Vibrating gyro

• US 8,225,659 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Sugibayashi, Hideaki, Okano, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok, Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US12/540,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/040.4, 735/040.2, 735/041.5, 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
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/40 with electrical input and electrical output, e.g. functioning as transformers

Abstract

A piezoelectric vibrator of a vibration gyro vibrates in response to a drive voltage V_drv input into a drive electrode, and when deformed by a Coriolis force, generates detection voltages V_agc, between which a potential difference corresponds to the deformation, at detection electrodes. An AGC circuit outputs a drive voltage V_drv while performing automatic gain control so that the detection voltages V_agc have a given amplitude. A phase inversion circuit and a BTL amplifier circuit output a BTL voltage V_btl, whose phase is opposite to the detection voltage V_agc and whose amplitude has been increased, to the detection electrodes via detection resistances. The AGC circuit reduces the detection voltages V_agc in order to prevent the drive voltage V_drv from exceeding a design upper limit value V′_drv.

Claims

1. A vibration gyro comprising:

a piezoelectric vibration unit including a drive electrode and first and second detection electrodes, the piezoelectric vibration unit being arranged to vibrate in response to a drive voltage input into the drive electrode, and when deformed by a Coriolis force, to generate detection voltages at the first and second detection electrodes, the detection voltages being voltages having a potential difference corresponding to the deformation;

an addition circuit arranged to add the detection voltages of the first and second detection electrodes;

an automatic gain control circuit arranged to output the drive voltage while performing automatic gain control so that an output voltage of the addition circuit has a given amplitude;

a balanced transformerless circuit arranged to output a voltage to the first and second detection electrodes via a detection resistance in a phase obtained by inverting an output voltage of the addition circuit, the voltage having an amplitude greater than amplitudes of the detection voltages; and

a detection circuit arranged to detect the potential difference from the detection voltages of the first and second detection electrodes;

wherein

a circuit constant of the automatic gain control circuit is set so that

2. The vibration gyro according to claim 1, wherein the design upper limit value V′

_drv of the drive voltage is determined by V′

_drv =A_drv ×

(V_cc −

V_sat) where A_drv is a ratio of a value of the drive voltage at room temperature to a maximum value of the drive voltage in an operating temperature range, V_cc is an input power supply voltage of the automatic gain control circuit, V_sat is a drive amplifier saturation voltage of the automatic gain control circuit, and the drive amplifier saturation voltage includes upper and lower drive amplifier saturation voltages.

3. The vibration gyro according to claim 1, wherein for the balanced transformerless circuit, a gain G_b of an output voltage with respect to the detection voltage is determined by

4. The vibration gyro according to claim 3, wherein the gain G_b satisfies

5. The vibration gyro according to claim 1, wherein the automatic gain control circuit includes a time constant circuit arranged to smooth an output voltage of the addition circuit, and a circuit constant of the automatic gain control circuit is set so that an amplitude of an output voltage of the addition circuit is greater than an amplitude that causes a smoothing error in the time constant circuit.