Patent ID: 6474162
Filing Date: 2002-11-05
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
Micromechanical rate of rotation sensor in which parts made of silicon, silicon compounds or silicon/glass compounds or other semiconductor materials are structured out by micromechanical techniques, said rotation sensor comprising:at least one semiconductor wafer defining a wafer plane; a pair of prongs forming a tuning fork, said prongs defining respective planes parallel to the wafer plane, said prongs extending from a common base, said prongs being aligned with each other and spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to said wafer plane, said prongs being excitable to vibrate in a plane perpendicular to the wafer plane; a tuning fork suspension extending between said common base of the prongs and the at least one semiconductor wafer; and a sensor element which measures the angular velocity of a rotation of the sensor about an axis parallel to the tuning fork suspension.