Rocker device for a micromechanical Z sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10018650-B2
Application number	US-201514614120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Feb 17, 2014
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A rocker device for a micromechanical Z sensor includes: two trough-shaped rocker arms mountable around a torsion pivot, the rocker device being configured asymmetrically with respect to the torsion pivot; and for each rocker arm, a strike region having at least one first strike element is provided, the strike region on each rocker arm being configured in definedly elevated fashion relative to a sensing region of the rocker device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rocker device for a micromechanical Z sensor, comprising:
two trough-shaped rocker arms mounted around a torsion pivot, the rocker device being embodied asymmetrically with respect to the torsion pivot, wherein each rocker arm includes a strike region having at least one first strike element, the strike region on each rocker arm being embodied in definedly elevated fashion relative to a sensing region of the rocker device;
a stationary electrode that is aligned with and situated inside a cavity of a trough of the rocker arms, wherein no portion of the stationary electrode is joined to any surface of the trough; and
a further stationary electrode that is located below the stationary electrode situated in the trough, wherein:
a bottom of the trough includes at least first, second, and third surfaces,
the second surface is disposed between the first and second surfaces, and
the second surface is located closer to the further stationary electrode than the first and third surfaces.

2. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein a magnitude of the elevation of the rocker device in the strike region corresponds substantially to a height of the first strike element.

3. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein perforations are provided in the rocker device, and wherein the perforations of the rocker device are embodied as openings having rounded corners.

4. The rocker device as recited in claim 3 , wherein the openings are of slit-like configuration.

5. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one load relief element configured in the form of a slit which penetrates through an entire thickness of the rocker device.

6. The rocker device as recited in claim 5 , wherein the load relief element is configured at least one of: (i) in the region of the first strike element of the rocker device; and (ii) in a manner cutting from an edge region of the rocker device into the rocker device.

7. A method for manufacturing a rocker device for a micromechanical Z sensor, comprising:
providing two asymmetrically trough-shaped rocker arms mounted around a torsion pivot,
configuring a respective region for each rocker arm, the respective region having at least one first strike element and being embodied in definedly elevated fashion relative to a sensing region of the rocker device;
providing a stationary electrode that is aligned with and situated inside a cavity of a trough of the rocker arms wherein no portion of the stationary electrode is joined to any surface of the trough; and
providing a further stationary electrode that is located below the stationary electrode situated in the trough, wherein:
a bottom of the trough includes at least first, second, and third surfaces,
the second surface is disposed between the first and second surfaces, and
the second surface is located closer to the further stationary electrode than the first and third surfaces.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein at least one load relief element is provided for each rocker arm in the region of the first strike element, the load relief element being embodied as a slit penetrating through an entire thickness of the rocker device.

9. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one second strike element is additionally disposed for each rocker arm on an underside of the rocker device, between the first strike element and the torsion pivot and at a transition region between an elevated region of the rocker arms and a depressed trough structures of the rocker arm.

10. The method as recited in claim 7 , further comprising providing at least one second strike element for each rocker arm on an underside of the rocker device, between the first strike element and the torsion pivot and at a transition region between an elevated region of the rocker arms and a depressed trough structures of the rocker arm.

11. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rocker arms are equal in length to one another in a plane that intersects the torsion pivot and have an asymmetric mass distribution with respect to one another.

12. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein:
the rocker arms are equal in length to one another in a plane that intersects the torsion pivot and have an asymmetric mass distribution with respect to one another.

13. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of abutments located above the rocker arms, wherein the abutments prevent the rocker arms from exceeding a critical deflection in a lateral direction.

14. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:
providing a plurality of abutments located above the rocker arms, wherein the abutments prevent the rocker arms from exceeding a critical deflection in a lateral direction.

15. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rocker arm is located between the further stationary electrode and the stationary electrode situated in the trough.

16. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the rocker arm is located between the further stationary electrode and the stationary electrode situated in the trough.

17. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
the stationary electrode located in the cavity of the trough is located over the second surface of the trough.

18. The rocker device as recited in claim 17 , wherein:
a bottom surface of the stationary electrode located in the cavity is closer to the further stationary electrode that the first and second surfaces of the trough.

19. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
the first and third surfaces of the trough are coplanar to one another and parallel to the second surface.

20. The rocker device as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
the first and third surfaces of the trough each extend respectively at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle from the second surface of the trough.

21. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein:
the stationary electrode located in the cavity of the trough is located over the second surface of the trough.

22. The method as recited in claim 21 , wherein:
a bottom surface of the stationary electrode located in the cavity is closer to the further stationary electrode that the first and second surfaces of the trough.

23. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein:
the first and third surfaces of the trough are coplanar to one another and parallel to the second surface.

24. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein:
the first and third surfaces of the trough each extend respectively at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle from the second surface of the trough.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Scheurle Andreas
• Ullrich Guenther-Nino-Carlo
• Heitz Markus
• Orto Andrea

Classifications

• G01P2015/0831

  the mass being of the paddle type having the pivot axis between the longitudinal ends of the mass, e.g. see-saw configuration · CPC title

• G01P15/125 Primary

  by capacitive pick-up · CPC title