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

when a frequency of a carrier signal is referred to as f1, a frequency of the desired signal carried by the carrier signal is referred to as f2, and a corner frequency of flicker noise and thermal noise in frequency-noise characteristics is referred to as fcr, the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier satisfying f1−

fcr<

fcr−

f2, and the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier satisfying fcr−

f2<

f1−

fcr.

3. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

the amplifier circuit including:

first and second charge/voltage conversion circuits or first and second current/voltage conversion circuits that respectively amplify first and second detection signals from the physical quantity transducer; and

a differential amplifier circuit that differentially amplifies first and second output signals from the first and second charge/voltage conversion circuits or the first and second current/voltage conversion circuits; and

the first supply circuit supplying the analog reference voltage to the first and second charge/voltage conversion circuits or the first and second current/voltage conversion circuits and the differential amplifier circuit using the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier.

4. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

the detection circuit including a sensitivity adjustment circuit that is provided in a preceding stage of the synchronous detection circuit and adjusts sensitivity by variably controlling a gain;

and

the first supply circuit supplying the analog reference voltage to the sensitivity adjustment circuit using the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier.

5. The detection device as defined in claim 4,

the sensitivity adjustment circuit operating as a programmable-gain amplifier and a high-pass filter.

6. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

the filter section including:

a discrete-time filter; and

a continuous-time filter provided in a preceding stage of the discrete-time filter; and

the second supply circuit supplying the analog reference voltage to the discrete-time filter using the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier.

7. The detection device as defined in claim 6,

the physical quantity transducer being a vibrator that is caused to produce vibrations using a driving signal;

and

the discrete-time filter having frequency characteristics for removing a component having a detuning frequency Δ

f=|fd−

fs| corresponding to a difference between a driving-side resonance frequency fd and a detection-side resonance frequency fs of the vibrator and allowing a frequency component of the desired signal to pass through.

8. The detection device as defined in claim 7,

the continuous-time filter having frequency characteristics for attenuating amplitude of an unnecessary signal that appears in a frequency band of a frequency k×

fd (k is a positive integer) due to synchronous detection by the synchronous detection circuit to a value equal to or smaller than amplitude of the desired signal; and

the second supply circuit supplying the analog reference voltage to the continuous-time filter using the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier.

9. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

the first supply circuit being a circuit that performs voltage impedance conversion using the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier;

and

the second supply circuit being a circuit that performs voltage impedance conversion using the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier.

10. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

the reference voltage supply circuit including a third supply circuit that is provided in a preceding stage of the first and second supply circuits, includes a reference-voltage third-type operational amplifier, and supplies a voltage to the first and second supply circuits;

and

when a channel width and a channel length of a differential-stage transistor of a differential section of the reference-voltage third-type operational amplifier are respectively referred to as W1c and L1c and a bias current that flows through the differential section of the reference-voltage third-type operational amplifier is referred to as Ic, W1c×

L1c>

W1a×

L1a and Ic>

Ib being satisfied.

11. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

a first analog reference voltage line for supplying the analog reference voltage from the first supply circuit and a second analog reference voltage line for supplying the analog reference voltage from the second supply circuit being separately provided from the reference voltage supply circuit to the detection circuit.

12. The detection device as defined in claim 10,

the filter section including an output circuit that subjects an output signal to impedance conversion;

the reference voltage supply circuit including a fourth supply circuit that includes the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier and supplies the analog reference voltage to the output circuit; and

a first analog reference voltage line for supplying the analog reference voltage from the first supply circuit, a second analog reference voltage line, line for supplying the analog reference voltage from the second supply circuit, and a third analog reference voltage line for supplying the analog reference voltage from the fourth supply circuit being separately provided from the reference voltage supply circuit to the detection circuit.

16. The detection device as defined in claim 1,

the physical quantity transducer being a vibrator that is caused to produce vibrations using a driving signal.

17. A sensor comprising:

the detection device as defined in claim 1; and

the physical quantity transducer.

19. An electronic instrument comprising:

the sensor as defined in claim 17; and

a processing section that performs processes based on detection information of the sensor.

13. A detection device comprising:

a detection circuit that receives a detection signal from a physical quantity transducer driven using a driving signal, and detects a desired signal from the detection signal; and

a reference voltage supply circuit that supplies an analog reference voltage to the detection circuit;

the detection circuit including;

an amplifier circuit that amplifies the detection signal from the physical quantity transducer;

a synchronous detection circuit that synchronously detects a signal amplified by the amplifier circuit; and

a filter section provided in a subsequent stage of the synchronous detection circuit;

the reference voltage supply circuit including;

a first supply circuit that includes a reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier and supplies the analog reference voltage to the amplifier circuit; and

a second supply circuit that includes a reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier and supplies the analog reference voltage to the filter section;

the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier being an operational amplifier of which thermal noise at a frequency of a carrier signal is lower than that of the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier; and

the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier being an operational amplifier of which flicker noise at a frequency of a desired signal is lower than that of the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier.

14. The detection device as defined in claim 13,

when the frequency of the carrier signal is referred to as f1, the frequency of the desired signal carried by the carrier signal is referred to as f2, and a corner frequency of flicker noise and thermal noise in frequency-noise characteristics is referred to as fcr, the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier satisfying f1−

fcr<

fcr−

f2, and the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier satisfying fcr−

f2<

f1−

fcr.

15. The detection device as defined in claim 13,

the reference voltage supply circuit including a third supply circuit that is provided in a preceding stage of the first and second supply circuits, includes a reference-voltage third-type operational amplifier, and supplies a voltage to the first and second supply circuits;

the reference-voltage third-type operational amplifier being an operational amplifier of which thermal noise at the frequency of the carrier signal is lower than that of the reference-voltage second-type operational amplifier and flicker noise at the frequency of the desired signal is lower than that of the reference-voltage first-type operational amplifier.

18. A sensor comprising:

the detection device as defined in claim 13; and

the physical quantity transducer.

20. An electronic instrument comprising:

the sensor as defined in claim 18; and

a processing section that performs processes based on detection information of the sensor.