Oscillator device

• US 8,339,014 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kandori, Atsushi, Chang, Chienliu, Takagi, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRAN N
• Application Number:
  US12/599,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20100213791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 310/300, 310/309, 310/15, 310/17, 310/36, 735042-50415, 359/200.6, 359/224.1, 359/290, 359/291, 359/292, 359/295, 359/298
• US Class Current: 310/309
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0242 Gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/033 Comb drives
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/058 Rotation out of a plane parallel to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0086 Electrical characteristics, e.g. reducing driving voltage, improving resistance to peak voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis

Abstract

An oscillator device that includes a movable body oscillatably supported about a rotation axis, wherein the movable body is separated into plural electrically separated conductive regions in the thickness direction, and at least one of the plural electrically separated conductive regions in the thickness direction further has plural electrically separated conductive regions.

Claims

1. An oscillator device comprising a movable body oscillatably supported about a rotation axis by a support portion, wherein the movable body is separated into plural electrically separated conductive regions in a thickness direction of the movable body, wherein at least one of the plural electrically separated conductive regions in the thickness direction of the movable body further has plural electrically separated conductive regions that are separated in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction by an insulating film, and wherein the plural electrically separated conductive regions in the thickness direction of the movable body and the plural electrically separated conductive regions in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction are each electrically connected to the support portion via a support spring.

2. An oscillator device according to claim 1, wherein the movable body is electrically separated into two conductive regions in the thickness direction, each of the two conductive regions further having plural conductive regions electrically separated in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction.

3. An oscillator device according to claim 1, wherein a part of a portion between the plural conductive regions is electrically separated by a continuous oxidized region, the oxidized region being made of an oxide in the conductive regions that is formed in a surrounding portion of plural through-holes or grooves.

4. An oscillator device according to claim 3, wherein the oxidized region is formed by thermally oxidizing a surface of the through-holes or grooves formed on a silicon layer.

5. An actuator comprising:

the oscillator device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

a potential application portion that applies a potential to the conductive regions for oscillating the movable body about the rotation axis through conversion of input electric energy into physical motion.

6. An actuator comprising:

the oscillator device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

a potential application portion that applies a potential to the conductive regions for oscillating the movable body about the rotation axis through conversion of input electric energy into physical motion, and

a detection portion that detects the magnitude of an induced charge induced to the conductive regions for detecting a rotation condition of the movable body about the rotation axis.

7. A sensor comprising:

the oscillator device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

a detection portion that applies a potential to the conductive regions so as not to allow the movable body to rotate about the rotation axis by an external force and detects the external force on the basis of the applied potential.

8. A gyrosensor comprising:

the oscillator device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

a potential application portion that applies a potential to the conductive regions for allowing the movable body to make a reference oscillation about the rotation axis through conversion of input electric energy into physical motion, and

a detection portion that detects a rotation condition of the movable body about another rotation axis that is orthogonal to the rotation axis.