Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7814792?dq=6,826,762
Timestamp: 2016-10-27 21:48:03
Document Index: 481176739

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 42', 'art 42', 'art 38', 'art 42', 'art 38', 'art 42', 'art 38', 'art 42']

Patent US7814792 - Gyro-module - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA gyro-module includes: a first gyro element component having a first detection axis and a second detection axis, and outputting at least a signal that is based on angular velocity around the first detection axis and the second detection axis; a second gyro element component having a first detection...http://www.google.com/patents/US7814792?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7814792 - Gyro-moduleAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS7814792 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/000,280Publication dateOct 19, 2010Filing dateDec 11, 2007Priority dateJan 26, 2007Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS20080178673Publication number000280, 12000280, US 7814792 B2, US 7814792B2, US-B2-7814792, US7814792 B2, US7814792B2InventorsMitsuhiro Tateyama, Takayuki KikuchiOriginal AssigneeEpson Toyocom CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (10), Referenced by (36), Classifications (8), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetGyro-module
US 7814792 B2Abstract
A gyro-module includes: a first gyro element component having a first detection axis and a second detection axis, and outputting at least a signal that is based on angular velocity around the first detection axis and the second detection axis; a second gyro element component having a first detection axis and a second detection axis, and outputting at least a signal that is based on angular velocity around the first detection axis and the second detection axis; a third gyro element component having a first detection axis; a first operation circuit conducting an operation of an output signal from the first gyro element component and an output signal from the third gyro element component; and a second operation circuit conducting an operation of an output signal from the second gyro element component and an output signal from the third gyro element component.
An advantage of the present invention is to provide a gyro module which is capable of conducting the triaxial angular velocity detection.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gyro module according to a first embodiment of the invention. A triaxial gyro module 10 has three gyro element components. Among these three gyro element components, a first gyro element component 12 and a second gyro element component 14 have two detection axes (a first detection axis and a second detection axis). The rest, which is a third gyro element component 16, has a single detection axis (a first detection axis).
The base part 32 further has a detection arm 40 that extends from the middle of the side of the base part 32 where is parallel to the x-axis and toward the direction parallel to the y-axis in the x-y plane. More specifically, the base part 32 has the detection arm 40 which extends in +y direction and the detection arm 40 which extends in −y direction. The detection arm 40 is formed so as to form a single body with the base part 32. A weight part 42 that has a larger width in the x-axis direction compared with that of the detection arm 40 and has a rectangular shape is formed so as to form a single body with the detection arm 40 at the end part of the detection arm 40. The weight part 42 which is provided at the end part of the detection arm 40 has a larger width in the x-axis direction compared with that of the weight part 38 which is provided at the end part of the drive arm 36. When the width of the weight part 42 provided at the end part of the detection arm 40 is denoted as “D” and the width of the weight part 38 provided at the end part of the drive arm 36 is denoted as “d”, the weight parts are formed so as to satisfy the relation “5 d≦D ≦10 d”. In other words, the weight part 42 provided at the end part of the detection arm 40 is designed to have the width “D” which is 5-10 times as large as the width “d” of the weight part 38 provided at the end part of the drive arm 36. The width “D” of the weight part 42 provided at the end part of the detection arm 40 is set so as to obtain an efficient torsional vibration of the detection arm 40 when detection of the angular velocity in the y-axis rotation system is carried out.
When an electric signal (a drive signal) from the oscillation circuit is supplied to the driving electrode through the resonator element side mount electrode 46 in the biaxial gyro element component 30, the drive arm 36 vibrates symmetrically in a flexure vibration (driving vibration) manner. More specifically, the drive arm 36 situated on the left hand side and the drive arm 36 situated on the right hand side in FIG. 2 vibrate in a line-symmetrical manner with respect to the line which lies parallel to the y-axis and penetrates the gravity center “G” of the gyro element component. Where an angular velocity around the z-axis is given to the biaxial gyro element component 30 which is vibrating in the driving vibration manner, Coriolis force in the y-axis direction works on the drive arm 36. The detection arm 40 starts the flexure vibration (detective vibration) affected by the Coriolis force and an electric signal is outputted through the detection electrode and from the resonator element side mount electrode 46. Where an angular velocity around the y-axis is given to the biaxial gyro element component 30 which is vibrating in the driving vibration manner, the detection arm 40 torsionally vibrates (detective vibration). This torsional vibration is the vibration mode of the detection arm 40 in which the flexure vibration in the x-axis direction generated by the Coriolis force and the flexure vibration in the z-axis direction are mixed. An electronic signal is generated by the torsional vibration and outputted through the detection electrode. Where the biaxial gyro element component 30 rotates around the x-axis, the Coriolis force is not working so that the electric signal is not outputted from the biaxial gyro element component 30.
