Physical quantity sensor element, physical quantity sensor, electronic equipment, and movable body

• US 9,939,270 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crystal Leap Zrt
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Furuhata, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US14/844,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20160069685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/574 the devices having two sensing masses in anti-phase motion

Abstract

A physical quantity sensor element is provided with a detecting portion, a driving portion, a beam portion which connects a detecting portion and the driving portion to each other, and in which the beam portion includes a branched portion. The beam portion includes two mass portion side beam portions which extend from two position of the driving portion, which are different from each other, and two supporting portion side beam portions which extend from two positions of the detecting portion, which are different from each other, and in which both end portions on the detecting portion side of two mass portion side beam portions are connected to each other, and both end portions on the driving portion side of two supporting portion side beam portions are connected to each other.

Claims

1. A physical quantity sensor element comprising:

a supporting portion having a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion that vibrate along a reference surface;

a mass portion having a first mass portion and a second mass portion;

a beam portion which connects the supporting portion and the mass portion to each other, the beam portion having a first beam portion connecting the first mass portion and the first supporting portion and a second beam portion connecting the second mass portion and the second supporting portion;

a coupling portion which connects the first mass portion and the second mass portion to each other; and

an electrode which detects the vibration of the first supporting portion and the second su porting portion along the reference surface,

wherein the beam portion includes a branched portion with ends attaching to opposing corners of the mass portion, and

wherein the supporting portion is fixed to a substrate.

2. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 1,

wherein the beam portion includes two mass portion side beam portions which extend from two positions in the mass portion, which are different from each other, and

wherein both end portions on the supporting portion side of the two mass portion side beam portions are connected to each other.

3. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 2,

wherein a width of an end portion on the mass portion side of each of the mass portion side beam portions is greater than a width of a middle portion of each of the mass portion side beam portions.

4. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 2,

wherein the beam portion includes two supporting portion side beam portions which extend from the two positions in the supporting portion, which are different from each other, and

wherein both end portions on the mass portion side of the two supporting portion side beam portions are connected to each other.

5. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 4, further comprising:

a first mass portion and a second mass portion which respectively form the mass portion;

a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion which respectively form the supporting portion;

a first beam portion which forms the beam portion for connecting the first mass portion and the first supporting portion;

a second beam portion which forms the beam portion for connecting the second mass portion and the second supporting portion; and

a coupling portion which connects the first mass portion and the second mass portion to each other.

6. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 5,

wherein one end portion of the coupling portion is connected to a portion in the first mass portion, and the other end portion of the coupling portion is connected to a portion in the second mass portion,

wherein the first mass portion is connected to the one end portion of the coupling portion, and includes a first easily deformable portion which is deformable so as to reduce a change of a posture of the first mass portion with respect to a reference surface, and

wherein the second mass portion is connected to the other end portion of the coupling portion, and includes a second easily deformable portion which is deformable so as to reduce a change of a posture of the second mass portion with respect to the reference surface.

7. The physical quantity sensor element, according to claim 6,

wherein the first mass portion includes a first gap portion in which the first easily deformable portion is disposed, and

wherein the second mass portion includes a second gap portion in which the second easily deformable portion is disposed.

8. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 1,

wherein the beam portion includes two supporting portion side beam portions which extend from the two positions in the supporting portion, which are different from each other, and

wherein both end portions on the mass portion side of the two supporting portion side beam portions are connected to each other.

9. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 8,

wherein a width of the end portion on the supporting portion side of each of the supporting portion side beam portions is greater than a width of a middle portion of each of the supporting portion side beam portions.

10. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 1,

wherein the beam portion includes two branched beam portions which are branched from the middle of the beam portion, and

wherein both end portions on the mass portion side of the two branched beam portions are connected to each other, and both end portions on the supporting portion side of the two branched beam portions are connected to each other.

11. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 1,

wherein one end portion of the coupling portion is connected to a portion in the first mass portion, and the other end portion of the coupling portion is connected to a portion in the second mass portion,

wherein the first mass portion is connected to the one end portion of the coupling portion, and includes a first easily deformable portion which is deformable so as to reduce a change of a posture of the first mass portion with respect to the reference surface, and

wherein the second mass portion is connected to the other end portion of the coupling portion, and includes a second easily deformable portion which is deformable so as to reduce a change of a posture of the second mass portion with respect to the reference surface.

12. The physical quantity sensor element according to claim 11,

wherein the first mass portion includes a first gap portion in which the first easily deformable portion is disposed, and

wherein the second mass portion includes a second gap portion in which the second easily deformable portion is disposed.

13. A physical quantity sensor comprising:

the physical quantity sensor element according to claim 1; and

a package which stores the physical quantity sensor element.

14. The physical quantity sensor element comprising:

a supporting portion having a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion, the supporting portion being fixed to a substrate;

a mass portion having a first mass portion and a second mass portion;

a first beam portion connecting the first mass portion and the first supporting portion;

a second beam portion connecting the second mass portion and the second supporting portion; and

a coupling portion which connects the first mass portion and the second mass portion to each other,

wherein the first beam portion and the second beam portion each include a branched portion with ends attaching to opposing corners of the respective first mass portion and second mass portion, two mass portion side beam portions which extend from two positions in the respective first mass portion and second mass portion, which are different from each other, and two supporting portion side beam portions which extend from the two positions in the respective first supporting portion and second supporting portion, which are different from each other,

wherein both end portions on the supporting portion side of the two mass portion side beam portions are connected to each other,

wherein both end portions on the mass portion side of the two supporting portion side beam portions are connected to each other,

wherein one end portion of the coupling portion is connected to a portion in the first mass portion and the other end portion of the coupling portion is connected to a portion in the second mass portion,

wherein the first mass portion is connected to the one end portion of the coupling portion, and includes a first easily deformable portion which is deformable so as to reduce a change of a posture of the first mass portion with respect to a reference surface, and the second mass portion is connected to the other end portion of the coupling portion, and includes a second easily deformable portion which is deformable so as to reduce a change of a posture of the second mass portion with respect to the reference surface,

wherein the first mass portion includes a first gap portion in which the first easily deformable portion is disposed and the second mass portion includes a second gap portion in which the second easily deformable portion is disposed,

wherein the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion vibrate along the reference surface, and

an electrode detects the vibration of the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion along the reference surface.