Micro-electro-mechanical sensor with force feedback loop
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A micro-electro-mechanical device, comprising:
- a microstructure having a driving mass movable with respect to a rest position, according to a driving axis;
a driving device configured to drive oscillation of the driving mass at a resonance frequency, the driving device having a feedback loop including the driving mass; and
a micro-electro-mechanical sensor having a detection axis perpendicular to the driving axis and including;
a sensing mass configured to be drawn by the driving mass along the driving axis and to move along the detecting axis in response to rotations of the microstructure about a third axis perpendicular to the driving axis and the detection axis; and
a displacement-detecting means for detecting a displacement of the sensing mass according to the detection axis, the displacement-detecting means including a force feedback loop supplying electrostatic forces tending to restore the sensing mass into said rest position in response to the displacement of the sensing mass according to the detection axis, said force feedback loop being an analog feedback loop using a modulated feedback signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A micro-electro-mechanical sensor includes a microstructure having a mass which is movable with respect to a rest position, according to a predetermined degree of freedom, and a displacement-detecting device for detecting a displacement of the mass according to the predetermined degree of freedom. The displacement-detecting device includes a force feedback loop of a purely analog type, which supplies electrostatic forces tending to restore the mass to the rest position in response to a displacement of the mass according to the predetermined degree of freedom.
53 Citations
33 Claims
-
1. A micro-electro-mechanical device, comprising:
-
a microstructure having a driving mass movable with respect to a rest position, according to a driving axis; a driving device configured to drive oscillation of the driving mass at a resonance frequency, the driving device having a feedback loop including the driving mass; and a micro-electro-mechanical sensor having a detection axis perpendicular to the driving axis and including; a sensing mass configured to be drawn by the driving mass along the driving axis and to move along the detecting axis in response to rotations of the microstructure about a third axis perpendicular to the driving axis and the detection axis; and a displacement-detecting means for detecting a displacement of the sensing mass according to the detection axis, the displacement-detecting means including a force feedback loop supplying electrostatic forces tending to restore the sensing mass into said rest position in response to the displacement of the sensing mass according to the detection axis, said force feedback loop being an analog feedback loop using a modulated feedback signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
15. An integrated micro-electro-mechanical gyroscope, comprising:
-
a microstructure having a first mass which is free to oscillate along a first axis; a driving device coupled to said first mass for maintaining said first mass in oscillation at a resonance frequency; and a micro-electro-mechanical sensor mechanically coupled to said first mass so as to be fixedly drawn by said first mass along said first axis and have an axis of detection perpendicular to said first axis, said micro-electro-mechanical sensor including; a second mass movable with respect to a rest position along said axis of detection, and a displacement-detecting means for detecting a displacement of said second mass along said axis of detection, said displacement-detecting means having a force feedback loop supplying electrostatic forces tending to restore said second mass to said rest position in response to the displacement of said second mass along said axis of detection, said force feedback loop being an analog feedback loop. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
-
-
22. A micro-electro-mechanical sensor, comprising:
-
a microstructure having a mass movable with respect to a rest position, according to an axis of detection; and a displacement-detecting circuit structured to detect a displacement of the mass according to the axis of detection, the displacement-detecting circuit including a force feedback loop supplying electrostatic forces tending to restore the mass into the rest position in response to the displacement of the mass according to the axis of detection, the force feedback loop being an analog feedback loop and including; an amplifier having an input, coupled to the mass, and an output, the amplifier being structured to output a detection signal representing the displacement of the mass; a low-pass first filter having an input, coupled to the output of the amplifier, and an output at which a filtered detection signal is produced; and a second filter having an input coupled to the output of the first filter and an output coupled to the mass, the second filter being structured to recover a delay introduced by the first filter and produce the electrostatic forces tending to restore the mass into the rest position. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
-
Specification