Dual use of a ring structure as gyroscope and accelerometer
First Claim
1. A method for detecting linear acceleration, the method comprising:
- driving a resonator mass at a resonance frequency of a first mode by applying differential drive signals to a first opposing pair of drive electrodes arranged along a first axis in a plane of the resonator and a second opposing pair of drive electrodes arranged along a second axis in the plane of the resonator orthogonal to the first axis, the first mode characterized by a first mode amplitude;
sensing the first mode amplitude using at least one opposing pair of drive-sense electrodes in the plane of the resonator, each of the drive-sense electrodes generating a signal; and
deriving a linear acceleration based at least on a difference between signals of each opposing pair of drive-sense electrodes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for sensing linear acceleration with a MEMS resonator mass, alone, or concurrently with sensing rate of rotation. A resonator mass, which may be a disk or a ring structure, is driven at a resonance frequency of one of the vibration modes of the resonator mass. The amplitude of vibration of that mode is sensed by a set of at least two drive-sense electrodes disposed at opposing positions across the resonator mass. A linear acceleration is derived based at least on a difference between signals of the opposing electrodes. Linear acceleration may be sensed in multiple orthogonal dimensions using multiple pairs of opposing electrodes. Rotation rate may be derived concurrently by sensing the energy coupled into an orthogonal mode of the resonator mass.
135 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for detecting linear acceleration, the method comprising:
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driving a resonator mass at a resonance frequency of a first mode by applying differential drive signals to a first opposing pair of drive electrodes arranged along a first axis in a plane of the resonator and a second opposing pair of drive electrodes arranged along a second axis in the plane of the resonator orthogonal to the first axis, the first mode characterized by a first mode amplitude; sensing the first mode amplitude using at least one opposing pair of drive-sense electrodes in the plane of the resonator, each of the drive-sense electrodes generating a signal; and deriving a linear acceleration based at least on a difference between signals of each opposing pair of drive-sense electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A sensor comprising:
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a substrate supporting a resonator mass characterized by a resonant frequency; a first opposing pair of drive electrodes arranged along a first axis in a plane of the resonator mass and a second opposing pair of drive electrodes arranged along a second axis in the plane of the resonator mass orthogonal to the first axis, the drive electrodes configured to differentially drive the resonator mass at a resonance frequency of a first mode; at least one opposing pair of drive-sense electrodes in the plane of the resonator mass, each of the drive-sense electrodes configured to generate a drive-sense signal; and an input operably coupled to the drive-sense electrodes, the input configured to receive the drive-sense signals and to produce a drive-sense signal difference between drive-sense signals from each opposing pair of drive-sense electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A sensor comprising:
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means for differentially driving a resonator mass using two orthogonal opposing pairs of in-plane drive electrodes; and means for differentially sensing linear acceleration using at least one opposing pair of in-plane drive-sense electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification