Yaw rate sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9255801-B2
Application number	US-201313922801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2013
Priority date	Jun 20, 2012
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A yaw rate sensor, including a substrate and a main extension plane, for detecting a yaw rate around a first direction in parallel to the main extension plane, a first Coriolis mass, and a second Coriolis mass, and a drive device configured to drive the first and second Coriolis masses in parallel to a drive direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first and second Coriolis masses, for a yaw rate around the first direction, experiencing a Coriolis acceleration in parallel to a detection direction, which is perpendicular to the drive and first directions, the first and second Coriolis masses having first/second partial areas and third/fourth partial areas, respectively. The first and third partial areas are farther from the axis of symmetry in parallel to the first direction, and the second and fourth partial areas are closer to the axis of symmetry in parallel to the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A yaw rate sensor, comprising:
a substrate, which has a main extension plane, for detecting a yaw rate around a first direction extending in parallel to the main extension plane;
a drive device;
a first Coriolis mass;
a second Coriolis mass, the drive device being configured to drive the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass in parallel to a drive direction, which extends perpendicularly to the first direction, the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass, in the case of a yaw rate around the first direction, experiencing a Coriolis acceleration in parallel to a detection direction, which extends perpendicularly to both the drive direction and perpendicularly to the first direction, the yaw rate sensor having an axis of symmetry which extends in parallel to the first direction with respect to the Coriolis masses,
wherein the first Coriolis mass has a first partial area and a second partial area, the second Coriolis mass has a third partial area and a fourth partial area, the first partial area and the third partial area being situated farther away from the axis of symmetry extending in parallel to the first direction, and the second partial area and the fourth partial area being situated closer to the axis of symmetry extending in parallel to the first direction;
a first electrode, which forms a first capacitance with the first partial area, is situated opposite to the first partial area;
a second electrode, which forms a second capacitance with the second partial area, is situated opposite to the second partial area;
a third electrode, which forms a third capacitance with the third partial area, is situated opposite to the third partial area;
a fourth electrode, which forms a fourth capacitance with the fourth partial area, is situated opposite to the fourth partial;
wherein an attachment of the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass is on the substrate or on the drive device,
wherein the configurations of the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes are provided so that for a rotational acceleration around the first direction, the changes, which are caused by the deflections of or force effects on the first, second, third, and fourth partial areas are in parallel to the detection direction, of either the first and third capacitances and the second and fourth capacitances or the first and second capacitances and the third and fourth capacitances mutually compensate for one another,
wherein the first partial area and the second partial area have different masses per unit area in parallel to the main extension plane of the first Coriolis mass, and the third partial area and the fourth partial area have different masses per unit area in parallel to the main extension plane of the second Coriolis mass.

2. The yaw rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the drive device has a first drive element and a second drive element, the first drive element driving the first Coriolis mass in parallel to the drive direction and the second drive element driving the second Coriolis mass in parallel to the drive direction, the first Coriolis mass being configured so it is tiltable around a first tilting axis in parallel to the first direction in relation to the first drive element, and the second Coriolis mass is tiltable around a second tilting axis in parallel to the first direction relative to the second drive element.

3. The yaw rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first Coriolis mass is connected to the first drive element with a first torsion suspension in the area of the first tilting axis, and the second Coriolis mass is connected to the second drive element with a second torsion suspension in the area of the second tilting axis.

4. The yaw rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the drive device is configured to drive the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass in opposite directions to one another in the drive direction.

5. The yaw rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the drive device has a drive frame, the drive frame having four angled elements, which are attached in the corners of the frame so they may be rotationally deflected on the substrate, each two of the angled elements being connected to one another via U-shaped spring elements.

6. A yaw rate sensor, comprising:
a substrate, which has a main extension plane, for detecting a yaw rate around a first direction extending in parallel to the main extension plane;
a drive device;
a first Coriolis mass;
a second Coriolis mass, the drive device being configured to drive the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass in parallel to a drive direction, which extends perpendicularly to the first direction, the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass, in the case of a yaw rate around the first direction, experiencing a Coriolis acceleration in parallel to a detection direction, which extends perpendicularly to both the drive direction and perpendicularly to the first direction, the yaw rate sensor having an axis of symmetry which extends in parallel to the first direction with respect to the Coriolis masses,
wherein the first Coriolis mass has a first partial area and a second partial area, the second Coriolis mass has a third partial area and a fourth partial area, the first partial area and the third partial area being situated farther away from the axis of symmetry extending in parallel to the first direction, and the second partial area and the fourth partial area being situated closer to the axis of symmetry extending in parallel to the first direction;
a first electrode, which forms a first capacitance with the first partial area, is situated opposite to the first partial area;
a second electrode, which forms a second capacitance with the second partial area, is situated opposite to the second partial area;
a third electrode, which forms a third capacitance with the third partial area, is situated opposite to the third partial area;
a fourth electrode, which forms a fourth capacitance with the fourth partial area, is situated opposite to the fourth partial;
wherein an attachment of the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass is on the substrate or on the drive device,
wherein the configurations of the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes are provided so that for a rotational acceleration around the first direction, the changes, which are caused by the deflections of or force effects on the first, second, third, and fourth partial areas are in parallel to the detection direction, of either the first and third capacitances and the second and fourth capacitances or the first and second capacitances and the third and fourth capacitances mutually compensate for one another,
wherein the mass per unit area in parallel to the main extension plane of the first Coriolis mass decreases with increasing distance from the axis of symmetry of the yaw rate sensor extending in parallel to the first direction, and the mass per unit area in parallel to the main extension plane of the second Coriolis mass decreases with increasing distance from the axis of symmetry of the yaw rate sensor extending in parallel to the first direction.

7. A yaw rate sensor, comprising:
a substrate, which has a main extension plane, for detecting a yaw rate around a first direction extending in parallel to the main extension plane;
a drive device;
a first Coriolis mass;
a second Coriolis mass, the drive device being configured to drive the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass in parallel to a drive direction, which extends perpendicularly to the first direction, the first Coriolis mass and the second Coriolis mass, in the case of a yaw rate around the first direction, experiencing a Coriolis acceleration in parallel to a detection direction, which extends perpendicu

Assignees

• Kuhlmann Burkhard
• Scheben Rolf
• Meisel Daniel Christoph
• Schmidt Benjamin
• Balslink Thorsten
• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Kuhlmann Burkhard
• Scheben Rolf
• Meisel Daniel Christoph
• Schmidt Benjamin
• Balslink Thorsten

Classifications

• G01C19/56 Primary

  Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses, e.g. vibratory angular rate sensors based on Coriolis forces · CPC title

• G01C19/5747 Primary

  each sensing mass being connected to a driving mass, e.g. driving frames · CPC title