Patent ID: 6158280
Filing Date: 2000-12-12
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
A detector for detecting at least one physical quantity from among linear acceleration, angular acceleration, and angular velocity, fabricated through micro-machining, comprising:a substrate;a plurality of excitation beams extending along two different directions parallel to the surface of said substrate;a fixing portion for fixing said excitation beams to said substrate at an intersecting portion of said excitation beams;a plurality of mass portions each having an inertial mass and supported at free ends of said excitation beams to be excited with respect to said substrate;a plurality of excitation electrodes for exciting said mass portions by providing electrical force, each excitation electrode being disposed to face said corresponding mass portion at one end of said mass portion; anda driving means for applying AC voltage to said excitation electrodes;and wherein said mass portions are excited such that two adjacent mass portions vibrate parallel to said substrate and in opposite phases in a rotational direction about a vertical axis to said surface of said substrate, and said excitation beams have flexibility in both planes which are parallel and perpendicular to the surface of said substrate.