Inertial sensor

• US 8,250,916 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeong, Heewon, Fukuda, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): NOORI, MAX H
• Application Number:
  US12/189,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 7350402-50404, 735/040.8, 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 15/097 by vibratory elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up

Abstract

One inertial sensor detects an acceleration in a driving direction as well as an angular rate about one axis and an acceleration in a detecting direction at the same time. A driving-direction acceleration detecting unit is provided to members vibrating in mass members on the left and right via an elastic body. In this manner, when an acceleration is applied in the driving direction, the mass members on the left and right normally vibrated with a same amplitude and in opposite phases have displacement amounts in a same phase, and the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit detects the displacement amounts in the same phase as a capacitance change, thereby detecting the acceleration in the driving direction.

Claims

1. An inertial sensor comprising:

a basement layer having a main surface;

a first drive frame connected to the basement layer via a first elastic body having higher rigidity in a second direction than in a first direction, the first direction being parallel to the main surface and the second direction crossing the first direction;

a first Coriolis frame connected to the first drive frame via a second elastic body having lower rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a first driving unit which vibrates the first drive frame in the first direction;

a second drive frame connected to the basement layer via a third elastic body having higher rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a second Coriolis frame connected to the second drive frame via a fourth elastic body having lower rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a second driving unit which vibrates the second drive frame in the first direction; and

a driving-direction acceleration detecting unit connected to the first drive frame via a fifth elastic body and connected to the second drive frame via a sixth elastic body,

wherein the first driving unit and the second driving unit vibrate the first drive frame and the second drive frame in opposite phases in the first direction.

2. The inertial sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit detects acceleration in the first direction by detecting displacement amounts in a same phase in the first direction of the first drive frame and the second drive frame.

3. The inertial sensor according to claim 2,

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit is formed by a capacitive element arranged in a comb-teeth shape and is configured to detect the acceleration in the first direction based on a capacitance change of the capacitive element.

4. The inertial sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the first driving unit and the second driving unit are each formed by a capacitive element arranged in a comb-teeth shape and are configured to vibrate the first drive frame and the second drive frame in the driving direction based on an electrostatic attractive force applied to the capacitive element.

5. The inertial sensor according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of the driving-direction acceleration detecting units are formed.

6. The inertial sensor according to claim 1,

wherein an elastic body connecting the first drive frame and the second drive frame is fixed to the basement layer.

7. The inertial sensor according to claim 1,

wherein an elastic body connecting the first drive frame and the second drive frame is not fixed to the basement layer.

8. The inertial sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first detecting unit that detects a displacement amount of the first Coriolis frame in the second direction based on the vibration of the Coriolis frame in the second direction; and

a second detecting unit that detects a displacement amount of the second Coriolis frame in the second direction based on the vibration of the Coriolis frame in the second direction.

9. The inertial sensor according to claim 8,

wherein the first detecting unit and the second detecting unit are each formed by a capacitive element arranged in a comb-teeth shape and are configured to detect the displacement amount in the second direction based on a capacitance change of the capacitive element.

10. The inertial sensor according to claim 8,

wherein an angular rate and acceleration in the second direction are detected based on the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the first detecting unit and the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the second detecting unit.

11. The inertial sensor according to claim 1, comprising:

a first detection frame that is connected to the first Coriolis frame and configured to vibrate in the second direction in a same phase with the vibration in the second direction of the Coriolis force; and

a first detecting unit that detects a displacement amount of the first detection frame in the second direction based on the vibration in the second direction;

a second detection frame that is connected to the second Coriolis frame and configured to vibrate in the second direction in a same phase with the vibration in the second direction of the drive frame; and

a second detecting unit that detects a displacement amount of the second detection frame in the second direction based on the vibration in the second direction.

12. The inertial sensor according to claim 11,

wherein the first detecting unit and the second detecting unit are each formed by a capacitive element arranged in a comb-teeth shape and are configured to detect the displacement amount in the second direction based on a capacitance change of the capacitive element.

13. The inertial sensor according to claim 11,

wherein an angular rate and acceleration in the detecting direction are detected based on the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the first detecting unit and the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the second detecting unit.

14. The inertial sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the basement layer is an SOI substrate.

15. The inertial sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the first drive frame, the first Coriolis frame, the first driving unit, the second driving unit, the second Coriolis frame, and the second driving unit are formed of conductive silicon, conductive poly-silicon, or a metal.

22. The inertial sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit detects an acceleration in the first direction by detecting a displacement amount in a same phase in the first direction of the first drive frame and the second drive frame,

wherein the inertial sensor further comprises

a first detecting unit configured to detect a displacement amount in the second direction based on the vibration in the second direction of the first Coriolis frame;

and

a second detecting unit configured to detect a displacement amount in the second direction based on the vibration in the second direction of the second Coriolis frame, and

wherein an angular rate is detected based on a difference between the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the first detecting unit and the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the second detecting unit, and

wherein the acceleration is detected based on an addition of the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the first detecting unit and the displacement amount in the second direction detected by the second detecting unit.

16. An inertial sensor comprising:

a basement layer having a main surface;

a first drive frame connected to the basement layer via a first elastic body having higher rigidity in a second direction than in a first direction, the first direction being parallel to the main surface and the second direction crossing the first, direction;

a first Coriolis frame connected to the first drive frame via a second elastic body having lower rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a first driving unit configured to vibrate the first drive frame in the first direction;

a first structure that is configured to be vibrated in a same direction with the first drive frame;

a second drive frame connected to the basement layer via a third elastic body having higher rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a second Coriolis frame connected to the second drive frame via a fourth elastic body having lower rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a second driving unit configured vibrate the second drive frame in the first direction;

a second structure that is configured to be vibrated in a same direction with the second drive frame; and

a driving-direction acceleration detecting unit connected between the first structure and the second structure,

wherein the first driving unit and the second driving unit vibrate the first drive frame and the second drive frame in opposite phases in the first direction.

17. The inertial sensor according to claim 16,

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit is configured to detect the acceleration in the first direction by detecting displacement amounts in a same phase in the first direction of the first structure and the second structure.

18. The inertial sensor according to claim 17,

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit is formed by a capacitive element arranged in a comb-teeth shape and is configured to detect the acceleration in the first direction based on a capacitance change of the capacitive element.

19. An inertial sensor comprising:

a basement layer having a main surface;

a first rive frame connected to the basement layer via a first elastic body having higher rigidity in a second direction than in a first direction, the first direction being parallel to the main surface and the second direction crossing the first direction;

a first Coriolis frame connected to the first drive frame via a second elastic body having lower rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a first driving unit configured to vibrate the first drive frame in the first direction;

a second drive frame connected to the basement layer via a third elastic body having higher rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a second Coriolis frame connected to the second drive frame via a fourth elastic body having lower rigidity in the second direction than in the first direction;

a second driving unit configured to vibrate the second drive frame in the first direction; and

a driving-direction acceleration detecting unit that detects an acceleration in the first direction,

wherein the first drive frame and the second drive frame are connected via an elastic body,

wherein the first driving unit and the second driving unit are configured to vibrate the first drive frame and the second drive frame in opposite phases in the first direction, and

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit is connected to a joint of the elastic body.

20. The inertial sensor according to claim 19,

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit is configured to detect the acceleration in the first direction by detecting that a position of the joint of the elastic body is displaced in the first direction.

21. The inertial sensor according to claim 20,

wherein the driving-direction acceleration detecting unit is formed by a capacitive element arranged in a comb-teeth shape and is configured to detect the acceleration in the first direction based on a capacitance change of the capacitive element.