Inertia sensor and inertia detector device

• US 8,171,792 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sameshima, Toshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapman, Jr., John
• Application Number:
  US12/270,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20090126490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 735/040.4, 735/041.2, 735/041.4, 735/143.2
• US Class Current: 73/504.04
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/56 Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5776 Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/14 by making use of gyroscopes gyroscopes per se G01C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation

Abstract

A detector device includes a drive circuit for outputting a drive pulse signal for displacing the variable block, a detection pulse signal applying unit by which the variable capacitance elements and the fixed capacitance element whose one end is connected in common are respectively applied, at their other ends, with detection pulse signals with a plurality of phases each having a predetermined phase difference at a timing synchronized with the drive pulse signal, and an inertia detection unit for detecting a difference in capacitance value between the variable capacitance elements to which the detection pulse signal having the phase difference is applied, or between the fixed capacitance element and the variable capacitance element, and detecting the applied inertial force based on the difference.

Claims

1. A detector device, comprising:

a fixed block with a fixed capacitance element with a fixed capacitance value;

a plurality of variable blocks positioned about the fixed bock, each variable block having a variable capacitance element with a capacitance value that changes in accordance with applied inertial force, the variable blocks reciprocally displacing relative to the fixed block in respective predetermined directions to detect a value of the applied inertial force based on the capacitance value of the respective variable capacitance element, one side of the fixed capacitance element and one side of each of the variable capacitance elements electrically coupled together;

a drive circuit for outputting a drive pulse signal for displacing the variable blocks;

a detection pulse signal applying unit by which applies detection pulse signals to the other sides of the variable capacitance elements and the fixed capacitance element which are not coupled together, the detection pulse signals having a plurality of phases, each phase having a predetermined phase difference at a timing synchronized with the drive pulse signals; and

an inertia detection unit which detects a difference in capacitance (a) between the variable capacitance elements to which the detection pulse signals having the phase differences are applied, or (b) between the fixed capacitance element and the variable capacitance elements, and detecting the applied inertial force based on the difference in capacitance value,

wherein,

each variable block includes a movable body suspended therein by means of flexible support beams allowing displacement of the movable body upon application of the applied inertial force.

2. The detector device according to claim 1, wherein:

the detection pulse signal applying unit (a) sequentially applies detection pulse signals having different polarities to the fixed capacitance element and two or more of the variable capacitance elements respectively, and (b) sequentially applies detection pulse signals having different polarities to two or more of the variable capacitance elements and another two or more of the variable capacitance elements respectively, and the inertia detection unit performs summation and subtraction of capacitance values of the plurality of variable capacitance elements by means of the detection pulse signal, and respectively outputs signals according to an angular velocity at each detection axis and acceleration at each detection axis among the applied inertial forces.

3. The detector device according to claim 1, wherein:

the detection pulse signal applying unit sequentially applies detection pulse signals having different polarities to the fixed capacitance element and the variable capacitance elements respectively, and

the inertia detection unit detects a change in capacitance value of each of the variable capacitance elements by the detection pulse signal.

4. The detector device according to claim 1, wherein the detection pulse signal applying unit switches a voltage amplitude of a respective detection pulse signal according to the capacitance element to which the respective detection pulse signal is applied.

5. The detector device according to claim 1, wherein, for detecting angular velocity, the detection pulse signal applying unit applies the detection pulse signals to the capacitance element during a predetermined time period before and after when a displacement rate of the variable blocks becomes a maximum, and, for detecting acceleration, applies the detection pulse signals to the capacitance element during a predetermined time period before and after when the displacement rate of the variable blocks becomes a minimum.

6. The detector device according to claim 1, wherein the detection pulse signal applying unit applies the detection pulse signals to the capacitance elements during a predetermined time period before and after when a displacement rate of the variable blocks becomes a maximum.

7. The detector device according to claim 1, comprising:

for each variable block, a displacement-detecting variable capacitance element constituted by the variable block and a fixed electrode facing this variable block;

for each variable block, a displacement-detecting pulse signal applying unit for applying a displacement detecting pulse signal to the displacement-detecting variable capacitance element; and

a displacement detection unit for detecting a displacement state of each variable block from the capacitance value of the displacement-detecting variable capacitance element, the capacitance value being detected by the displacement detecting pulse signal applied by the displacement-detecting pulse signal applying unit,

wherein,

for each variable block, the displacement-detecting pulse signal applying unit applies the displacement detecting pulse signal to the displacement-detecting variable capacitance element during a predetermined period before and after when the displacement of the variable block becomes a maximum.

8. The detector device according to claim 1, wherein the detection pulse signal applying unit does not apply a detection pulse signal to the capacitance element at a time of a rising edge or a falling edge of the drive pulse signal.

9. The detector device according to claim 1, wherein the detection pulse signal applying unit is provided with a shift circuit for shifting a phase of a respective detection pulse signal or a respective drive pulse signal so that the respective detection pulse signal may not be at the rising edge or the falling edge during the rising edge or the falling edge of the respective drive pulse signal.

10. An inertia sensor, comprising:

a structural body with (a) a plurality of variable blocks, each with a variable capacitance element whose capacitance value changes in accordance with applied inertial force and (b) a fixed block with a fixed capacitance element whose capacitance value is fixed, one side of the fixed capacitance element and one side of each of the variable capacitance elements being electrically coupled together, each variable block reciprocally displacing relative to the fixed block in a predetermined direction, each variable block including a movable body suspended therein by support beams allowing the movable body to vibrate; and

a detector device for detecting a value of the applied inertial force based on the capacitance value of the capacitance elements of the structural body,

wherein,

the detector device includes (a) a drive circuit which outputs a drive pulse signal which displaces the variable block (b) a detection pulse signal applying unit which applies respective detection pulse signals with a plurality of phases each having a predetermined phase difference at a timing synchronized with the drive pulse signal and (c) an inertia detection unit which detects a difference in capacitance value between the variable capacitance elements to which the detection pulse signals having the phase difference are applied, or between the fixed capacitance element and the variable capacitance elements, and detecting the applied inertial force based on the difference.