Angular velocity sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10072930-B2
Application number	US-201514714415-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2015
Priority date	Nov 19, 2012
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A vibrator of an angular velocity sensor includes detection beam portions extending from a central base portion in a cross shape, and drive beam portions between and connected to two adjacent detection beam portions. Each of the detection beam portions includes a base-end detection beam connected to the central base portion, and a left detection beam and a right detection beam. The left detection beam is connected to one of the drive beam portions that is located on the left of the corresponding one of the detection beam portions, and the right detection beam is connected to one of the drive beam portions that is located on the right of the corresponding one of the detection beam portions. The drive beam portions are driven to vibrate in a direction toward the central base portion and a direction away from the central base portion so that each two facing ones of the drive beam portions are in the same phase and each two adjacent ones of the drive beam portions are in the opposite phases.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An angular velocity sensor that measures an angular velocity based on a detection vibration generated by an action of a Coriolis force in a vibrator driven to vibrate along a plate surface of the vibrator, the vibrator comprising:
a central base portion that is fixed at a center of the plate surface;
four detection beam portions that are equiangularly arranged and extend from the central base portion in respective radial directions in the plate surface; and
four drive beam portions each of which is located between and connected to adjacent ones of the four detection beam portions and each of which is provided with a weight; wherein
each of the four detection beam portions includes:
a base-end detection beam that is connected at a radial-direction inner end portion thereof to the central base portion;
a first-direction-side detection beam that is connected, at a radial-direction inner end portion thereof, to the base-end detection beam and that is connected, at a radial-direction outer end portion thereof, to one of the drive beam portions adjacent to the detection beam portion in a first direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the radial direction in the plate surface; and
a second-direction-side detection beam that is connected, at a radial-direction inner end portion thereof, to the base-end detection beam and that is connected, at a radial-direction outer end portion, to one of the drive beam portions, the drive beam portion being adjacent to the detection beam portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and

the vibrator is configured to be driven to vibrate so that the four drive beam portions are displaced in the respective radial directions and so that each two facing ones of the drive beam portions are in an identical phase and each two adjacent ones of the drive beam portions are in opposite phases.

2. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the angular velocity sensor detects a detection vibration of the vibrator in which the four drive beam portions rotate around an axis perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the plate surface and in which each two facing ones of the drive beam portions are in an identical phase and each two adjacent ones of the drive beam portions are in opposite phases.

3. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the angular velocity sensor detects a detection vibration of the vibrator in which each two facing ones of the drive beam portions are displaced in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the plate surface.

4. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a piezoelectric drive element that drives the vibrator to vibrate; and
a piezoelectric detection element that detects the detection vibration of the vibrator.

5. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 4 , further comprising a piezoelectric monitoring element that detects a drive vibration of the vibrator in order to control a drive voltage of the piezoelectric drive element.

6. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the vibrator includes a single substrate.

7. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 6 , wherein the substrate is made of a semiconductor wafer.

8. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the central base portion has a square or substantially square shape.

9. The angular velocity sensor according to claim 8 , wherein each of the four detection beam portions is located at a respective one of four corners of the square or substantially square shape.

10. A vibrator comprising:
a plate surface;
an angular velocity sensor configured to measure an angular velocity based on a detection vibration generated by an action of a Coriolis force when the vibrator is driven to vibrate along the plate surface;
a central base portion that is fixed at a center of the plate surface;
four detection beam portions that are equiangularly arranged and extend from the central base portion in respective radial directions in the plate surface; and
four drive beam portions each of which is located between and connected to adjacent ones of the four detection beam portions and each of which is provided with a weight; wherein
each of the four detection beam portions includes:
a base-end detection beam that is connected at a radial-direction inner end portion thereof to the central base portion;
a first-direction-side detection beam that is connected, at a radial-direction inner end portion thereof, to the base-end detection beam and that is connected, at a radial-direction outer end portion thereof, to one of the drive beam portions adjacent to the detection beam portion in a first direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the radial direction in the plate surface; and
a second-direction-side detection beam that is connected, at a radial-direction inner end portion thereof, to the base-end detection beam and that is connected, at a radial-direction outer end portion, to one of the drive beam portions, the drive beam portion being adjacent to the detection beam portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and

the vibrator is configured to be driven to vibrate so that the four drive beam portions are displaced in the respective radial directions and so that each two facing ones of the drive beam portions are in an identical phase and each two adjacent ones of the drive beam portions are in opposite phases.

11. The vibrator according to claim 10 , wherein the angular velocity sensor detects a detection vibration of the vibrator in which the four drive beam portions rotate around an axis perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the plate surface and in which each two facing ones of the drive beam portions are in an identical phase and each two adjacent ones of the drive beam portions are in opposite phases.

12. The vibrator according to claim 10 , wherein the angular velocity sensor detects a detection vibration of the vibrator in which each two facing ones of the drive beam portions are displaced in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the plate surface.

13. The vibrator according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a piezoelectric drive element that drives the vibrator to vibrate; and
a piezoelectric detection element that detects the detection vibration of the vibrator.

14. The vibrator according to claim 13 , further comprising a piezoelectric monitoring element that detects a drive vibration of the vibrator in order to control a drive voltage of the piezoelectric drive element.

15. The vibrator according to claim 10 , wherein the vibrator includes a single substrate.

16. The vibrator according to claim 15 , wherein the substrate is made of a semiconductor wafer.

17. The vibrator according to claim 10 , wherein the central base portion has a square or substantially square shape.

18. The vibrator according to claim 17 , wherein each of the four detection beam portions is located at a respective one of four corners of the square or substantially square shape.

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Watanabe Kosuke

Classifications

• H01L41/1132

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01C19/5656 Primary

  the devices involving a micromechanical structure · CPC title

• G01C19/5642 Primary

  using vibrating bars or beams · CPC title

• H10N30/302

  Sensors · CPC title