Sensor

• US 8,201,449 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohuchi, Satoshi, Nozoe, Toshiyuki, Aizawa, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Jamel
• Application Number:
  US12/441,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20090266163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 5/14 by measuring differences of pressure in the fluid

Abstract

A sensor includes detecting element (28) with an acceleration sensor, which is formed of weight (18) coupled to rigid section (14) via flexible section (16), substrate (10) confronting weight (18), and an electrode section including opposed electrodes (20, 22, 24, 26) placed on respective opposed faces of weight (18) and substrate (10). This structure prevents weight (18) from moving along Z-axis, so that a detection accuracy of acceleration occurring along X-axis or Y-axis can be improved.

Claims

1. A sensor comprising:

a detecting element including an acceleration sensor which comprises;

a weight coupled to a rigid section via a flexible section, the flexible section comprising;

a first arm coupled to the rigid section at a first end of the first arm, and

a second arm coupled orthogonally to the first arm at a second end of the first arm, the second arm being further coupled to the weight and supports the weight as a cantilever;

a substrate confronting the weight; and

an electrode section formed of opposed electrodes placed on respective opposed faces of the weight and the substrate,

wherein the substrate is formed of a first substrate and a second substrate confronting each other for sandwiching the weight along a gravitational direction, and the opposed electrodes are placed on the respective opposed faces of the weight, the first substrate and the second substrate respectively, and the acceleration sensor detects a change in an electrostatic capacity between the opposed electrodes for detecting acceleration.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor is equipped with a pressing section for depressing one of the weight and the flexible section, and the sensor detects a change in electrostatic capacity between the opposed electrodes.

3. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the pressing section depresses one of the weight and the flexible section for applying tensile stress to the flexible section.

4. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the pressing section depresses one of the weight and the flexible section along a direction identical to a gravitational direction.

5. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the flexible section is formed of at least four arms, and the arms are placed symmetrically with respect to a center of the detecting element.

6. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the pressing section shapes like one of a spindle, a bar, and a needle, and is brought into point-contact with one of the weight and the flexible section.

7. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the substrate, the rigid section, the flexible section, and the weight are made of silicon-based material, wherein the rigid section, the flexible section, and the weight are unitarily formed, and the rigid section is directly bonded to the substrate.

8. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the flexible section is placed symmetrically with respect to a center of the detecting element.

9. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the detecting element further comprises at least four weights including the weight, wherein respective weights couple to the rigid section via respective first arms and second arms, and the at least four weights are placed symmetrically with respect to a center of the detecting element.

10. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the first and the second substrates, the rigid section, the flexible section, and the weight are made of silicon-based material, wherein the rigid section, the flexible section, and the weight are unitarily formed, and the rigid section is directly bonded to the first and the second substrates.

11. A sensor comprising:

a detecting element including an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity element, the acceleration sensor comprises;

a weight coupled to a rigid section via a flexible section,

a substrate confronting the weight, and

an electrode section formed of opposed electrodes placed on respective opposed faces of the weight and the substrate; and

the angular velocity element comprises another electrode section placed on the flexible section,

wherein the electrode section placed on the weight and the another electrode section placed on the flexible section include respectively an upper electrode and a lower electrode with a piezoelectric layer existing between the upper and the lower electrodes,

wherein the acceleration sensor shorts the upper electrode to the lower electrode of the electrode section placed on the weight, and detects an electrostatic capacity between the opposed electrodes placed on the respective opposed faces of the weight and the substrate for detecting acceleration, and

wherein the angular velocity sensor detects a status change, caused by Coriolis force, of the flexible section, bent by Coriolis force, in the another electrode section for detecting angular velocity.

12. The sensor of claim 11, wherein the electrode section placed on the weight is extended to form a lead wire, which reaches the rigid section via the flexible section, and the upper electrode and the lower electrode are shorted with an end of the lead wire.

13. The sensor of claim 11, wherein the flexible section is placed symmetrically with respect to a center of the detecting element.

14. The sensor of claim 11, wherein the flexible section is formed of at least four arms, and the arms are placed symmetrically with respect to a center of the detecting element.

15. The sensor of claim 11, wherein the substrate, the rigid section, the flexible section, and the weight are made of silicon-based material, wherein the rigid section, the flexible section, and the weight are unitarily formed, and the rigid section is directly bonded to the substrate.