Angular velocity detection apparatus

• US 8,037,758 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sato, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok; Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US12/141,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20080314145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/041.6, 735/040.4, 735/040.2, 735/041.4, 310/370
• 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

An angular velocity detection apparatus includes: a sensor unit having first and second detection axes serving as angular velocity detection axes, the first and second detection axes intersecting each other; a sensor output correction circuit for making at least one of an offset adjustment and a sensitivity adjustment to a detection output of an angular velocity around the first detection axis and a detection output of an angular velocity around the second detection axis; a sign determination circuit for obtaining a sign of a rotational direction of an angular velocity on any one of the first and second detection axes; and an amplitude calculation circuit for multiplying a square sum average of detection outputs of angular velocities around the first and second detection axes outputted by the sensor output correction circuit and a sign outputted by the sign determination circuit.

Claims

1. An angular velocity detection apparatus, comprising:

a sensor unit having first and second detection axes serving as angular velocity detection axes, the first and second detection axes intersecting each other;

a sensor output correction circuit for making at least one of an offset adjustment and a sensitivity adjustment to a detection output of an angular velocity around the first detection axis and a detection output of an angular velocity around the second detection axis;

a sign determination circuit for obtaining a sign of a rotational direction of an angular velocity on any one of the first and second detection axes;

an amplitude calculation circuit for multiplying a square sum average of detection outputs of angular velocities around the first and second detection axes outputted by the sensor output correction circuit and a sign outputted by the sign determination circuit; and

a control circuit coupled to a back of the amplitude calculation circuit, wherein the control circuit receives and compares a multiplication result from the amplitude calculation circuit and output results from a plurality of physical quantity sensors other than the sensor unit, and if the multiplication result and the output results are not matched, the control circuit outputs an offset adjustment factor or a sensitivity adjustment factor for matching the multiplication result and the output results to the sensor output correction circuit.

2. The angular velocity detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor unit includes a first angular velocity sensor for detecting an angular velocity around the first detection axis and a second angular velocity sensor for detecting an angular velocity around the second detection axis, and

the first and second angular velocity sensors are disposed so that an angle θ

1 formed by a gravitational acceleration direction and the first detection axis and an angle θ

2 formed by a gravitational acceleration direction and the second detection axis have a relation of θ

1=−

θ

2.

3. The angular velocity detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the angular velocity sensors are double-T-shaped gyro sensors, and

the double-T-shaped gyro sensors each includes a base, detection arms extending from positions opposed to each other on the base, and drive arms disposed in parallel to the detection arms.

4. The angular velocity detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

an angle formed by the first and second detection axes is 90°

±

2°

.

5. The angular velocity detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a bank angle calculation circuit for receiving a detection output ω

1′

of an angular velocity around the first detection axis and a detection output ω

2′

of an angular velocity around the second detection axis outputted by the sensor output correction circuit and obtaining a bank angle θ

by performing a calculation of

6. The angular velocity detection apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising

a sensor failure check circuit for receiving a detection output of an angular velocity around the first detection axis and a detection output of an angular velocity around the second detection axis outputted by the sensor output correction circuit, comparing a predetermined threshold and each of the detection outputs or comparing an output of an bank angle calculated by the bank angle calculation circuit and a predetermined threshold, and determining that there is a failure.

7. The angular velocity detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor unit is disposed in a mobile unit and the first and second detection axes are disposed so as to be orthogonal to a straight-ahead direction of the mobile unit.