Patents Assigned to Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
  • Patent number: 8342023
    Abstract: A Coriolis gyro having an arrangement which comprises a substrate, at least two individual structures and spring elements. The spring elements couple the individual structures to the substrate and to one another. Force transmitters and taps are provided. The arrangement has at least one excitation mode which can be excited by the force transmitters and at least one detection mode which can be measured by the taps. The excitation mode and the detection mode are closed, as a result of which no disturbance excitations of the excitation mode and of the detection mode can be caused by linear accelerations and/or vibrations if there is no need to take account of manufacturing tolerances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfram Geiger
  • Patent number: 8258590
    Abstract: A method for producing a component, especially a micromechanical, micro-electro-mechanical or micro-opto-electro-mechanical component, as well as such a component which has an active structure that is embedded in a layer structure. Strip conductor bridges are formed by etching first and second depressions having a first and second, different etching depth into a covering layer of a first layer combination that additionally encompasses a substrate and an insulation layer. The deeper depression is used for insulating the strip conductor bridge while the shallower depression provides a moving space for the active structure with the moving space being bridged by the strip conductor bridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfram Geiger, Uwe Breng
  • Patent number: 8171794
    Abstract: A method and a switch arrangement for operating a micromechanical capacitive sensor having at least one and at most two fixed electrodes and one differential capacitor formed by a movable central electrode that can be deflected by an external force, wherein the deflection of the electrode is measured. A fraction of the force acting on the central electrode, corresponding to the electrostatic restorative force, is compensated. Under closed-loop operation, a selection signal is influenced by a regulator supplementing a restore crosstalk signal so that the created capacitive restorative force acts in a compensatory manner against deflection of the central electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Guenter Spahlinger
  • Publication number: 20100139399
    Abstract: A rotation rate sensor comprises a substrate and two structures which move relative to the substrate on a design plane (x-y), with the two moving structures being coupled to form a coupled structure such that the coupled structure has a first oscillation mode with antiphase deflections of the moving structures in a first direction (x) on the design plane (x-y) as excitation mode. The coupled structure has a second oscillation mode as a detection mode which is excited by Coriolis accelerations when the first oscillation mode is excited and on rotation about a sensitive axis (z) of the rotation rate sensor. The sensitive axis is at right angles to the design plane (x-y), and the coupled structure is designed such that, subject to optimal preconditions, it does not have any oscillation mode which can be excited by linear accelerations of the rotation rate sensor in a direction parallel to the second axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventors: Wolfram Geiger, Peter Leinfelder, Guenter Spahlinger, Julian Bartholomeyczik