A second embodiment of the invention is now described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a triaxial gyro module according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6A is a block diagram of the triaxial gyro module in which the polarity of the detection sensitivity for the first detection axis of the second gyro element component is reversed. FIG. 6B is a block diagram of the triaxial gyro module in which the polarity of the detection sensitivity for the first detection axis of the first gyro element component is reversed. The triaxial gyro module 10 according to the second embodiment has the same structure as that of the triaxial gyro module 10 according to the first embodiment except that the first detection axis of either the first element component 12 or the second gyro element component 14 has an opposite detection sensitivity polarity with respect to that of the first detection axis of the third gyro element component 16. Only the different structures or points from the first embodiment will be described in the following second embodiment.
A third embodiment of the invention is now described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a triaxial gyro module according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8A is a block diagram of the triaxial gyro module in which the polarity of the detection sensitivity around the first detection axes of the third and first gyro element components is reversed. FIG. 8B is a block diagram of the triaxial gyro module in which the polarity of the detection sensitivity around the first detection axes of the third and second gyro element components is reversed. The triaxial gyro module 10 according to the third embodiment has the same structure as that of the triaxial gyro module 10 according to the first embodiment except that the first detection axis of either the first element component 12 or the second gyro element component 14 and the first detection axis of the third gyro element component 16 have an opposite detection sensitivity polarity with respect to that of the second gyro element component 14 or the first element component 12. Only the different structures or points from the first embodiment will be described in the following third embodiment.
A fourth embodiment of the invention is now described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a triaxial gyro module according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 9A is a block diagram of the triaxial gyro module in which the polarity of the detection sensitivity around the first detection axes of the first and second gyro element components is reversed. FIG. 9B is a block diagram of the triaxial gyro module in which the polarity of the detection sensitivity around the first detection axis of the third gyro element component is reversed. The triaxial gyro module 10 according to the fourth embodiment has the same structure as that of the triaxial gyro module 10 according to the first embodiment except that the first detection axes of the first element component 12 and the second gyro element component 14 have an opposite detection sensitivity polarity with respect to that of the third gyro element component 16. Only the different structures or points from the first embodiment will be described in the following fourth embodiment.
A fifth embodiment of the invention is now described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a triaxial gyro module according to the fifth embodiment. The triaxial gyro module 10 according to the fifth embodiment has the same structure as that of the triaxial gyro module 10 according to the first embodiment except that all of the gyro element components 12, 14, 16 are reversed to be mounted. More specifically, the first detection axes of the gyro element components 12, 14, 16 are aligned in the same direction and their orientations are also the same. However the orientation of the Z-axis of the triaxial gyro module 10 is opposite to the orientation of the first detection axes of the gyro element components 12, 14, 16. Referring to FIG. 5, such triaxial gyro module 10 can be formed from the gyro element components 12, 14, 16 which are reversed and contained in the package 80 and the gyro element 70 is formed to have a single body together.
A sixth embodiment of the invention is now described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a triaxial gyro module according to the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, all of the gyro element components are the biaxial gyro element component 30. According to the sixth embodiment, a fourth gyro element component 110 (the biaxial gyro element component 30) is used instead of the third gyro element component 16 (the uniaxial gyro element component 50) as described in the first through fifth embodiments.
A seventh embodiment of the invention is now described. The double T-type gyro sensor is used for the gyro element components 12, 14, 16, 110 in the above-described embodiments. However, the embodiments are not necessarily limited to this. For example, the gyro element component can be formed by using a double-ended tuning fork shaped vibrating gyro sensor. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of the double-ended tuning fork shaped vibrating gyro sensor. A double-ended tuning fork shaped vibrating gyro sensor 120 is formed from a Z-cut quartz substrate which is sliced at a x-y plane defined by the x-axis and the y-axis. This main plane of the quartz substrate is the main plane of the biaxial gyro element component 30. The orthogonal direction with respect to the x-y plane is the z-axis.
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