Sensor
First Claim
1. A sensor having a high Quality Factor (Q) comprising a vibrating structure comprising a substantially planar ring or hoop shaped vibratory resonator, the resonator having inner and outer peripheries extending around a neutral axis, drive means for causing the resonator to vibrate, a plurality of support means for supporting the resonator and for allowing the resonator to vibrate in response to the drive means in a substantially undamped oscillation mode such as to permit the resonator to move relative to the support means in response to turning rate of the sensor, in which the resonator includes a first series of radially positioned slots inwardly of the neutral axis and a second series of radially positioned slots outwardly of the neutral axis of the resonator said series of slots being concentrically positioned relative to the neutral axis of the resonator such that the positioning of the slots adjusts the thermal relaxation path lengths on the resonator without affecting the resonant frequency of the resonator thereby increasing the Q factor of the resonator.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A silicon MEMS gyroscope is described having a ring or hoop-shaped resonator. The resonator is formed by a Deep Reactive Ion Fitch technique and is formed with slots extending around the circumference of the resonator on either side of the neutral axis of the resonator. The slots improve the Quality Factor Q of the gyroscope without affecting the resonant frequency of the resonator.
16 Citations
13 Claims
- 1. A sensor having a high Quality Factor (Q) comprising a vibrating structure comprising a substantially planar ring or hoop shaped vibratory resonator, the resonator having inner and outer peripheries extending around a neutral axis, drive means for causing the resonator to vibrate, a plurality of support means for supporting the resonator and for allowing the resonator to vibrate in response to the drive means in a substantially undamped oscillation mode such as to permit the resonator to move relative to the support means in response to turning rate of the sensor, in which the resonator includes a first series of radially positioned slots inwardly of the neutral axis and a second series of radially positioned slots outwardly of the neutral axis of the resonator said series of slots being concentrically positioned relative to the neutral axis of the resonator such that the positioning of the slots adjusts the thermal relaxation path lengths on the resonator without affecting the resonant frequency of the resonator thereby increasing the Q factor of the resonator.
- 10. A method of improving the Quality Factor Q of a sensor having a planar ring or hoop-shaped resonator comprising the step of forming slots in the resonator, said slots being positioned concentrically, externally and internally to the neutral axis of the resonator such that said slots do not affect the resonant frequency of the resonator.
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13. (canceled)
Specification