Physical quantity sensor, electronic device, and moving object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9863972-B2
Application number	US-201414225818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A physical quantity sensor includes: a sensor element which detects predetermined physical quantity; a driving circuit which generates a driving signal of the sensor element; and an AGC circuit which controls the driving signal at a constant level according to a reference voltage, based on an output signal of the sensor element, in which the reference voltage is variable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A physical quantity sensor comprising:
a sensor element that detects a predetermined physical quantity;
a driving circuit that generates a driving signal of the sensor element;
a selection circuit that, based on a control signal, (i) in a first mode, selects and outputs a first voltage signal, as a reference voltage, from a plurality of voltage signals having different voltages based on a control signal and (ii) in a second mode, selects and outputs a second voltage, as the reference voltage, from the plurality of voltage signals, wherein the second voltage is greater than the first voltage; and
an AGC circuit that receives the reference voltage from the selection circuit and controls the driving signal at a constant level according to the reference voltage, based on an output signal of the sensor element, wherein the second mode corresponds to a burn-in test mode in which the second voltage is selected to overdrive the sensor element.

2. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a reference voltage circuit which generates the first voltage signal.

3. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 2 ,
wherein the selection circuit selects and outputs either the first voltage signal or the second voltage signal input from an external terminal, based on the control signal.

4. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 2 ,
wherein the reference voltage circuit further generates the second voltage signal.

5. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 2 ,
wherein the reference voltage circuit generates n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 3) of the second voltage signals, wherein at least one of the n second voltage signals is greater than the first voltage signal, and
wherein the selection circuit selects and outputs any of the first voltage signal and the n second voltage signals.

6. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a terminal; and
a switch circuit for selectively outputting the driving signal from the drive circuit to the terminal.

7. An electronic device comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 1 .

8. A moving object comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 1 .

9. A physical quantity sensor comprising:
a sensor element that detects a predetermined physical quantity;
a driving circuit that generates and outputs a driving signal for exciting the sensor element;
a selection circuit that, based on a control signal, selects and outputs one voltage signal from a plurality of voltage signals having different voltages, wherein the output signal of the selection circuit is a reference voltage, wherein the selection circuit selects a first voltage signal, as the reference voltage, during a normal operation mode, and selects a second voltage signal, as the reference voltage, during a burn-in test mode, wherein the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal are among the plurality of voltage signals, and wherein the second voltage is greater than the first voltage; and
an AGC circuit that receives the reference voltage from the selection circuit and controls the driving signal at a constant level according to the reference voltage and an output signal of the sensor element, wherein the second voltage is selected to overdrive the sensor element in the burn-in test mode.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Shindo Takehiko
• Oshio Masahiro

Classifications

• G01P3/14 Primary

  by exciting one or more mechanical resonance systems · CPC title

• G01P15/097

  by vibratory elements · CPC title

• G01C19/5776

  Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719 · CPC title

• G01P15/08 Primary

  with conversion into electric or magnetic values · CPC title