Vertical accelerometer

• US 8,544,326 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Je, Chang Han
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shabman, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US12/783,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 735/143.2, 735/143.6, 735/143.7
• US Class Current: 73/514.32
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up

Abstract

Provided is a vertical accelerometer for measuring acceleration applied perpendicular to a substrate to increase sensitivity thereof. The vertical accelerometer includes a substrate, and a plurality of unit vertical accelerometers, each having a detection mass disposed on the substrate to be rotated by acceleration applied perpendicular to the substrate, and a detection electrode formed at the detection mass. Here, the unit vertical accelerometers are provided to be in contact with the detection electrodes to detect the acceleration through variation in capacitance due to variation in area in which the contacted detection electrodes overlaps each other.

Claims

1. A vertical accelerometer comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of unit vertical accelerometers, each having a detection mass disposed over the substrate capable of being rotated by acceleration applied perpendicular to the substrate; and

a detection electrode formed on the detection mass,

wherein the plurality of unit vertical accelerometers are provided such that a detection electrode of a unit vertical accelerometer opposes a detection electrode of another unit vertical accelerometer to detect the acceleration through a variation in capacitance due to variation in an area in which the detection electrodes opposing each other overlap with each other.

2. The vertical accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the detection mass is connected to the substrate by a support spring has an asymmetrical weight with respect to the support spring, and is capable of being rotated about the support spring when vertical acceleration is applied.

3. The vertical accelerometer of claim 2, wherein the detection mass has a heavy mass and a light mass about the support spring, and the unit vertical accelerometers are disposed such that the heavy mass of the detection mass opposes the light mass of another detection mass.

4. The vertical accelerometer of claim 3, wherein the detection electrodes are formed at both ends or side surfaces of the detection mass, and formed in pairs to prevent collision thereof and have a predetermined interval and area when the unit vertical accelerometers are disposed in contact with each other.

5. The vertical accelerometer of claim 4, wherein when the heavy mass of the detection mass is rotated in a direction of the acceleration applied perpendicular to the substrate, the detection electrode measures the variation in the area in which the heavy mass of the detection mass overlaps with the light mass of another detection mass as variation in capacitance to detect the acceleration.

6. The vertical accelerometer of claim 2, wherein the detection mass has an asymmetrical weight with respect to the support spring due to selective etching of the mass and deposition of another material, or a difference in area.

7. The vertical accelerometer of claim 2, wherein the support spring is twisted or bent when the detection mass is vertically rotated by the vertical acceleration.

8. The vertical accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the unit vertical accelerometers are disposed on the substrate to be engaged with each other to form a closed loop.