Patent ID: 6070463
Filing Date: 2000-06-06
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
An angular velocity sensor, comprising:a substrate;an oscillator having a hollow region, said oscillator supported on said substrate for movement along two horizontal axes;oscillation-generator means for oscillating said oscillator along a first one of said horizontal axes; anddisplacement detection means located within said hollow region of said oscillator for detecting displacement of said oscillator along a second one of said horizontal axes when said oscillator is oscillated along said first horizontal axis and is subject to angular velocity around a vertical axis, wherein said oscillation-generating means comprises a moving-part comb-like electrode having a plurality of electrode plates extending along said first horizontal axis, and a stationary-part comb-like electrode disposed close to said substrate so as to opposedly face said moving-part comb-like electrode with a clearance, and wherein said displacement detection means comprises a moving-part antenna-like electrode and a stationary-part antenna-like electrode, said moving-part antenna-like electrode having a plurality of columnar portions disposed so as to axially extend in a direction orthogonal to the axis along which said comb-like electrodes are arranged, and a plurality of electrode plates provided for said columnar portions so as to extend coaxially with said comb-like electrodes, and said stationary-part antenna-like electrode having a plurality of columnar portions disposed close to said substrate so as to extend coaxially with the columnar portions of said moving-part antenna-like electrode, and a plurality of electrode plates provided for said columnar portions of said stationary-part antenna-like electrode so as to opposedly face the electrode plates of said moving-part antenna-like electrode with clearances therebetween.