Accelerometer and spherical sensor type measuring instrument

• US 6,679,118 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ball Semiconductor, Inc., Takao Murakoshi, Tokyo Keiki Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ball Semiconductor, Inc., Takao Murakoshi, Tokyo Keiki Inc.
• Inventors: Murakoshi, Takao, Nakamura, Shigeru, Takeda, Nobuo, Esashi, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): MOLLER, RICHARD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/019,126
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 735/143.2, 735/141.8, 735/141.7, 200/61.45 R, 200/61.52
• US Class Current: 73/514.32
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/131 with electrostatic counterbalancing means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions

Abstract

An object is to provide an accelerometer or a spherical sensor-type measurement device, able to control by means of an active restraining control system a spherical mass part or a spherical sensor part. The accelerometer or spherical sensor-type measurement device has a spherical mass part, which is levitated by electrostatic supporting forces, and electrodes positioned so as to surround the spherical mass part and which have spherical inner surfaces; the above electrodes include a plurality of electrostatic supporting electrodes, positioned symmetrically with respect to the spherical mass part, and a displacement detection electrode, positioned between the electrostatic supporting electrodes.

Claims

1. An accelerometer, having a spherical mass part, of either single-crystal or polycrystalline silicon, which is levitated by electrostatic supporting forces, and a plurality of electrodes, having spherical inner surfaces, which are positioned symmetrically and so as to surround said spherical mass part.

2. The accelerometer according to claim 1, being characterized in that said electrodes comprise a plurality of electrostatic supporting electrodes, and a displacement detection electrode positioned between said electrostatic supporting electrodes.

3. The accelerometer according to claim 2, being characterized in that each of said electrostatic supporting electrodes comprises a pair of electrode parts.

4. The accelerometer according to claim 2, being characterized in that

said electrostatic supporting electrodes comprise six electrostatic supporting electrodes, positioned along three mutually orthogonal axes.

5. The accelerometer according to claim 2, being characterized in that said electrostatic supporting electrodes and said displacement detection electrode are mutually connected by a bridge positioned on the outer side in the radial direction, forming an integrated structure.

6. The accelerometer according to claim 5, being characterized in that said electrostatic supporting electrodes and said displacement detection electrode are supported by a spherical shell-shape casing.

7. The accelerometer according to claim 6, being characterized in that terminals connected to said electrostatic supporting electrodes and to said displacement detection electrode, and an electrical wiring pattern connected to said terminals, are positioned on the outer surface of said casing.

8. The accelerometer according to claim 7, being characterized in that the ends of said electrical wiring pattern form a prescribed array in a prescribed position on the outer surface of said casing.

9. An accelerometer, comprising:

a spherical mass part, which is levitated by means of electrostatic supporting forces;

electrostatic supporting electrodes, positioned so as to surround the spherical mass part, and a displacement detection electrode, positioned between the electrostatic supporting electrodes;

a control operation part, which applies to said electrostatic supporting electrodes a control DC voltage in order to generate said electrostatic supporting forces;

a displacement detection system, which applies an AC voltage for displacement detection, superposed on said control DC voltage, to said electrostatic supporting electrodes, and which detects displacement detection currents flowing in said displacement detection electrode and generates displacement detection voltage signals which instruct the displacement of said spherical mass part; and

,

an acceleration output operation part, which inputs the output signals of said control operation part and operates the acceleration output;

being characterized in that said control operation part inputs said displacement detection voltage signals output by said displacement detection circuit and operates corrections to said control DC voltages such that the displacement of said spherical mass part becomes zero, for feedback to said control DC voltages.

10. The accelerometer according to claim 9, being characterized in that said displacement detection AC voltage comprises AC voltage components having three different displacement detection frequencies, corresponding to the linear displacements in three axis directions of said spherical mass part.

11. The accelerometer according to claim 10, wherein, if said displacement detection AC voltage applied to said first electrostatic supporting electrode is AC_X1, said displacement detection AC voltage applied to said second electrostatic supporting electrode is AC_X2, said displacement detection AC voltage applied to said third electrostatic supporting electrode is AC_Y1, said displacement detection AC voltage applied to said fourth electrostatic supporting electrode is AC_Y2, said displacement detection AC voltage applied to said fifth electrostatic supporting electrode is AC_Z1, and said displacement detection AC voltage applied to said sixth electrostatic supporting electrode is AC_Z2, then these displacement detection AC voltages are expressed by the following expressions

12. The accelerometer according to claim 9, being characterized in that each of said electrostatic supporting electrodes comprises one pair of electrode parts, and said control DC voltages applied to a pair of electrode parts are of the same magnitude and of opposite polarity.

13. The accelerometer according to claim 9, being characterized in that said control operation part comprises a displacement operation part, which operates the displacement of said spherical mass part;

a PID operation part, which operates the force to be applied to said spherical mass part; and

a control voltage operation part, which operates corrections to said control DC voltages.

14. The accelerometer according to claim 13, being characterized in that said acceleration output operation part is configured so as to input the output signal of said PID operation part and operate the acceleration output.

15. The accelerometer according to claim 9, being characterized in that said spherical mass part consists of single-crystal or polycrystalline silicon.

16. A spherical sensor-type measurement device, comprising a spherical mass part which functions as an inertial force sensor;

a spherical shell-shape enclosure part which surrounds said spherical mass part;

a displacement detection device which detects displacements of said spherical mass part;

end an electrode positioned in said enclosure part, and having a spherical-shape inner surface.

17. The spherical sensor-type measurement device according to claim 16, being characterized in that said spherical mass part is levitated by electrostatic supporting forces or magnetic forces, and is configured such that a thin gap is formed between said spherical mass part and said electrode.

18. The spherical sensor-type measurement device according to claim 16, being characterized in that said electrode comprises a plurality of electrostatic supporting electrodes, positioned symmetrically with respect to said spherical mass part.