MEMS gyros with quadrature reducing springs

• US 8,539,832 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Potasek, David Patrick, Childress, Marcus Allen, Christenson, John Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): KWOK, HELEN C
• Application Number:
  US12/911,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20120096943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/041.3, 735/041.4, 735/040.2, 735/040.4, 735/041.1
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• 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 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure

Abstract

Spring set configurations that include an advantageous combination of spring geometries are disclosed. Spring elements having curved and straight sections, orientation of spring element anchor points with respect to the common radius, orientation of spring element segments with respect to a specific axis, balance of the length of spring elements about the common radius, and mass balance about the common radius can be used to mitigate unwanted out of plane motion. The spring set provides planar motion while reducing undesired out of plane motion making MEMS devices substantially insensitive to the process-induced etch angle variations of the spring elements. The spring set can be used in a MEMS gyro device which maintains the desired resonant modes and consistently low quadrature error even with process variations in manufacturing causing undesirable etch angles.

Claims

1. A MEMS gyro for sensing rotation comprising:

a) a drive motor defining orthogonal x, y, and z-axes, the drive motor being configured to oscillate a suspended drive mass around the z-axis with oscillating motion substantially in a plane with the x and y-axes; and

b) a plurality of drive springs connecting the suspended drive mass to an intermediate suspended mass concentric with the suspended drive mass, each drive spring having a spring element anchored to the intermediate suspended mass at a first anchor point and anchored to the suspended drive mass at a second anchor point, wherein the first and second anchor points are located on a respective common radius originating at the z-axis, wherein the common radius is off-axis from both the x and y-axes, wherein each spring element has a length that is distributed substantially equally across the respective common radius of the first and second anchor points thereof.

2. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 1, further comprising a pedestal mass connected to an underlying substrate, wherein the pedestal mass and intermediate suspended mass are connected by a plurality of anchor springs, each anchor spring having a spring element anchored to the intermediate suspended mass at a first anchor point and anchored to the pedestal mass at a second anchor point.

3. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 2, wherein the second anchor point of each anchor spring is located on the common radius with the first and second anchor points of a respective one of the drive springs.

4. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 2, wherein the first anchor point of each anchor spring is located on the common radius with the first and second anchor points of a respective one of the drive springs.

5. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 2, wherein the anchor springs are predominantly compliant in rotation about the y-axis and are resistant to motion in all other directions.

6. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 5, wherein the drive springs are predominantly compliant in rotation about the z-axis and are resistant to motion in all other directions.

7. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 2, wherein the spring element of each drive spring has a width greater than that of the spring element of each anchor spring.

8. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 2, wherein the anchor springs are predominantly curved and wherein the drive springs are predominantly straight.

9. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 1, wherein each spring element has a mass that is distributed substantially equally across the respective common radius of the first and second anchor points thereof.

10. A MEMS gyro for sensing rotation comprising:

a) a drive motor defining orthogonal x, y, and z-axes, the drive motor being configured to oscillate a suspended drive mass around the z-axis with oscillating motion substantially in a plane with the x and y-axes;

b) a plurality of drive springs connecting the suspended drive mass to an intermediate suspended mass concentric with the suspended drive mass, each drive spring having a spring element predominantly oriented parallel to the y-axis; and

c) a pedestal mass connected to an underlying substrate, wherein the pedestal mass and intermediate suspended mass are connected by a plurality of anchor springs, each anchor spring having a spring element anchored to the intermediate suspended mass at a first anchor point and anchored to the pedestal mass at a second anchor point, the spring element of each drive spring being anchored to the intermediate suspended mass at a first anchor point and to the suspended drive mass at a second anchor point, wherein the anchor springs are predominantly compliant about the y-axis and the drive springs are predominantly compliant about the z-axis, and wherein the anchor springs are predominantly oriented circumferentially about the z-axis.

11. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 10, wherein the spring element of each drive spring includes a plurality of straight sections each oriented substantially parallel to the y-axis.

12. A MEMS gyro for sensing rotation comprising:

a) a drive motor defining orthogonal x, y, and z-axes, the drive motor being configured to oscillate a suspended drive mass around the z-axis with oscillating motion substantially in a plane with the x and y-axes; and

b) a plurality of drive springs connecting the suspended drive mass to an intermediate suspended mass concentric with the suspended drive mass, each drive spring having a spring element with a cross-section having an etch angle that is oblique with respect to the z-axis, wherein the drive springs impart a characteristic out of plane motion to the intermediate suspended mass and the suspended drive mass.

13. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 12, wherein the etch angle of each spring element is an etch angle that is oblique with respect to the z-axis, and wherein the drive springs impart a characteristic out of plane motion to the intermediate suspended mass that is substantially insensitive to variation in the process induced etch angle of the spring elements.

14. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 12, wherein the cross-section of each spring element is substantially parallelogram shaped.

15. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 12, wherein the cross-section of each spring element is substantially trapezoid shaped with two parallel edges orthogonal to the z-axis and with two oblique edges oblique with respect to the z-axis.

16. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 15, wherein an average angle of each of the two oblique edges is oblique with respect to the z-axis.

17. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 12, further comprising a pedestal mass connected to an underlying substrate, wherein the pedestal mass and the intermediate suspended mass are connected by a plurality of anchor springs, each anchor spring having a spring element anchored to the intermediate suspended mass at a first anchor point and anchored to the pedestal mass at a second anchor point, the spring element of each drive spring being anchored to the intermediate suspended mass at a first anchor point and to the suspended drive mass at a second anchor point, wherein at least one of the first and second anchor points of each anchor spring is located on a common radius originating at the z-axis with the first and second anchor points of a respective one of the drive springs.

18. A MEMS gyro as recited in claim 17, wherein the spring element of each drive spring is predominantly oriented parallel to the y-axis.