Yaw-rate sensor

• US 9,081,027 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Neul, Reinhard, Classen, Johannes, Ohms, Torsten, Kuhlmann, Burkhard, Franke, Axel, Kohn, Oliver, Meisel, Daniel Christoph, Hauer, Joerg, Gomez, Udo-Martin, Kehr, Kersten
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US12/734,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20120060604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,476 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 735/041.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/025 characterised by having a particular shape F16F1/04, F16F1/14, F16F1/18, F16F1/32, F16F1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/574 the devices having two sensing masses in anti-phase motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5747 each sensing mass being connected to a driving mass, e.g. driving frames
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/44 for measuring angular speed G01P3/56 takes precedence

Abstract

A yaw-rate sensor having a substrate and a plurality of movable substructures that are mounted over a surface of the substrate, the movable substructures being coupled to a shared, in particular, central spring element, where the movable substructures are excitable into a coupled oscillation in a plane that extends parallel to the surface of the substrate, the movable substructures having Coriolis elements, where deflections of the Coriolis elements induced by a Coriolis force are detectable, a first Coriolis element being provided for detecting a yaw rate about a first axis, a second Coriolis element being provided for detecting a yaw rate about a second axis, the second axis being oriented perpendicularly to the first axis.

Claims

1. A sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of movable substructures that are mounted over a surface of the substrate and that include at least a first Coriolis element and a second Coriolis element;

a driver configured to set the movable substructures into a driven mode;

a plurality of detectors configured to detect deflections of the Coriolis elements, wherein (a) detected deflections of the first Coriolis element are caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a first axis and (b) detected deflections of the second Coriolis element are caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis;

a first spring that directly connects the first Coriolis element to the second Coriolis element; and

at least one second spring via which a frame is connected to at least one of the Coriolis elements, which the frame surrounds.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the driver includes a plurality of drive structures.

3. A sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of movable masses that are mounted over a surface of the substrate;

a driver configured to set the movable masses into a driven mode; and

a plurality of detectors configured to detect deflections of the movable masses, the deflections including (a) deflections caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a first axis and (b) deflections caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis;

a first spring that directly connects two of the masses to each other; and

at least one second spring via which a frame is connected to at least one of the two masses, which the frame surrounds.

4. A sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of movable substructures that are mounted over a surface of the substrate;

a driver configured to set the movable substructures into a driven mode in which the substructures oscillate in a plane that extends parallel to the surface of the substrate; and

a plurality of detectors configured to detect deflections of the movable substructures, the deflections including (a) deflections caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a first axis and (b) deflections caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis;

a first spring that directly connects two of the substructures to each other; and

at least one second spring via which a frame is connected to at least one of the two substructures to which the frame is external.

5. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the detectors are transducers mounted on the substrate, and that detect changes in distances between the transducers and at least portions of the substructures.

6. The sensor of claim 5, wherein the transducers include electrodes.

7. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the oscillation includes a first pair of the substructures oscillating antiparallel to each other, and a second pair of the substructures oscillating antiparallel to each other.

8. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the plurality of substructures are coupled to the substrate via a shared spring arrangement.

9. A sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of movable substructures that are mounted over a surface of the substrate and that include a plurality of Coriolis elements, the plurality of Coriolis elements including at least a first Coriolis element, a second Coriolis element, and a third Coriolis element;

a driver configured to set the movable substructures into a driven mode; and

a plurality of detectors configured to detect deflections of the Coriolis elements, wherein;

(a) detected deflections of the first Coriolis element are caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a first axis;

(b) detected deflections of the second Coriolis element are caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis;

(c) detected deflections of the third Coriolis element are caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a third axis that is perpendicular to each of the first and second axes;

(d) the detected deflections of the first Coriolis element, which are associated by the sensor with the input motion about the first axis, are along the second axis; and

(e) the first Coriolis element and at least a portion of the second Coriolis element are arranged side by side along the third axis and are coupled to the substrate by a same frame.

10. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the frame is anchored to the substrate.

11. The sensor of claim 9, wherein at least one of the Coriolis elements is a rocker.

12. The sensor of claim 11, wherein the rocker is configured to pivot about a first pivoting axis, and at least one other of the Coriolis elements is configured to pivot about a second pivoting axis that is parallel to the first pivoting axis.

13. The sensor of claim 11, wherein the rocker is configured to pivot about a first pivoting axis, and at least one other of the Coriolis elements is configured to pivot about a second pivoting axis that is perpendicular to the first pivoting axis.

14. The sensor of claim 13, wherein at least one other of the Coriolis elements is configured to pivot about a third pivoting axis that is parallel to the second pivoting axis.

15. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the detected deflections of the second Coriolis element, which are associated by the sensor with the input motion about the second axis, are along the first axis.

16. The sensor of claim 15, wherein the detected deflections of the third Coriolis element are along the second axis.

17. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the detected deflections of the first Coriolis element, which are along the second axis, are about the third axis.

18. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the first Coriolis element and another portion of the second Coriolis element are arranged side by side along the first axis.

19. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the detected deflections of the third Coriolis element are along the second axis.

20. A sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of movable masses that are mounted over a surface of the substrate;

a driver configured to set the movable masses into a driven mode; and

a plurality of detectors configured to detect deflections of the movable masses, the deflections including (a) deflections caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a first axis, (b) deflections caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, and (c) deflections caused by a Coriolis force generated due to, and associated by the sensor with, an input motion about a third axis that is perpendicular to each of the first and second axes, wherein;

(i) the detected deflections, which are associated by the sensor with the input motion about the first axis, are of a first one of the masses and are along the second axis;

(ii) the detected deflections, which are associated by the sensor with the input motion about the second axis, are of a second one of the masses;

(iii) the detected deflections, which are associated by the sensor with the input motion about the third axis, are of a third one of the masses; and

(iv) the first mass and at least a portion of the second mass are arranged side by side along the third axis and are coupled to the substrate by a same frame.

21. The sensor of claim 20, wherein at least the first and second masses are surrounded by the same single frame.

22. The sensor of claim 20, wherein, in the driven mode, the movable masses oscillate in a plane that extends parallel to the surface of the substrate.