Detection device, gyrosensor, and electronic instrument

• US 8,127,608 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Columbia Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Murashima, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US12/685,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20100107760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/041.4, 735/041.6
• 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 driver circuit and a detection circuit. The detection circuit includes an amplifier circuit which amplifies an output signal from a vibrator, a sensitivity adjustment circuit which performs sensitivity adjustment by variably controlling a gain, and a synchronous detection circuit which performs synchronous detection based on a reference signal. The sensitivity adjustment circuit is provided in the preceding stage of the synchronous detection circuit. The sensitivity adjustment circuit operates as a programmable-gain amplifier and a high-pass filter.

Claims

1. A detection device comprising:

a driver circuit which drives a vibrator to vibrate; and

a detection circuit which receives an output signal from the vibrator and detects a desired signal, the detection circuit including;

an amplifier circuit which amplifies the output signal from the vibrator;

a sensitivity adjustment circuit which performs sensitivity adjustment by variably controlling a gain; and

a synchronous detection circuit which performs synchronous detection based on a reference signal;

the sensitivity adjustment circuit being provided in a preceding stage of the synchronous detection circuit;

an offset adjustment circuit which performs adjustment for removing an initial offset voltage of an output signal of the detection device; and

a filter section which filters a signal after synchronous detection;

wherein the filter section includes;

a discrete-time filter; and

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

wherein the continuous-time filter has frequency characteristics of removing an offset change in an unnecessary signal due to a change in environment.

2. The detection device as defined in claim 1, wherein the continuous-time filter has frequency characteristics of attenuating an offset change in an unnecessary signal which 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.

3. The detection device as defined in claim 2, wherein the continuous-time filter has frequency characteristics of attenuating offset changes in unnecessary signals which appear in frequency bands of frequencies fd, 2fd, and 3fd to values equal to or smaller than the amplitude of the desired signal.

4. The detection device as defined in claim 2,

wherein the continuous-time filter is a first-order low-pass filter;

and

wherein, when the amplitude of the desired signal is A0, the offset change in the unnecessary signal which appears at the frequency k×

fd is Δ

Ak, and an attenuation factor of the filter at the frequency fd is a, the continuous-time filter has frequency characteristics of attenuating the offset change in the unnecessary signal so that Δ

Ak×

(a/k)≦

A0 is satisfied.

5. The detection device as defined in claim 2, wherein the continuous-time filter is a second-order low-pass filter;

and wherein, when the amplitude of the desired signal is A0, the offset change in the unnecessary signal which appears at the frequency k×

fd is Δ

Ak, and an attenuation factor of the filter at the frequency fd is a, the continuous-time filter has frequency characteristics of attenuating the offset change in the unnecessary signal so that Δ

Ak×

(a/k²)≦

A0 is satisfied.

6. The detection device as defined in claim 1, wherein the discrete-time filter is a switched-capacitor filter.

7. The detection device as defined in claim 6, wherein the switched-capacitor filter operates based on a clock signal corresponding to the reference signal.

8. The detection device as defined in claim 1, wherein the discrete-time filter has frequency characteristics of 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.