Micromechanical rotation speed sensor

US5959206A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• LITEF GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Bruno Ryrko · Denzlingen, DE
• Eberhard Handrich · Kirchzarten, DE
• Uwe Breng · Gundelfingen, DE
• Martin Hafen · Colmar, FR

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 18, 1997
• Grant date: Sep 28, 1999
• Expiry date: Nov 18, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01C19/5656
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A micromechanical rate-of-rotation sensor based on the coriolis principle includes two plate-like oscillators electrostatically driven to oscillate out-of-phase. The oscillators are arranged one above another in alignment to oscillate via plate-like support structures separated from one another by a very small drive capacitor gap. By suitable selection of the natural frequency of the support structure parts, due to a significantly-larger distance between the oscillators, it is possible to achieve larger amplitudes of oscillation and, hence, a high oscillation quality, unlimited by the drive capacitor gap (which is narrow for reasons of good stimulation at small excitation voltages). The two oscillator structures in each case preferably comprise two electrically mutually insulated bonded parts suspended via springs within a frame and configured so that essentially only rotational oscillator movements are possible with linear movements of the oscillators in the .+-.z spatial direction largely suppressed.