Acceleration sensor

US5877421A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Markus Biebl · Augsburg, DE
• Ulrich Naeher · Munich, DE
• Christofer Hierold · Munich, DE
• Max Steger · Hersbruck, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 29, 1997
• Grant date: Mar 2, 1999
• Expiry date: Sep 29, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01P15/18
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An acceleration sensor has a mass part movably attached over a substrate with pairs of electrodes arranged relative to the mass part so that one electrode of each pair is under the mass part and the other electrode of that pair is arranged above the mass part. The electrodes are attached immovably to the substrate. Controllable electrical voltages can be applied such via an electronic drive circuit to the electrically conductively doped mass part and to these electrodes so that excursions of the mass part can be electrostatically compensated and, at the same time, the magnitude of inertial forces acting on the mass part, and thus the magnitude of accelerations, can be measured.